SG1 Parks & Waterbodies Plan AND IDENTITY PLAN S UBJECT G ROUP R EPORT O N PARKS & WATERBODIES PLAN AND R USTIC C OAST November 2002 SG1 SG1 S UBJECT G ROUP R EPORT O N PARKS & WATERBODIES PLAN AND R USTIC C OAST November 2002 SG1 SG1 SG1 i 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Parks & Waterbodies Plan and the Identity Plan present ideas and possibilities on how we can enhance our living environment by making the most of our natural assets like the greenery and waterbodies and by retaining places with local identity and history. The two plans were put to public consultation from 23 July 2002 to 22 October 2002. More than 35,000 visited the exhibition, and feedback was received from about 3,600 individuals. Appointment of Subject Groups 1.2 3 Subject Groups (SGs) were appointed by Minister of National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan as part of the public consultation exercise to study proposals under the following areas: a. Subject Group 1: Parks and Waterbodies Plan and the Rustic Coast b. Subject Group 2: Urban Villages and Southern Ridges & Hillside Villages c. Subject Group 3: Old World Charm 1.3 The SG members, comprising professionals, representatives from interest groups and lay people were tasked to study the various proposals for the 2 plans, conduct dialogue sessions with stakeholders and consider public feedback, before making their recommendations to URA on the proposals. Following from the public consultation exercise, URA will finalise the proposals and incorporate the major land use changes and ideas into the Master Plan 2003. 1.4 Subject Group (SG) 1 was tasked to look into the proposals for the Parks and Waterbodies Plan and Rustic Coast cluster of the Identity Plan. The key proposals of the Parks & Waterbodies Plan (Figure 1) are: a. Make areas of natural beauty more accessible b. Build four new waterfront parks c. Develop five new parks d. Enlarge selected parks e. Achieve connectivity to our parks f. Create a variety of streetscapes g. Encourage more skyrise greenery 1.5 The Rustic Coast cluster (Figure 2) comprises five coastal areas at the north-east coast of Singapore, namely, Pulau Ubin, Changi Point, Pasir Ris, Coney Island and Punggol Point. The proposals are to connect them up via a water taxi system to make it more convenient for people to get to these places and also hop from place to place, and to bring in new activities and attractions to enhance the rustic coastal charm. 1.6 The SG met for eight discussions, conducted three site visits and had two dialogue sessions with stakeholders. The group also had discussions with URA, NParks, HDB, PUB, DSTA, MINDEF, LTA and SLA to understand the planning and operational considerations and constraints (see schedule in Appendix 1). The SG has concluded its study and presents its recommendations in this report. SG1 1 Figure 1: Parks & Waterbodies Plan Figure 2: Rustic Coast cluster SG1 2 General Principles of the Parks & Waterbodies and Identity Plan 1.7 The SG notes that URA’s plans were well thought out. In order to find relevance for the SG’s considerations in the light of these plans as well as to frame the SG’s discussion, general principles were derived from which key objectives could be articulated for these plans. OBJECTIVES OF THE PARK & WATERBODIES AND RUSTIC COAST PLAN 1.8 The overarching need for Singapore with respect to the Parks & Waterbodies Plan and Rustic Coast cluster is to enhance our living environment. The SG notes that as the population of Singapore rises, there will be increasing pressure on land use and increasing competition between urban development and the need for recreational spaces. Land in Singapore is finite and a balance is difficult to achieve. However, the SG thinks that the plans can give more depth and character to Singapore’s existing environment. In particular, the plans can help achieve the following: Sense of openness (Figure 3) 1.9 Singapore is becoming more claustrophobic with increasing urbanisation. The Parks and Waterbodies Plan and Rustic Coast cluster can compensate for Singapore’s lack of space by creating a sense of space, so that residents do not always have to go overseas to experience a sense of open space. 1.10 A sense of openness can be created through park connectors, so that people can travel through greenery without interruption, thereby giving the impression of space. 1.11 In the absence of sufficient horizontal space and visual refreshment, a vertical dimension should be included. Through skyrise greenery, the sense of spaces is given this vertical dimension. This could help compensate psychologically for the lack of horizontal space. Space to reflect (Figure 4) 1.12 As Singapore develops into a fast pace, urban society, it becomes essential for people to find space to break away and reflect. A sense of ‘escape’ for mental refreshment and recreation is essential in a country that is quite stressful to live in, and will be more so as it gets more crowded. SG1 3 Figure 3: Sense of space Figure 4: Space to reflect SG1 4 Encourage creativity, innovation and imagination (Figure 5) 1.13 Open spaces lead to open minds. In our pursuit to become a centre of excellence for research and development, e.g. in life sciences, and attract foreign talents in such fields, Singapore’s physical environment must support this. Open spaces provide for mental refreshment, opportunities for recreation, and a sense of space to open up minds to become more imaginative, innovative, creative and projective. This would in turn reap economic benefit for our country. Sense of rootedness (Figure 6) 1.14 Parks and natural areas in Singapore can provide strong links to our heritage. They can be a repository of Singapore’s cultural, historical and natural heritage for future generations. In addition, the geographical contexts of Singapore’s early days can be preserved as part of our parks. Parks could also be living museums of the land use for the area. This offers a sense of rootedness in a society that is changing so quickly. Sense of diversity 1.15 Parks can contribute to the sense of diversity. In the development of Singapore’s cityscape, it is important to retain the sense of diversity and not homogenise places in the process of development. Different types of greenery and a variety of activities within them could expand this diversity. Sense of ownership and community 1.16 Parks can encourage a sense of ownership among the residents of an area. Small, unique spaces within local communities can be used to realise the vision under the Parks & Waterbodies Plan. For example, odd spaces in Bukit Panjang were successfully converted into small vegetable plots to serve the needs of the community. Community farming plots could be incorporated within parks, as a joint public-private enterprise. This encourages a sense that the space belongs to the community. This can in turn build up ‘civic pride’ within the community where residents feel a sense of rootedness and are proud of their own space. Sense of fun 1.17 Parks can offer a sense of fun, through a spectrum of recreational uses, from simple picnics, to elaborate concerts in the park. Parks could be individual or family-based destinations. They should not only serve the recreational needs of adults, but should also be a fun place for children. Especially important in nation-building and rootedness is the ability to provide pleasant memories of growing up and living in Singapore. SG1 5 Figure 5: Space to encourage creativity, innovation and imagination Figure 6: Sense of rootedness SG1 6 Approach taken by Subject Groups and Limitations of the Study 1.18 The SG considered the proposals presented by URA in the light of the above objectives. It also took into account public feedback (Figure 7a). 1.19 The SG visited as many of the specific sites as possible during the study period (Figure 7b). Through these visits, the SG formulated its impressions according to broad headings as follows: a. Overall sense of the place and the desired feel that should either be preserved or created, in the context of geography and local community b. Accessibility of the place and whether it should be made more accessible c. Features present, whether appropriate, inappropriate, to be added to or removed d. Value of the location in terms of geology, human geography, history, etc. and whether there is educational value e. Usage and activities for the place, e.g. outdoor sports, BBQ, family outings, etc f. Potential for connectivity with other parks and recreational areas 1.20 The SG notes that the Parks and Waterbodies Plan is a plan to guide the development of parks up to 2015. Thus, not all potential areas are included. Where possible, the SG has suggested additional sites that can be opened up for public enjoyment, such as the Ulu Sembawang area. However, due to the limitation of the study period, the SG was constrained to the existing pre-identified locations and plans. The SG notes that a more comprehensive survey of possibilities might yield further ideas, but the SG’s terms of reference do not include going beyond the 2015 plans as presented by URA. 1.21 The SG also notes that URA’s Parks and Waterbodies Plan is not the same as a nature conservation plan, but is a plan to guide the development of parks up to 2015. This means that the plan does not include nature areas that may be opened up beyond that year, nor nature areas which are not intended to be opened up to the public so as to preserve them as pristine nature reserves.