Some critical observers label Singapore as a concrete jungle, given over to massive buildings and intensive developments. But contrary to this belief, Singapore is ahead of the pack worldwide, and has launched its first car-free green civic area: Tengah Town on the west of the island. By Jeremy Torr.
Singapore August 2020. The Singapore government has just launched the nation’s first “car-free” town centre with a carefully planned traffic system running below ground level, in order to free up surface space for other uses, says the national developer Housing Development Board (HDB).
“Roads are planned to run beneath the town centre, freeing up space at ground level for retail and recreational developments. Separated from roads and traffic, the heart of the town centre will be safe and friendly for residents to walk and cycle,” it says.
“This is the first time an integrated modeling approach has been used on a major new development,” says Kelvin Li, senior engineer on the Tengah project team. “Using this approach has allowed us to see how building and greenery will affect the wind flow and heat from the sun.” This has allowed the project team to employ environmental modeling techniques to help optimise building layouts and outdoor spaces, he adds.
Perfect for people: Cars do not appear on the surface in Tengah’s city centre.
“This means we can enhance the comfort levels for the residents; they can also benefit from (other) new solutions like smart lighting in common areas, centralised recycling disposal chutes, and a smart pneumatic waste disposal system,” he says.
This coordinated approach to green development has allowed the new Tengah town precincts: Plantation, Garden, Park, Forest Hill, Brickland and Market Place to be closely integrated without being cut by major roadways.
The planners have tried to ensure that the development integrates with its surroundings, so that residents will be able to feel at home with nature, says Wu Sau Ling, senior planner. “There will be special community spaces such as farmways, where residents can enjoy community gardening in their own neighbourhood. We are really excited to see these plans coming alive in coming years,” she adds.
Other nods to green living include the 100m-wide, 5km forest corridor will run through the centre of town. And all the town's parks are interconnected with cycle paths, and where roads do surface, there cycle paths on both sides of the road - design decisions that involved the National Parks Board and the Land Transport Authority.
"We wanted the experience where if you live here, you would be able to easily cycle or walk through any of the park spaces... into the town centre, rather than drive," said Wu.
All the main resources of the new town are designed to integrate with nature and the community, to create “an endearing town where future residents can experience being “At Home with Nature” says HDB. Tengah is expected to house about 42,000 new homes in total, which will all be designed with future sustainability in mind.
“The apartment developments have been designed so residents can also install their own monitoring systems too if they want to thanks to extra comms and power points in their apartments,” says Li. Additionally, systems to collect rainwater for irrigation and to wash common areas will be plumbed in to help save energy and water. Additional power points and data points will also be installed in homes to enable the adoption of smart home devices if required.
“Environmental good habits through small behavioural changes” - Cheng Li Hui
“And to encourage residents to adopt a healthier lifestyle, the neighbourhood centre will feature prominent stairways which open up directly into a variety of green community spaces on each floor,” says HDB. And within the nearby rainforest walk, there will be nature-themed children's playgrounds, fitness stations, open green spaces and seating areas for locals and visitors.
“We are working to create planting along the walk which will be layered to mimic the emergent, canopy and understorey layers found in a tropical rainforest, and include features such as vegetated swales and rain gardens at various points,” adds the HDB noting that incorporated water features will also be developed to attract birds, butterflies and dragonflies – and so help control the mosquito population.
On the other side of the island, the established town of Tampines is also moving to a sustainable benchmark by adopting the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) Eco-Office Plus certification.
“This has helped empower us to … promote environmental good through small behavioural changes in our daily habits,” said Cheng Li Hui of Tampines Town Council. These include prompting Tampines residents to adopt composting of food waste, to start planting food crops of their own, and the introduction of reverse vending machines to facilitate recycling. “People’s mindsets and everyday practices hold the key … to this shift towards a more sustainable workplace and future. Every small change we do can have a great impact on action against climate change,” says Jen Teo, SEC Executive Director.
But the key to Tengah’s new town-wide eco-friendly approach is its unique subterranean road system. “Running the roads in the town centre underground will free up space at the ground level. With this separation of pedestrian roads from motor traffic, the heart of the town centre will be safe and friendly for walking, cycling, as well as for gardening and recreational activities," says HDB.
All images courtesy Singapore HDB