Chapter 1

• People depend on nature:

  • Nature provides essentials like air and water for humans to survive.
  • Living organisms like bees help pollinate crops for a continuous supply of food.
  • Nature provides spaces for recreation and leisure activities which allows people to bond with their family and friends, thus helping to maintain humans' physical and mental well-being

  Example:

  • NParks' Therapeutic Gardens help to connect people with nature and reduce stress which improves their physical, psychological and social well-being.
• Nature depend on human:

  • People in the neighbourhood may tend to the health of nearby nature areas, ensuring the plants and animals living there thrive.
  • Individuals in local communities can encourage one another to enjoy nearby nature areas in a sustainable manner without causing irreversible damage.

  Example:

  • NParks organises a range of activities for schools during the week of international day for biodiversity in May. One such activity is the Green Wave campaign which aims to educate youths about the importance of protecting our natural environment.
• Local communities and nearby nature areas mutually affect each other

  • The presence of green spaces and urban wildlife in neighbourhoods can enhance the mental health and well-being of local communities.
  • Human activities in nature areas can enhance their biodiversity.

  Example: Reforestation activities

  • People can gain enjoyment and enhance their mental health and well-being.
  • The overall health of the natural environment is enhanced as more shelter and habitats for the urban wildlife are provided.
• Benefits of nature: Lowering air temperatures

  • Provides shade and reduces the amount of direct sunlight that reaches the surface.
  • Cools the surrounding air through evapotranspiration as the water that plants absorb through their roots is released into the air as water vapour. This process uses heat from the surrounding, thus cooling it.
• Benefits of nature: Removing pollutants

  • During photosynthesis, vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and other air pollutants and releases oxygen.
  • Small particles are intercepted by leaves, which are washed to the ground when it rains.
  • Wetland plants can trap suspended materials and absorb excess nutrients in the water, thus improving water quality and preventing algae bloom
• Benefits of nature: Provision of recreational space

  • Nature areas offer numerous opportunities for outdoor activities.
  • Direct and frequent interactions with nature can bring about health and wellbeing benefits to people, reducing severity and occurrence of health conditions.
• People bring benefits to nature through community activities that promote the importance of environmental protection:

  • Local communities can collectively raise awareness about the value of nature areas through encouraging positive behaviour that does not damage nature.
  • People can also partake in conservation efforts such as clean up programs of beaches

  Example:

  • Dragonfly Watch, participants trained to identify different dragonfly species at their assigned sites. Resulting in greater protection of the species by raising awareness of their importance in the environment.
• People cause soil erosion to nature:

  • Occurs when people hike on non designated areas of a trail
  • They may cause soil compaction which prevents rainwater from infiltrating the surface. Leading to higher surface flows and soil erosion as the flowing water washes away the soil particles.
  • People may trample on the vegetation, damaging plants and affecting their growth.

  Example

  • In 2014, human activities led to severe soil erosion and habitat degradation in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. This resulted in the limiting of public access to the nature reserve for 2 years.
• People causing pollution in nature areas:

  • Littering can worsen pollution in natural areas.
  • Animals can get cut by metal cans or become entangled with plastic containers and bags.
  • Some animals may also mistake the litter for food and consume them. This may cause the animals to get hurt and suffer, and may eventually lead to their death.
• People disturbing wildlife:

  • Feeding wild animals may also lead to changes in the habits and behaviours of wildlife, and human-wildlife conflict can increase when animals associate food with people.

  Example:

  • Some people think they are doing wild animals a favour by feeding them but it actually does them more harm than good.
  • In Singapore, the law prohibits the feeding of any wild animals, and anyone caught intentionally feeding wildlife will be fined $5000 on the first offence.
• Increase in human-wildlife encounter due to urban development:

  • Singapore continues to urbanise and develop, leading to natural habitats shrinking.
  • Wildlife may venture out of the nature areas in search of food or shelter, potentially increasing the frequency of human-wildlife encounters.
• Increase in human-wildlife encounter due to growing interest in outdoor recreation:

  • With growing interest in outdoor recreational activities, people are now spending more time in nature areas, which increases the frequency of human-wildlife encounters.
• Increase in human-wildlife encounter due to greening efforts by state:

  • Singapore aims to bring nature back into the city and promote human-wildlife encounters.
• Environmental protection being seen as limiting development:

  • Some people may feel that the protection of nature is done at their expense

  Example:

  • Cross Island line proposed to be redirected to avoid building into Central Catchment Nature Reserve
  • Residents were afraid that this would bring them inconvenience, damage their property and result in their homes being acquired to make way for the construction.
  • However, this nature reserve is home to numerous critically endangered species.
  • Construction of the Cross Island MRT Line may damage their habitat, affecting their survival.
• Sense of place:

  • Sense of place is developed when people associate meanings and memories with locations.
  • It reflects the relationship people have with the places around them.
  • A sense of place helps to build our identity, enabling us to understand ourselves and others better.
  • It is derived from our experiences with the natural and built environments, and interactions with others at these locations.
  • It is highly personal and subjective
• Acquiring a sense of place: Repeated encounters

  • This helps us recall the characteristics and features of places that we come across, creating meanings and memories of them.

  Example:

  • Many residents in Singapore have vivid memories of the scenic journeys along the East Coast Parkway as it is a route they go by when they return home from overseas
• Sense of place: Significant events or memories

  • We may acquire a sense of place from events that occur at landmarks and gathering places.
  • Landmarks are highly visible and easy to remember
  • Landmarks may hold positive or negative memories.
  • They may feature public symbols that reflect a community's response to a tragedy
  • Aside from landmarks, our interactions with people at everyday places may result in us developing an attachment to these places
  • Places which may not be visually distinctive may be transformed into memorable places where people gather during community events.
• Representation of sense of place:

  • Sense of place may be represented through different forms and types of media by individuals and organisations, which reflects people's ideas, memories and significance of the location.
  • An individual may express their personal sense of place in different forms such as texts, audio, graphics and still or moving images.
  • This can then be shared with others through various media

  Example

  • Using the hashtag #sgmemory, users of the social media platform Instagram share photographs of their memorable experiences of places around Singapore.
• Responding to positive representation:

  • Our sense of place shapes our identity, hence, we respond well to representations that agree with how we feel about places in our neighbourhood.
  • Such representations add new layers of meanings to these places by revealing interesting information about them, thus enhancing our sense of place.

  Example:

  • Websites which feature the interesting history of the Beaulieu House in Sembawang may develop in people a greater appreciation for the place, enhancing their attachment to it.
• Responding to negative representation

  • We may respond defensively to media content that challenges our sense of place, causing us to dismiss these media content, perceiving them as distortions or untruths.

  Example:

  • The negative media portrayal of Yishun after the occurrence of rat problems and other crimes caused the Nee Soon Town Council and residents to share official statistics to show that Yishun is just like any other town in Singapore
• Regions:

  • Areas with similar physical and/or human characteristics
  • Can be classified according to human characteristics, environmental characteristics and geographical locations
  • Can also be the sphere of influence of services, events, and objects on other locations in the area.
  • A region's boundaries are where the effect of the services, events or objects are largely absent. (ie, town council)
• Spatial patterns:

  • Reflect non-random arrangements that are recognisable as shapes, clusters, geometry, or repeated occurrences at regular intervals.
  • Services, events and objects in our neighbourhood are often non-randomly arranged.
  • There is often a reason why particular services, events and objects are located in particular spaces.
  • Recognising spatial patterns is useful as it helps us understand the world around us.
  • Spatial patterns can be easily identified on maps where services, events and objects are represented by points, lines or polygons.
• Spatial association:

  • Spatial associations refer to the tendency of a pair of services, events and objects to be located near each other. (ie, stairs and lifts)
  • Understanding spatial associations in our neighbourhood enhances our everyday living.
• Spatial scales:

  • Spatial scales refer to the extent of an area in which a phenomenon or process takes place.
  • Can be at different hierarchies including global, regional, and local.
  • Nested areas are smaller areas located within larger areas.
  • Knowing spatial scales helps us understand how events and processes at one spatial scale may affect people and nature at other spatial
  • Examining phenomena and/or processes at different scales can provide us with different perspectives based on the spatial patterns and trends observed.
• Spatial scales in Singapore:

  • In each town, there is a town centre with a concentration of activities serving as the commercial and social hub for residents living nearby
  • Some town centres may have integrated transport hubs
  • The convenience of such town centres may attract visitors from other towns to visit
  • It may also attract businesses to locate their offices in these town centres, as they can take advantage of lower costs and reduce travelling time for their workers.
• Precinct:

  • Between 400 and 800 residential units
  • Facilities are often within close proximity, serving residents' everyday
  • Children's playgrounds, community gardens and covered linkways are always located near to each other, enhancing convenience and accessibility as well as catering to various needs.
  • However, some other facilities are spread throughout the precinct to meet the residents' needs.
  • Bus stops are spread out in regular intervals such that there is a bus stop near every apartment block, ensuring most residents in the precinct can have easy access to the bus stops.
• • Neighbourhood and town:
  • A neighbourhood serves between 4,000 and 6,000 residents.
  • Each neighbourhood comprises a few precincts.
  • A few neighbourhoods form a town.
  • The town's neighbourhoods can be found surrounding the town centre, which enables all residents to travel to and from the town centre conveniently.
• Singapore town planning:

  • Enable each town to be self-sufficient and provide employment opportunities

  Example

  • Tengah is Singapore's first "forest town" that will feature a 5km long forest corridor
  • The key features of Tengah will revolve around nature and the community
  • At the town level, a dedicated network will enable residents to travel conveniently
  • At the neighbourhood level residents will have opportunities to farm together at community gardens
• Singapore town planning:

  • Connections and synergies are created to achieve sustainability
  • Long-term plans at the national level seek to achieve this by optimising scarce land resources to cater to the diverse needs of current and future generations.