Singapore’s forgotten urban alleyways, an ubiquitous part of everyday life within the charming shophouse districts throughout the city centre, provide an unique opportunity to rejuvenate the dense urban core with a network of environmentally-conscious “Garden City Alleyways” that will improve the quality of life in line with Singapore’s ambition to develop as a “City in a Garden”.
In the densely built-up city centre, where there are few opportunities to create new public parks and greenery, Singapore’s alleyways (a series of underutilised spaces spread throughout the city) provide a unique opportunity to create an intimate network of green community spaces throughout the dense urban fabric of Singapore.
The simple act of converting Singapore’s urban alleyways into “Garden City Alleyways” would provide a multitude of sustainable and civic benefits to the urban environment. New plantable areas allows a network of small-scale urban farms that encourages community engagement and neighbour interaction within backyard edible gardens, while augmenting food supply for small businesses & F&B outlets housed in Singapore’s shophouse districts. This vegetation would further assist with urban heat absorption to combat the heat island effect from paved areas and air-conditioner exhaust, reducing the temperature of the microclimate within these areas; while creating a network of public pocket parks for public enjoyment and increasing urban biodiversity within the city centre. Furthermore, the introduction of bio-swale drainage manages & naturally treats stormwater runoff, replacing unsightly concrete drains with lush green features that retain surge water and naturally remove pollutants before discharging into the public water catchment.
KEY CONCEPTS:
- The conversion of existing concrete drains into BIO-SWALE DRAINAGE manages & naturally treats stormwater runoff in line with PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Water guidelines, replacing unsightly concrete drains with lush green features that retain surge water and naturally remove pollutants before discharging into the public water catchment.
- New plantable areas allows a network of small-scale neighbourhood urban farming areas that encourages community engagement and neighbour interaction within backyard EDIBLE GARDENS, while augmenting food supply for small businesses & F&B outlets housed in Singapore’s shophouse districts.
- Vegetation aids with URBAN HEAT ABSORPTION to combat the heat island effect from paved areas and air-conditioner exhaust, reducing the temperature of the microclimate within these areas.
- Creates a network of PUBLIC POCKET PARKS for public enjoyment throughout the city centre, turning dreary back lanes into delightful urban shortcuts.
- A network of planted spaces will allow habitats for animals and natural passageways between existing parks, increasing URBAN BIODIVERSITY within the city centre
- The existing concrete driveway can be broken at edges to create PERMEABLE PAVEMENT allowing stormwater to naturally filter into bio-swale drainage at either side of the alleyway
- Provisions for IN-GROUND COMPOSTING reduces local waste production by allowing residents to turn organic waste into fertiliser, in turn increasing the lushness of the alleyways and productivity of edible gardens.
Images by Jonathan Choe
