In this episode, we explore the role that urban greenery has in shaping Singapore’s streetscapes. Lee Jia Hwa, Director of Streetscape at NParks, shares about the environmental, aesthetic, and psychological benefits of urban tree planting. We also discover how Singapore's carefully curated urban greenery supports sustainability, cools industrial areas.
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00:00What does the NPAR's officer say when somebody asks if he's an arborist?
00:03Arbor then?
00:04Ha ha ha ha.
00:06That doesn't sound like a very sincere laugh.
00:14Hi Tia Huan, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today.
00:20So, what is a streetscape?
00:22So, streetscape is basically the maintenance of the roadside greenery,
00:25where we do things like
00:27conduct tree inspection, carry out tree planting, grass cutting and maintenance of the flower beds.
00:33That sounds like a lot of work. So I mean, because Singapore is a tropical island, I think a lot of
00:38people think that, you know, we're naturally green, but is that really the case? Is there a lot of
00:42work to be done? Yep, there is a lot of work to be done. A lot of trees are actually intentionally
00:48planted along the roadside, in the parks or even in the state land. Why is it important for Singapore
00:54to have urban greenery? Urban greenery brings about many benefits to people. Things like
00:59environmental, aesthetic, psychological and social benefits. They also absorb the air pollutants,
01:06provide us with clean air, provide us with shade which reduces the ambient and surface temperature.
01:12Urban greenery also provides food and shelter for the wildlife and the tree root system itself also
01:18intercepts great amounts of storm water and cleans the water that flows into our waterways.
01:24Urban greenery also adds a natural character to the place with their different shades of green,
01:30flowers and colour foliage, which further enhances the aesthetics of our living spaces.
01:36And I think one thing that a lot of people may not realise is urban greenery also helps to reduce
01:41our stress level, improve our mental well-being and higher life satisfaction. Working in urban
01:48greenery, does it reduce your stress levels? I'll take that as a no. You enjoy your job.
01:56Yeah, definitely. If not, I wouldn't be here for 20 years. 20 years! That's incredible. I mean,
02:02it sounds like you definitely have to make a lot of different decisions when it comes to
02:06urban greenery. Obviously, you are thinking about all the different types of areas,
02:09even the really tiny areas where you can plant trees. Do you plant them where there's very little
02:14footfall and nobody to see them? Yes, even in areas with low human traffic, there may still
02:20be a significant number of trees. So a very good example would be the industrial estates in
02:25Singapore, where these areas are among the hottest in Singapore. These places are also intensified
02:32with greenery to cool down the industrial estate, provide clean air, beautify the surrounding and
02:38provide a respite to the staff and employees working there. After all, Singapore is a small
02:43city-state with limited land space, so it is important that we maximise every green spaces.
02:49Are there any experts or specialists that you work with, that you consult with when it comes to
02:53deciding what species to plant, where to plant? So if I just give an example, the new roads that
03:00are built by the Land Transport Authority, once they hand over the road to us, we are in charge
03:05of beautifying the streetscape. And MParks will be the one to decide what are the trees to plant.
03:12Sometimes I will work with my landscape architect, who will actually come up with an artist's impression
03:17first. We will then work with our horticulture and arboriculture contractors, who are the one
03:23who will procure the plants and the trees from the nurseries, which could be local nurseries or
03:29even from the Malaysian nurseries. Who's the one who decides on which species to plant?
03:33It's MParks. Most of us are actually arborists and horticulturists. So arborist is a tree care
03:39practitioner, tree doctor so to speak. So we will know how the tree will look like when it matures.
03:45But of course, sometimes we also consult the contractor. It's like a partnership, you know,
03:50we'll bounce off ideas between each other. Then after that, when they bring in the trees, then
03:57they will already mark out where are the trees already to be planted. What do you think is the
04:02future for urban tree planting and urban streetscape? I think one of my main tasks is to
04:09groom the next generation of arborists, because we need to ensure that there is a continuous
04:15succession. I won't be here forever. So it's important that my new staff, they are also
04:21fully equipped with the knowledge and expertise to sustain our city and nature vision. And of course,
04:29educating the public as well to value the greenery around us. Yes, yes, you're right, Jo.
04:34Thank you very much. Okay, thank you Jo. I've learned so much from you today,
04:37Jia Hua. Thank you. Do you have a favourite tree? Actually, not really. Okay, that's because I
04:43firmly believe that all trees are good. That's a very politically correct answer.
04:47So none of the trees will be jealous.