Public spaces offer many benefits: the feel-good buzz from being part of a busy street scene; the

therapeutic benefits of quiet time spent on a park bench; places where people can display their culture
and identities and learn awareness of diversity and difference; opportunities for children and young
people to meet, play or simply hang out. All have important benefits and help to create local
attachments, which are at the heart of a sense of community
A public space is a place for everyone to use.
Public spaces
- bring people together
-unite different races
-raises environmental awareness
-allow people to meet and interact
Community development empowers individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with
the skills they need to affect change in their own communities. The Singapore government has initiated
many grassroot organisation such as community centres, citizens' consultatative committes and
Residents' Committees to promote community development
Singapore- Garden City, punggol waterway, Bishan Park
identity and culture of nation?
Esplanade, Gardens by the Bay - only for tourists?
Parks bring about development in the area? SG?
The vision for a Garden City in Singapore was conceived by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The
verdant city of Singapore today is the result of a deliberate 30-year policy which, according to Mr Lee,
required "political will and sustained effort". New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg once said that "great
cities are defined as much by their parks and open spaces as they are by their architecture."
Improve quality of life
Serve as green lungs to soften the harshness of a concrete urban landscape and a high population
density
New York's Central Park, SG's Gardens by the Bay
It is official municipal policy in Copenhagen that all citizens by 2015 must be able to reach a park or
beach on foot in 15minutes
Is conservation always in conflict with urbanisation?
Not necessarily. The architectural and historical merit of conserved buildings continues to be appealing
to both investors and the general public. For instance, more property developers here are incorporating
conserved buildings into their new residential projects. At least 5 properties such as the Wharf
Residence at Robertson Quay, Rezi26 in Lorong 26 Geylang and A Treasure Trove in Punggol are
converting conservation shophouses or bungalows on their land into either clubhouses or residential
units. Conserved buildings can acquire new functions - think Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, SAM and
CHIJMES - that combine both conservation and urban development. It has also been proposed that the
former railway land be retained as a 'Green Corridor' that forms as a continuous nature trail for the
public. Another example would concern the Bukit Brown Cemetery. In response to feedback from
citizens and interest groups, LTA announced that about one-third of the controversial new road will be
converted into a vehicular bridge up 10 metres off the ground, in response to feedback from citizens and
interest groups.