The concept of a “garden city” in Singapore appears as green spaces and an emphasis placed on nature. While exploring the city, we walked through parks and plazas filled with trees and shrubbery, some native, some not. The green spaces and parks provide a place for people to gather, hold events, and relax. We noticed that the city comes alive in the afternoon and evening, with a lot of people sitting in the pastoral landscape. Additionally, the streets are tree lined, both on the sidewalks and in between car lanes. This helps to cool down a very hot city, to provide an aspect of beauty, and to subconsciously slow down drivers. I also really admired the buildings and infrastructure that had vines and other plants growing on it. I would love to see the United States incorporating pieces of nature in cities.
Public transportation in Singapore is extremely well run and efficient. They have buses and a metro system underground. While it is extremely walkable, I was very impressed about how easy their system was to get around. They prioritize efficiency for their people, which helps maximize the country’s potential. Additionally, public transportation is much more encouraged than owning a car. This is to both mitigate climate change effects and to reduce traffic in a densely populated area. It was really easy to use, especially as the buses and the trains came at least every five minutes.
