Singapore: Designing a Megacity in Harmony with Nature 🌳

Who says a densely populated city can't be a green paradise? Not in Singapore! Shane Campbell-Staton visits visionary architect Pearl Chee and legendary urban planner Professor Cheong Koon Hean to find out how creators like them have woven nature into the fabric of the city. Green spaces aren't just an afterthought here - they're mandatory!

Human Footprint is a show that delves into the impact of humans on the planet. Join Shane as he travels from farms to restaurants, from high-tech labs to street markets, and from forests to cities to uncover the consequences of our unique history. Are you ready to explore our past, present, and future as a species?

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[ragsoh]

I was born in the 1960s. I can tell you that Singapore was a slum and life was tough. To see my country progress to where it is today is quite amazing. Practically in a single generation, we moved from third to first world. I miss my Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He, together with a group of like-minded men, worked tirelessly to build the country to what it is today.

[FacepalmProduction]

I really wish more cities chose to coexist better with nature, if for no other reason than the psychological benefits for the population.

[johndoh]

Singapore is just an amazing place and it really needs a full 50 minute BBC Earth documentary to cover it sometime because it keeps moving in this direction of being a forested city, and I can certainly see why people would want to live there.

[AifDaimon]

As a Singaporean, I'm happy you've covered this

[stevethomas]

Singapore just raised the bar on urban development and life. America is falling behind big time.
Would love to see more of this all over the world.

[melsunday]

I’m singaporean. the area I live in has very old trees that have been there before I was born. and there is always some kind of construction to improve the roads and such, but they always go out of their way to plan around the trees. It’s actually nice to see even if it’s by law that they can’t touch the trees.

[eatdriveplay]

Not many people know… despite all the urban development to house 5.6m people, nearly half the land mass is set aside as nature reserves and military training areas. So we are a tiny island city state, with the full needs of a country - including for security and to house 5 airports.

[adelitavalle]

I been to Singapore. Beautiful and clean city. The way Singaporeans know how to utilize small spaces is amazing. Visit the Changi Airport shopping area and the Singapore Botanic Garden. I love Singapore. I am going back, y'all.

[annanirathsi]

He's an amazing interviewer and journalist, he really made this story come to life. And the last lady was so interesting to listen to and hear about how they developed this interplay between concrete and jungle.

[merlapittman]

I am NOT a fan of cities, but Singapore looks much more like a place I could enjoy. Wonderful to see all the plants and animals in this urban space!

[f.michaelbremer-cruz]

Wow, it's amazing how Singapore managed to go from a small town to this gorgeous garden city in just over a century. Thanks for sharing this overview and comments from the architects. I enjoyed seeing how nature and a city co-exists. Hopefully the ideas used here can be inspirations for other cities to consider how they can incorporate nature into urban landscapes more naturally.

[mspiepie]

As a Malaysian, I'm happy for Singapore and hoping Malaysia will improve.

[felicialiew]

I am a Malaysian but have been visiting family members living in Singapore since the early 1970's. I have seen the transformation of Singapore to what it is today.

Saddened that our political leaders did not have the same vision for Malaysia with all our rich natural resources.

I consider myself having the best of both worlds. Kudos to LKY, all the past & present leaders for making & progressing Singapore!!!

They have done an amazing job & LKY has left a legacy unmatched in any country in this ugly world!!

[Ashleyyy]

This type of development needs to be spread worldwide with alterations as needed. Can you imagine turning American public housing to this!? Detroit, Minneapolis, etc. I really feel things like this could result in better humans, more meaning in life, less crime, better health. The possibilities are endless. One can only hope..

[colintilbrook]

i love this concept and i love the results. They underplay how important 2 things are to this success. The most important thing, Singapore is a rain forest - you walk away for 2 years and every surface is going to be covered in green. The second being 90% of land being publicly owned, when you have the impetus to prioritize quality of life for the majority (and its not insanely corrupted) things tend to work out well.

[reddotdiva]

This makes me so proud to be a Singaporean. I do love our green spaces. Even in the older, humble HDB estates like mine, there is a community garden downstairs, and a small green space with large trees overhanging with ferns, and it just helps to balance our urban stresses by improving my own mental health. Thanks for doing this episode!

[ChinchillaBONK]

Teaches me to never ever take my country for granted whenever i travel out of Singapore. Trees are suddenly so rare in other cities.

[jakehood]

The US is blessed with so much space that it has been a gift and a curse. Singaporeans are forced to address their problems, proving them to be far from insurmountable. No reason why any city can't develop with greenery in mind. Just demand it. Americans simply give up and run off to the suburbs and are rewarded with a life of sitting in traffic to do anything.

[JazmenCarolina]

YES YES YES!!! This type of architecture City infrastructure has been in recent years dubbed as Solarpunk and this can single-handedly save our planet and slow environmental destruction!!

Ever since I watched Studio Ghibli's films growing up as a child I've always wanted human kind's structures to be more naturally integrated into nature. There have been so many fantasy sci-fi genres in the past that have inspired a lot of people it seems with this style of building and with fans of similar structures categorizing it as Solarpunk, we have a true concept that can slow climate change, improve mental health while proving public services that generates millions of jobs. Singapore's doing a wonderful job for filling this.

Solarpunk infrastructure for developing nations can propel the entire planet forward into much more substantial spaces. Especially for developing places such as the many countries of Africa and large parts of Asia. Being able to use large rooftops for local hydroponic Farms that not only can feed the city's citizens for cheap as exportation cost are cut but the vegetation can also help cool the city's down so less electricity is wasted on cooling in the summer. If cities can feed themselves using local means that means less farming lands being over farmed which will also reduce deforestation. As land is over farmed the need for expanding farmlands has become a problem which accelerates deforestation. By incorporating nature into our infrastructure and using utilizing vertical space aquaponic farms can solve these problems.

There are so many untapped possibilities!! Here's hoping that Singapore starts a big trend that maybe able to save us all 😤💖

[taetaeya]

Singapore is just an amazing example of human engineering with nature