A city of perpetual green : unraveling the politics of urban green spaces development in Singapore, 1963 - 2010

Abstract

Singapore is a city of perpetual green. Amidst the continual overhaul of Singapore’s physical environment over the decades, it seems that nature in the form of urban green spaces have permanently dominated the discourse of its physical transformation. Such a green spatial development persists in spite of its severe land constraints in satisfying the growing demands of residential and industrial activities. Through a critical examination of urban green space development in Singapore since 1963 in relation to the nation’s developmental history, this thesis explores the underlying motivations of the government in its relentless pursuance of developing urban green spaces. Specifically, it argues that the continual development of Singapore’s urban green spaces is a strategic construction by the government to communicate a relevant identity of Singapore in accordance to its changing national priorities. This thesis hopes to elucidate the nuances of Singapore’s strategic development of its greenery specifically through a spatial dimension over a significant time period to provide for a more perceptive understanding of the underlying politics of space behind Singapore’s development of urban green spaces in relation to its larger developmental history.