Getting lost in my backyard | Exploring SG 🇸🇬
So … I guess I got lost somewhere in Mandai this morning. Well, to qualify that, I didn’t just “end up” there. It was a result of some really bad navigation choices and other extremely prospective decisions made way before my time. This is a story about the ingenuity of urban greenery planning in Singapore and how I am still benefiting from decisions made since the 1900s.
Let me give you a bit of context: I live in the middle of nowhere (seriously, someone needs to tell Instagram that Segar is not the same as Johor Bahru). However, there’s this one thing I love about living in Segar: just a 5 min walk and I am at the entrance of the Zhenghua Nature Park, which is part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve managed under NParks. You can’t ask for a better place to start one’s day as a running amateur/enthusiast.
Let me set the scene: this was the Saturday morning after Singapore had announced the new travel lane with Germany and the sudden announcement had reignited my itch for adventure. Come to think of it, that must be why I strayed from my usual path along the Chestnut Nature Trail in the first place. Who knew it would lead me down a 4 hour-long trek and at least a dozen dead ends? The trekking path was sometimes well paved and at other times, barely recognisable except for a muddy bike trail. The worst kind was essentially an assembly of sharp protruding rocks angled in adjacent directions, waiting to claim its next twisted ankle. By the 2½ hour mark, everything had started to meld together. The 11 am scorching sun was only obscured by the foliage that enveloped the path. My forest green army singlet had turned a deep olive and no matter how hard I tried, I could no longer find a dry patch to wipe my sweat. I would see mountain bikers zoom past me and wonder how far they rode. By the time I saw cars again, I was at the entrance of the Singapore Zoo, not where I expected to be. The immediate elation of having finally emerged from the deep depths of the Mandai forest was followed quickly by a sense of guilt, having only discovered this now. What adventures have I missed out on? What paths have I not discovered?
Once I got back home, I immediately went down a rabbit hole. Did you know Singapore has over 300km long park connectors, or that it has over 350 parks? To put that into context, Singapore only measures 46km along its longest axis. And yes, I know Singapore talks about how much we are a garden city. But the sceptic in me always thought it was just a marketing gimmick, a way to signal tourists that we have more than just big shopping malls and cheap deals. Who knew they were serious?
Singapore is just shy of 730km² in size. Yet, unlike many other land-scarce places, our trees have not been completely bulldozed by the 200 odd years of urban development. I imagine it must take tremendous willpower to swim against the tides of urban development. However, this is not to fully exonerate their decisions on almost building an MRT line across the Central Catchment Nature Reserve or “erroneously” clearing the Kranji woodlands.
In 1967, Lee Kuan Yew introduced the “garden city” vision, part of an ambitious plan to integrate luscious greenery into our urban landscape. This meant enacting the Parks and Trees Act and establishing the Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) or what we know today as the National Parks Board (NParks). What might come as a surprise is that NParks is under the Ministry of National Development (MND), instead of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment like in many countries. I would go as far as to say that this was pivotal to the success of this vision. Quoting their official website, the “Ministry of National Development (MND) is responsible for national land use planning and development”. This meant that the greenery was actively incorporated into Singapore’s urban planning instead of being rendered an afterthought if it was part of a separate ministerial body.
As I waited for the hundredth biker to overtake me, I noticed something: relaxed and carefree smiles. ”I see why they were so adamant about protecting these spaces!”. Is it us trying to hide from the hustle and bustle of city life? Is it to juxtapose against our tall skyscrapers? I can only conclude that nature has an almost spell-like draw for people.
As a self-proclaimed travel junkie, I have always loved seeking out hidden gems in foreign countries but there are just as many in my backyard. I now realise it is about time I take the time to literally admire what had been here all along.