Singapore redefines a city with an abundance of green spaces

It is a challenging task to find room for green spaces. This is especially true for the world's most densely populated ones. Singapore is one such city and in downtown Singapore, when anyone wants a new park to stroll, he might have to turn toward the sky. The CapitaSpring tower is an example of what humans can create to ensure a mix of modern living amidst an abundance of greenery. Its soaring glass and aluminum facade apparently bursts open to reveal plants and trees growing hundreds of feet above ground. From the street level, anyone can queue up to enter an elevator that leads to this so-called "Green Oasis." The spiral garden path winds past exercise equipment, benches and tables on its journey through four stories of tropical flora. The 919 feet high, CapitaSpring is now one of Singapore’s tallest skyscrapers. 'Biophilic' skyscraper bursting with 80,000 plants opens in Singapore. The 51-story building houses over 80,000 trees and plants across 90,000 square feet of landscaped area, which also includes a shady covered plaza at its base.

On the top floor of the building, visitors can stroll through a massive 4,500-square-foot rooftop farm. It supplies fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers to three on-site restaurants. Incidentally, an urban farmer who tends to the garden estimated that it generates nearly 220 pounds of produce on a monthly basis. Most of the plant species found here are indigenous to Singapore and thus adapted to the year-round heat and humidity. This is a commendable achievement. Moreover, the placement of greenery follows a certain pattern. It "mimics the plant hierarchy of tropical rainforests." Those that require the least direct light lying beneath a "canopy" of taller trees. The tower can be considered a vision of a future where city and countryside can coexist with culture and nature. The government of Singapore has long promoted itself as a "garden city." This is a term applied to the country by its founding father and former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. That was in the 1960s. Subsequently, planners have embarked on citywide tree-planting programs and landscaping projects in its vast public housing complexes.

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Telengana wants to promote the concept of rooftop farming

Telengana wants the city folks to grow vegetables and fruits on balconies and terraces of houses. This is because agricultural land is used for non-agriculture purposes due to real estate development which has resulted in dwindling supplies for the city. At present, about 30-35% of the total vegetable and fruit required by the city is met from surrounding areas.
In addition, the rising prices of vegetables are because of higher transportation costs. To counter this, the state marketing department has stepped in to purchase vegetables in bulk and supply them at subsidised rates through the Rythu Bazars in Hyderabad.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 February 2017.

If rooftop farms are built on the rooftop, balcony or backyard, it will help to meet the demand in the city and the people can get fresh organic vegetables at a much lesser cost than in the market. The horticulture department will provide seeds, seedlings, manure and implements and also a 25% subsidy to prospective growers. For a start, each family will get upto two vegetable growing kits.
The vegetables and fruits can be grown in spaces as small as 50 sft and 200 sq feet provided thee is adequate sunlight, water facility, water leak proof terraces or balconies.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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