August 6, 2013

On August 5th, David Strand (Visiting Research Fellow, ARI NUS and Professor of Political Science, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania) presented his paper “A Walk in the Park: Singapore’s Green Corridor in Light of Manhattan’s High Line.”

 

The Green Corridor comprises the 26km-long island-spanning Railway Lands (disused since 2011) which form a unique mix of secondary forest growth, grasslands, small-scale fruit and veg farms, canals, streams and marshland along the former tracks. The tranquil country lane ambience is juxtaposed along its length with Singapore’s largely high-rise and congested urban setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

In the seminar Prof Strand sought to compare the Green Corridor (centre) with other urban post-industrial reclaimed green spaces such as the New York High Line (left) and the Schoneberger Sudgelande Nature Park near Berlin (right).

 

 

 

 

The talk spanned aspects of urban planning, social engineering, conservation and the many layers of meaning that make such contested spaces so interesting. Mr Leong Kwok Peng, Vice President of Nature Society Singapore (NSS), was present at the talk and Prof Strand credited NSS with bringing the precarious future of the green corridor to the public’s attention. In summing up, if the city of Boston’s beloved linear park, is known as its “Emerald Necklace” so too might the Green Corridor become the “Jade Necklace”, a Singapore national treasure.

This event was co-organized by FASS Cities Research Cluster, ARI Asian Urbanisms Cluster, and the Singapore Research Nexus.