Gardens By the Bay, Singapore

Singapore rarely fails to impress with it’s novel attractions but this new public feature is a disappointment to the both tourists and locals – especially the botanist or the nature lover. Looking less eco-park and more Dr. Seuss landscape, Marina Bay’s new Gardens By the Bay only caters to those who enjoy fast food and restaurant chains and wide concrete avenues.

Not what I had in mind for an eco-park

A strong tradition of botanical gardens, manicured lawns and conservatories of exotic flora was exported to the British colonies. Singapore did more than just inherit the English love of public gardens, they went further and developed their tiny island home into what the National Parks Board call a “city in a garden”. Singapore has over 55 parks and gardens. Many locals note that the majority of the national budget goes towards defence and parks. The parks and gardens are beautifully kept and a welcome oasis in a city state.

The most recent addition to Singapore’s collection of green space is the Gardens By The Bay, which has been marketed to the world as an eco-friendly “super park”. Except that there is no eco-consideration involved: This SGD$ 1 billion garden is built on reclaimed land. Anything in the park that is not concrete is painted in playground hues of magenta and yellow. The statues are uninspiring ones of bulls, dragonflies, wild cats and abstract humanoids.

The park is illuminated at night by giant, artificial trees of reinforced concrete known as “supertrees” adding to Singapore’s increasing photopollution problem. What is a supertree? These veined, metal and concrete eyesores are essentially vertical plant holders which are lit by solar power, similar to Babylon’s hanging gardens only in suspension and otherwise just a building with a few potted plants inserted into the sides. The supertrees are to be an example for all cities which have limited space for greenery. A giant, expensive plant stacker. In most cities in the world, people would just plants some trees.

But what could be more super than a real tree?

I have another ethical dilemma in visiting Gardens By The Bay: I can’t really enjoy myself in a place that I’ve seen built by exploited foreign workers, but that’s another story.

The dining options are many as a host of restaurant chains have been invited to open outlets in the park, most of them being quite expensive. The current fine dining option is Pollen, serving mediterranean cuisine under direction of the all-important celebrity chef. It seems that the cost of dining at Gardens By The Bay, or even visiting the park, is quite expensive for the average Singaporean who can visit the exquisite Singapore Botanical Gardens for free and the National Orchid Gardens within charge only $5 admission. In contrast, the Gardens by the Bay is outrageous: for one adult and one child to have full access to the park’s conservatories waterfall – the stainless steel drain – and walkways costs $40. The cost for non-residents is higher still. With all this revenue from restaurants, venue spaces and admission we are still encouraged to donate to the cause and volunteer to help keep Singapore beautiful.

An environmentalist’s vision of a new garden at Marina Bay would involve water lilies and mangroves rather than concrete for the swampy coastline. Such plants would encourage wildlife, protect coastal erosion, and would save the National Parks Board a fortune. It’s such a shame that some of the Gardens by the Bay’s budget did not go towards preserving Singapore’s unique jungle sanctuary of Bukit Brown: the site of a historic Chinese cemetery; home to kingfishers, pangolins and monkeys.

How could they destroy Bukit Brown?

Want to keep Singapore beautiful? Less concrete, less consumerism, more plants. I could have saved this country a billion dollars. Ask me next time, please.