Cities are renowned for being noisy, congested, and full of dull, grey landscapes… until now!
These countries are proving that you can actually incorporate the ‘jungle’ into the ‘concrete jungle’. Let’s take a look at what Singapore and France are doing to create vibrant green areas in their towns and cities!
Tengah | Singapore’s ‘Forest Town’
Singapore’s new ‘forest town’, called Tengah, will give a new definition to the phrase “at home with nature”. This “smart and sustainable” town will be filled with green spaces — including a 100-metre-wide forest corridor that will run through the centre of the town!
The city will contain five residential districts spread over 700 hectares in Singapore’s western region, which was once used for military training. The districts — Garden, Park, Brickland, Forest Hill and Plantation — will contain around 42,000 homes.
Here is the most amazing part: Tengah will have a car-free town centre. The city will be designed so that cars will travel underground, which allows pedestrians and cyclists to travel safely through the city centre. It will also reduce noise and air pollution!
Tengah Will Be Futuristic, Smart & Sustainable
Green cities are better for people, too! Tengeh’s abundance of greenery will provide shade and actually lower the average temperature of the town. The futuristic town is also designed in a way that will optimise wind flow around buildings to minimise heat and the need for air-conditioning.
Another amazing aspect of Tengah will be the “farmways” that connect through the town. These spaces will allow residents to grow and harvest organic produce — right in the heart of the town. It’s all part of Singapore’s plan to build a town that revolves around “nature and community”.
There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that living in and around nature is good for our wellbeing — so we think that Tenagah sounds like an amazing place to live!
Soon, Paris Will Become A Green City
The French capital isn’t necessarily known for being a ‘green’ city, but that’s all about to change! Mayor Anne Hildago has extensive plans to transform Paris into a sustainable city by 2030 — characterised by more green spaces, less noisy traffic and air pollution, and safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
One of the world’s most iconic avenues — the Avenue des Champs-Elysées — is set to become an “extraordinary garden” by 2030, including the area surrounding the Eiffel Tower. The €250m sustainable redesign will halve traffic on the Avenue and create more space for pedestrians to walk along restaurant terraces lined with trees, plants and shrubs.
Half Of Paris Will Be Covered With Trees By 2030!
New ‘urban forests’ will be prioritised around major landmarks, like the Hôtel de Ville, the Gare de Lyon and the Opéra Garnier. Part of Major Hildago’s plan to “put nature back into urban life” is to plant 170,000 trees across Paris by 2026. By 2030, it’s expected that half of Paris will be covered with greenery!
‘Green’ cities aren’t all about trees — they’re about redesigning the way we live, work and play to become more sustainable. The broader plans for Paris are based on the idea of a ‘15-minute’ city, in which residents will have access to all basic services within 15 minutes of their home. This means creating more ‘hubs’ around the city to reduce traffic congestion and encourage walking and cycling.
We can’t wait to see what Paris will look like in 2030!
Australian Cities Need To Become Greener!
In Australia, urban green spaces are necessary for survival. Due to the impacts of climate change, it’s likely that most Australian cities will become far hotter in the future — particularly in lower-income areas with little vegetation. Western Sydney, for example, is at risk of becoming “unlivable” if more green areas aren’t created now.
Green spaces within Australian cities have declined over the past decade, according to a report commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Hobart and Canberra were the only Aussie cities to actually increase their urban vegetation between 2013 and 2020! In the future, our biggest cities — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — will need more urban vegetation to combat the impacts of climate change, heatwaves, and heat-related illnesses.
Future cities will be cooler, greener, more sustainable, and better for pedestrians and cyclists. Singapore and France are showing that it’s possible to create entirely new green cities and redesign old cities to become more sustainable. We can’t wait to see what Tengah and Paris will look like in the future!
So, which Australian cities need more green areas? We’d love to hear what you think!
If you’re curious about sustainable innovation within cities, please check out more stories in the Eco News category.
