Singapore’s Innovative Green Buildings Are Bringing Nature Back to the City

Singapore native Doris Yip sits at a table in one of the city’s busy food courts. The loud chatter and constant movement makes for an environment that never slows down. “To stay in the city — very, very stressful,” she said.

An estimated six million people live in this metropolis on the tip of the Malay Peninsula — and with a density almost twice that of Toronto, city living here comes at a cost. “I was born in 1959,” Yip said. “In Singapore that year, there’s no tall buildings.” But in the ’70s, urban growth took off, and that, coupled with large-scale deforestation over decades, significantly reduced the animal and plant life.

Surrounded by concrete and steel, the population has been grappling with common ailments — anxiety, obesity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other health issues. But there are growing efforts to incorporate green space into the urban environment.