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  Today Online 4 Apr 07
Too much concrete, diminishing greenery and the slow death of a sanctuary
Letter from Paulina Bohm

It has always been important for planners of city parks, not least parks in a city state, to offer a sanctuary for its hardworking citizens. These parks provide a getaway, a touch of escapism and distraction from the hustle of city life.

The wonderful stretch of coastline along East Coast Park from Changi to downtown has been one of those sanctuaries. Sadly, I have seen this oasis ebbing away over the last two years.

Quiet waterfront sidewalks and cycle paths, dense thickets of tropical woodland, sleepy fishing encampments, shaded picnic grasslands and wonderfully uncultivated foliage are being consumed by an ever-intensifying urbanisation.

Trees and undergrowth seem to be constantly slashed and thinned and hedgerows removed. Shaded areas are ever more exposed to the scorching sun by the din of chainsaws. Greenery is being replaced with concrete and steel structures, and aesthetic design appears to have been an afterthought.

The din of earth-movers, diggers and construction teams is becoming pervasive. Newly-renovated bicycle rentals announce their existence with disturbingly loud music.

Nobody can or should try to halt the infrastructural development that every society needs to keep pace with an expanding population and changing times.

The National Parks Board is doing a great job upgrading and improving certain aspects of the park, and new pedestrian access points, retail outlets and public facilities are certainly necessary.

All I ask for is that the planners do not lose sight of the character, natural beauty and greenery the area initially had. They should resist the idea that a highly manicured, urbanised recreational area is somehow superior.

The park is losing its character--that of a place to unwind and relax in--and is becoming yet another hectic building site.

Perhaps the money spent on cutting down trees, mature hedges and palm groves would have been better invested in protecting the ever-eroding coastline in this area.
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