Water & the City, Citygreen Issue 5

CITYGREEN, winner of the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence for three consecutive years - 2014, 2013 and 2012, is a biannual publication of the Centre for Urban Greenery & Ecology, Singapore. It presents current research on greening and ecology of the urban environment, and features outstanding green projects in international cities. This issue provides a balanced view on the broad spectrum of topics related to the theme of water in the urban landscape, ranging from how water can be managed for better quality or to be further transformed into an ecosystem service to activating spaces in cities using waterscapes.

For instance, in “Biomonitoring of Singapore’s Freshwater Ecosystems”, Dr. Esther Clews and her team describe their research on developing biotic indices for reservoir water quality and stream health. On water’s applications, Professor Bruce Ferguson writes about using permeable pavements to make a city more open, dynamic, and multi-functional. Professor Christopher Silver, on the other hand, looks into history to better understand the problem of urban flooding in Jakarta. In “Watering Grass in the Desert”, Dr. Jingle Wu demonstrates how vegetation plays an immense and complicated role in Phoenix’s history, ecology, and economy, with it being a desert city, as well as in individual backyards.

This issue also explores projects that have transformed water into significant resources of aesthetics and recreation. Implemented to beautify the waterscape in Singapore, Punggol Promenade rekindles emotional ties between the community and landscape, while the Bay South Garden lake system provides a waterfront view from within the city, as part of the water catchment and integral to the garden’s water-sensitive landscape design. The Kallang River @ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, on the other hand, transformed a concrete canal and is the first river naturalisation project in the tropics to incorporate soil bioengineering techniques to stabilise riverbanks, while providing habitats for flora and fauna. Last but not least, an interview with Mr. Herbert Dreiseitl shares the renowned urban planner, landscape architect, and water artist’s insights and design philosophy behind his renowned water projects, including the mentioned and milestone Kallang River @ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.