Urban solutions 8 The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, once said, “A blighted urban jungle of concrete destroys the human spirit.” This issue of Urban Solutions, with a special focus on “Building with Nature”, explores how nature enhances a city’s liveability.
Our experts set the stage in Opinion, by discussing biophilia, i.e. humans’ affiliation to nature, and the relationship between nature, people, and the city.
In Essay, Professor Peter Edwards of the ETH Centre proposes that the resiliency of natural ecosystems lends itself to being adapted by cities. Professor Peter Rowe of Harvard University explains how a city’s identity can be rooted in nature, while Kenneth Er and Dr Lena Chan from the National Parks Board of Singapore describe how biodiversity can thrive by way of city networks. I also contemplate on how our interaction with nature can be expanded to include water, to further enrich city.