SINGAPORE
Residents turn community farmers in Jurong’s first rooftop allotment garden at HDB carpark
National Development Minister Desmond Lee visiting a garden plot on the multi-storey carpark rooftop garden at Block 673 Jurong West Street 65 on June 25.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Grace Leong
Senior Business Correspondent
Grace Leong
Senior Business Correspondent
ST
SINGAPORE - Residents have recently started growing their own greens at an allotment garden on top of an HDB multi-storey carpark in Jurong, a pilot that is part of the Housing Board’s latest initiative to provide more green spaces for residents.
Comprising 89 gardening plots that are managed by 81 households, Boon Lay Secondary School and pre-school My First Skool, the rooftop garden at Block 673 Jurong West Street 65 is also a space to help promote interaction among neighbours.
Residents are free to plant herbs, vegetables, or any other ornamental plants in their plot. Down the line, some of these urban farmers will share their harvests with their neighbours.
Jurong resident David Yu said: “Our kampung spirit extends beyond this allotment garden.
“Neighbours are now helping one another with daily tasks, and what used to be just simple ‘hellos and goodbyes’ have now become meaningful conversations, discussing ways to help neighbours in need and sharing ideas to better improve the community.”
Another four pilot allotment gardens in Woodlands and Sembawang will be completed in 2024 under HDB’s Green Towns Programme (GTP).
Launched in 2020, the GTP is a 10-year plan to make HDB towns more sustainable and liveable.
Green spaces play a crucial role in reducing ambient temperatures, as well as making the environment more pleasing to the eye.
Implementing green features such as rooftop greenery and urban farms will reduce energy consumption in HDB estates by a targeted 15 per cent by 2030.
Under the GTP, HDB will work with the community to identify suitable multi-storey carparks to locate the allotment gardens, before retrofitting the rooftops with infrastructure, such as a piping system and water points.
A modular greening solution, the Prefabricated Extensive Green (PEG) Roof Tray System, is then installed for plants to be cultivated in.
Developed by HDB, the PEG Roof Tray System is lightweight and can be easily installed on rooftops, without the need to carry out structural retrofitting works.
With an integrated water storage compartment that retains rainwater, the plants in the PEG trays are able to weather through dry spells without rain. Conversely, the piping system connected to the trays drains off excessive rainwater during heavy downpours.
Measuring about 1m by 2m, each gardening plot in the allotment garden is typically made up of eight PEG trays.
Compared with community gardens which are typically bigger and involve a group of gardening enthusiasts to maintain, allotment gardens are suitable for residents who have a budding interest in gardening and want to have greater ownership of the type of plants they cultivate.
SINGAPORE - Residents have recently started growing their own greens at an allotment garden on top of an HDB multi-storey carpark in Jurong, a pilot that is part of the Housing Board’s latest initiative to provide more green spaces for residents.
Comprising 89 gardening plots that are managed by 81 households, Boon Lay Secondary School and pre-school My First Skool, the rooftop garden at Block 673 Jurong West Street 65 is also a space to help promote interaction among neighbours.
Residents are free to plant herbs, vegetables, or any other ornamental plants in their plot. Down the line, some of these urban farmers will share their harvests with their neighbours.
Jurong resident David Yu said: “Our kampung spirit extends beyond this allotment garden.
“Neighbours are now helping one another with daily tasks, and what used to be just simple ‘hellos and goodbyes’ have now become meaningful conversations, discussing ways to help neighbours in need and sharing ideas to better improve the community.”
Another four pilot allotment gardens in Woodlands and Sembawang will be completed in 2024 under HDB’s Green Towns Programme (GTP).
Launched in 2020, the GTP is a 10-year plan to make HDB towns more sustainable and liveable.
Green spaces play a crucial role in reducing ambient temperatures, as well as making the environment more pleasing to the eye.
Implementing green features such as rooftop greenery and urban farms will reduce energy consumption in HDB estates by a targeted 15 per cent by 2030.
Under the GTP, HDB will work with the community to identify suitable multi-storey carparks to locate the allotment gardens, before retrofitting the rooftops with infrastructure, such as a piping system and water points.
A modular greening solution, the Prefabricated Extensive Green (PEG) Roof Tray System, is then installed for plants to be cultivated in.
Developed by HDB, the PEG Roof Tray System is lightweight and can be easily installed on rooftops, without the need to carry out structural retrofitting works.
With an integrated water storage compartment that retains rainwater, the plants in the PEG trays are able to weather through dry spells without rain. Conversely, the piping system connected to the trays drains off excessive rainwater during heavy downpours.
Measuring about 1m by 2m, each gardening plot in the allotment garden is typically made up of eight PEG trays.
Compared with community gardens which are typically bigger and involve a group of gardening enthusiasts to maintain, allotment gardens are suitable for residents who have a budding interest in gardening and want to have greater ownership of the type of plants they cultivate.
Implementing green features such as rooftop greenery and urban farms will reduce energy consumption in HDB estates by a targeted 15 per cent by 2030.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Residents began planting at their allocated plots in the Jurong rooftop garden in April 2023, after signing up for them in late 2022.
The garden was one of nine winning projects under the Lively Places Challenge 2023, a competition under the HDB’s Lively Places Programme.
Under the challenge, Mr Yu, a project team leader who applied for funding to spruce up the Jurong allotment garden, and his team from Boon Lay zone F resident network, received $20,000 in funding.
Together with 400 neighbourhood residents, he and his team then painted a wall mural, set up a composting area, and constructed a toy car racetrack and seating areas. They completed the project in early May.
In the coming months, the team plans to schedule regular harvests, where gardeners share the fruits of their labour, and hold workshops on gardening and food sustainability.
Residents began planting at their allocated plots in the Jurong rooftop garden in April 2023, after signing up for them in late 2022.
The garden was one of nine winning projects under the Lively Places Challenge 2023, a competition under the HDB’s Lively Places Programme.
Under the challenge, Mr Yu, a project team leader who applied for funding to spruce up the Jurong allotment garden, and his team from Boon Lay zone F resident network, received $20,000 in funding.
Together with 400 neighbourhood residents, he and his team then painted a wall mural, set up a composting area, and constructed a toy car racetrack and seating areas. They completed the project in early May.
In the coming months, the team plans to schedule regular harvests, where gardeners share the fruits of their labour, and hold workshops on gardening and food sustainability.
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