Urban Parks (Perth)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by #GAN NING HUI PRISCILLA#

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Kings Park & Botanic Gardens is a popular park in Perth, Australia. The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority is committed to promoting appreciation, understanding and knowledge of our unique biodiversity and in motivating visitors to join with us in its conservation. Kings Park is known for its wide array of flora, fauna and fungi, and the parks’ natural beauty and close proximity to the city centre draws locals and tourists all year round.

They also provide free guided walks and hands-on activities about sustainable planting practices, as part of their efforts to educate visitors about conserving endangered and rare plant species and the relevance of the natural environment in our lives.

Lotterywest Federation Walkway

Incidentally, they have a tree-top bridge, one with a concept similar to that of Singapore’s Henderson Waves and also NYC’s High Line, where even walking among the canopies of the forest, you can still catch a good view of the city and the urban developments of the city. The elevated walkway and glass arched bridge are together a fusion of sculpture, architecture and engineering. Forged from richly rusted steel, the elevated steel boardwalk is a striking artwork designed to blend into the landscape so the focus is on the natural and inspiring vistas surrounding you.Such urban infrastructure are at the forefront of sustainable urban development and the efforts at building environmental awareness amongst urban dwellers – where the city dwellers can get in touch with the natural environment without completely removing themselves from their urban sensibilities.

{Lotterywest Federation Treetop walkway. © BGPA}

My family and I had actually visited Kings Park when we were holidaying in Perth a couple of years back, and the natural beauty of the park and the beauty of the city landscape from the Treetop Bridge had truly made an impression.

{Posing for a shot on the Glass Bridge © Priscilla Gan}

{A clear view of the city skyline from the bridge! © Priscilla Gan}

Human-Environment Conflict (Natural Hazards: Forest Fires)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by #GAN NING HUI PRISCILLA#

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Other than falling trees, another natural hazard related to trees are bush or forest fires which are common in Australia.

The Big Picture reports about these fires in photos, which is really an alarming visual representation of the unintentionally and yet, devastating damage that the natural environment can cause to human communities in urban citites, when natural conservation too close to homes can become hazards.

{Melbourne. © The Big Picture}

{Christmas Hills. © The Big Picture}

{Family members react after learning that their parents Bill and Faye Walker and disabled brother Geoffrey were killed in wildfires in Marysville. © The Big Picture}

{Marysville. © The Big Picture}

Human-Environment Conflict (Human Hazards: Nature Reserves)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by #GAN NING HUI PRISCILLA#

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{Map of one of the hiking trails in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. © NParks}

Having mentioned in previous posts here and here of how elements of the natural environment can prove to be hazardous, this post is about another dimension of the Human-environment conflict – humans being a threat to the natural environment.

With elements of the natural environment in our urban city, and us working towards sustainable urban design, it is not always easy to keep people interested in the natural environment, and yet manage the human effects such that the natural environment is not harmed beyond restoration. Just as how the natural environment can unintentionally cause harm to the human community, humans too can pose a certain threat to natural environment.

The nature and heritage trails of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (Singapore) is one example. A few weeks back, we had a guest speaker from NParks come to give us an introduction about the nature efforts of the organisation. Karen Teo is a Senior Outreach Officer of Central Nature Reserve Branch, Conservation Division, in NParks. Out of the many things that she shared, one of the most memorable ones was her recount of how they had to eventually make the decision of permanently closing down a trail because of the damage that visitors were causing it. After several temporary closures for restoration works done over a period of 5 (i think) years, it was evident that if they do not take action, the damage to the area covered by the trail would soon be irreversible. Her recount is an alarming and unexpected insight into how the interest of the human community can bring harm to the natural environment.

Doing some digging around, I found that the NParks website has this document: Trail Manners, appealing to members of the public about the Do’s and Don’ts when they go onto the trails in the reserve.

Human-Environment Conflict (Natural Hazards: Falling Trees)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by #GAN NING HUI PRISCILLA#

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Conserving and preserving the natural environment is a good thing, trees for example, help lower the temperature and provide shade for both pedestrians and drivers. The presence of trees are especially beneficial for tropical countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and most of the SEA countries.

However, the natural environment also has the potential to be destructive and elements of nature like trees can prove to be a threat to the safety of human communities when they are not managed, or when weather conditions change.

Sophie Howard, a 13-year-old girl was sitting on a bench under a tree in a Recreation Park when a tree branch sudden broke off and dropped onto her head. She sustained serious head injuries and died almost immediately. This incident was reported in the BBC News: ‘Sudden drop’ branch killed girl in Peterborough Park’ . It was definitely a devastating example of how elements of nature can be potential hazards, often unpredictably or unexpectedly.

“This occurs in mature broadleaf trees when a sudden downpour follows a long dry period and water being sucked through the tree causes the brittle branches to literally explode … Prior to this tragedy the propensity of this tree to the phenomenon of sudden branch drop had not been recognised.”

Closer to home, we’ve also experienced some accidents that could have been fatal. Despite the governments good intentions of a “Garden City”, trees alongside roads can be a huge hazard to both pedestrians and drivers if they fall.

Just 2 days ago, on Saturday, a tree along Upper Bukit Timah Road uprooted and fell through the roof of a pedestrian walkway before landing heavily on a car on the road. Due to the length of the tree, the fallen tree completely covered the width of the entire road, creating a road block. Fortunately, there no heavy traffic on the 2 lanes when the tree fell around noon. Had there been more cars, the consequences would be much more dire as cars would have crashed into one another due to the sudden obstacle.

{Tree falls suddenly and lands on car. © Asia One News}

{Tree falls completely through the roof of pedestrian walkway. © Asia One News}

When accidents like these happen, it brings up the question and debate of who should be responsible, and if there is negligence involved. In Singapore, trees along the roads are under the management of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). The car owner from the Bukit Timah incident said that,

“flimsy would be an understatement” to describe the condition of the tree, and that SLA should do a better job of maintaining the condition of the trees.

It also appears that accidents like these happen quite frequently,

{Fallen tree branch crashes onto taxi, 60-year-old taxi driver sent to Singapore General Hospital (December 2011) © Channel News Asia}

Hence in the above cases we see prime examples of how there can be conflict between human communities and the natural environment. In urban areas, the natural environment needs to be conserved, and yet at the same time there are many factors to be considered in order for humans and the natural environment to co-exist safely. Sustainable urban design has to also be SAFE for the human community. Trees cannot be planted at random, their locations have to be carefully considered, and their maintenance consistent to reduce their propensity to be a hazard to humans.

Psychological Causes of Risk Mis-estimation and Failure to take Appropriate Actions

According to Ehrlick & Ornstein’s “old mind” theory, human beings ten not to notice or react to “slow motion disasters” i.e. environmental degradation that occurs gradually over long periods of time without visible changes.

Cognitive Basis for under-estimation of risks

There are so many possibilities of death, and yet our cognition is limited. There are limits to the time, energy, attention and perception that a person can devote to hazards and threats in daily life. Unless a person ignores some hazards, he or she would fall prey to the”obsessive preoccupation with risk” state that would impair any normal, productive existence (similar to effects of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It is therefore only logical and necessary for a person to estimate the risk of certain threats and neglect some. And in this case, the most logical way to go about eliminating attention to threats is to ignore those with relatively low probabilities.

Hence in cases like death caused by natural hazards such as falling tree branches or trees, humans tend to under-estimate or completely neglect the possibility of death caused by something so common in their natural environment.

And that brings to the table, the need for consistent maintenance and regulation of our eco-urban developments and infrastructure. Even more because sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructure and developments are necessary in this time of global environmental concern, we should also invest in psychology research of our human psyche in tandem with environmental developments, such that we do not unwittingly neglect these threats that our natural environment can pose to our safety.

Even closer to home…

Urban Reservoirs – Lower Seletar

Posted on March 31, 2012 by #GAN NING HUI PRISCILLA#

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Urban Parks – Punggol Waterfront

Posted on March 31, 2012 by #GAN NING HUI PRISCILLA#

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Punggol Waterfront

The best ways to experience the waterway would be by walking or cycling. So come join us on a virtual tour of this unique waterway. Starting from the east of the waterway, which boasts a landscape theme that is green and rustic you will be transported to a bushland like setting where peace and tranquility surround you. As you stroll along the waterway, you will arrive at the sunrise bridge. Elevated above vegetation, this bridge is the perfect spot to watch the sunrise and also presents many opportunities for photography enthusiasts.

Traveling along, you will be impressed by the landscape along the promenade. There will be inter-twining footpaths, meandering cycling tracks, streams and landscape features that blend in with undulating hills, reinforcing the rustic charms of nature.

As you head further west along the track, there is also an option to hire bicycles and up the pace of your journey while getting a good workout at the same time. As you enter the Town Park, you will experience open green spaces in the form of the Green Gallery, where budding artists can create works of art, while soaking in nature’s beauty.

A highlight of the journey would have to be the pedestrian ‘kelong-like’ bridge which recaptures the idyllic mood of old Punggol with its quaint villages. The bridge leads to a heritage trail that follows the original alignment of the existing Punggol Road. The existing vegetation will preserved and the heritage of Punggol would be depicted along artificial rock walls feature alongside the trail.

Not only does the design bring water closer to people, it brings history up close as well.

Just ahead in the water play cum sand area, families can look forward to spending weekends soaking up the sun while their children learn and have fun through water based play. As you cast your eyes across the waterway, you will notice streams of water cascading down from the bio-pond, presenting a picture perfect nature sanctuary that adds to the appeal of this waterway.

Source: We Love Punggol