Singapore is transforming more of its dense urban landscape into what officials call a “City in Nature.” The country’s OneMillionTrees Movement was launched in 2020 with the goal of planting one million additional trees by 2030 across streetscapes, parks, park connectors, nature reserves and other spaces. NParks’ latest reporting says more than 760,000 trees have already been planted. Default
The project is about more than appearance. Singapore’s National Parks Board says expanding urban greenery can help regulate temperatures, reduce air pollution, strengthen ecological connections and make the city more resilient to climate change. Trees provide shade while also reducing the amount of solar energy absorbed by roads, sidewalks and buildings. Default
Research conducted at sites around Singapore helps illustrate the cooling effect. A study led by Lei Xu and Ronita Bardhan found that shade reduced thermal stress by about 3.1°C on average, while locations with roughly 80% shade coverage showed cooling potential of around 3°C to 5°C. Importantly, this describes the reduction in experienced heat stress rather than a 5°C drop in Singapore’s overall air temperature. Space Daily
Trees may also influence the amount of energy buildings require for cooling. Modeling research involving Singapore-ETH Centre researchers found that tree shading was the dominant mechanism reducing air-conditioning energy consumption across the hot climates they studied, although the exact benefit depends on climate, building characteristics and ventilation. Together, the findings show why strategically placed urban trees can function as infrastructure rather than simply decoration.
