THE USEFULNESS OF PARK CONNECTORS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Urban green corridor systems are a growing trend in urban open space development. Currently, the National Parks Board in Singapore is currently in its middle stages of the implementation of the Park Connector Network that will link parklands across the island. Thus, it is timely at this middle stage of development to look at the overall usefulness of these park connectors. This dissertation embarks on a comparative study on the Ulu Pandan Park Connector and Clementi Neighbourhood Park to examine how residents assess and evaluate the usefulness of these green spaces. 80.9% of users stated the Ulu Pandan Park Connector to be their preferred space of recreation compared to that of Clementi Neighbourhood Park. The study revealed that respondents considered the park connector to be useful and effective in achieving its purpose in servicing their overall needs. In addition, 97.5% of users surveyed agreed that the presence of the Ulu Pandan Park Connector was significant and contributed towards the enhancement of their quality of life. Upon the Park Connector Network's completion, 85.1% of the households felt that this would have a positive impact on their recreation. However, there is still a relative lack of awareness surrounding the plans for the network which suggests more has to been done to educate and encourage participation from citizens.