Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Kallang River

Located in the heartlands of Singapore, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is part of Singapore’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Program and one of Singapore’s most popular parks. As part of a much-needed park upgrade and plans to improve the capacity of the Kallang Channel, a 2.7 km-long concrete drain along the edge of the park, works were carried out simultaneously to transform the utilitarian concrete channel into a naturalized river, creating new spaces for the community to enjoy.

Rather than dealing with the park and the channel as separate entities, the project looked at the potential embedded in the interdependence of the two, considering water and landscape as a whole.

Transforming the channel into a meandering 3.2 km naturalized river and respecting the presence of water were central to the approach and design of the park. With its landscaped banks and gentle slopes, the river invites the public to get close to the water and experience its natural rhythms.

The project has since received international recognition as a landmark work in landscape urbanism, among them the President’s Design Award (Design of the Year, 2012), the World Architecture Festival Landscape of the Year (2012), and the ASLA Honor Award (2016).

In addition to the natural landscapes created by the river, the park has attracted crowds of visitors, human and animal alike: fauna and flora have naturally flocked to the ecologically restored river. Based on a 2017-2019 study from the National University of Singapore on two mature plots in the park, the introduction of the naturalized river has seen the park’s biodiversity increase by 33% - totaling a striking 197 species of animals including 59 bird species and 22 species of dragonfly, alongside 66 different species of wildflowers. New habitats along the river now support rare, migratory, and endangered wildlife, strengthening the park’s role as an urban ecological corridor within the broader city.

Of the parks exciting visitors is a family of smooth-coated otters, first spotted in 2015. Classified as a critically endangered species, these otters were thought to have vanished from Singapore. Anchored by the commitment to support biodiversity and safeguard one of the country’s most important freshwater resources, the revived park has become a beloved open space for people of all ages and walks of life. Surveys of park users, combined with microclimate measurements, have recorded noticeably cooler conditions beneath the park’s tree canopy, a quality that draws visitors back year-round.

Providing connections to the neighboring housing estates, the park is open 24/7 and has become a fixture of local life. From families and dog-walkers to people practicing tai-chi, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park offers its plentiful open spaces to everyday sports, recreation, and nature enthusiasts as a healthy meeting place in the heartlands of Singapore.

Amongst its facilities are three playgrounds, two restaurants, and the landmark “Recycle Hill”, a look-out point built from blocks of concrete recycled from the old channel. Today the park welcomes around six million visitors annually — double the numbers recorded before the redevelopment.