Bidadari Park by CPG Consultants & Henning Larsen

Once a multicultural cemetery, Bidadari Park in Singapore has been sensitively transformed into a 13-hectare green sanctuary—a living canvas where ecological innovation and human connection converge. Designed by CPG Consultants and Henning Larsen, the park embodies a new paradigm for urban green space: one where nature, memory, and mobility intertwine to create a vibrant, inclusive public realm.

Located at the heart of Bidadari Estate, a new public housing development, the park reimagines what it means to live beside nature. This is not merely a recreational park, but a “community in a garden,” thoughtfully integrated into the daily life of residents. With an approach rooted in placemaking and water-sensitive urban design, Bidadari Park demonstrates how sustainability and biodiversity can be foregrounded in the rapidly urbanizing context of Southeast Asia.

Alkaff Lake: A Reservoir of Resilience and Reflection

Nature-Based Infrastructure at the Core

At the center of the park lies Alkaff Lake, a 1.8-hectare water body designed as both a visual focal point and a functional element of the site’s blue-green infrastructure. Anchored by Rain Tree Island—named after a majestic Samanea saman tree—the lake captures 90% of the park’s stormwater, directing it through a series of terraced wetlands, bioswales, marshes, and natural creeks.

This closed-loop water cycle not only enhances the park’s stormwater management system but also strengthens its ecological resilience. During periods of heavy rainfall, water moves from the marshland into the Ficus Hil stream and ultimately into Alkaff Lake, where it is filtered and recirculated. This system supports a mosaic of wet and dry habitats that encourage biodiversity, natural regeneration, and wildlife habitation, even in the midst of an urban setting.

A Park for All: Biodiversity and Belonging

Where Families, Fauna, and Flora Thrive Together

Despite its location in a densely built environment, Bidadari Park provides refuge for over 193 wildlife species, including more than half of Singapore’s migratory dryland birds. The park is now recognized as one of the two remaining woodland habitats in the nation.

Human interaction with this thriving natural environment is carefully calibrated. Visitors can explore 6 kilometers of walking trails, rest in thoughtfully placed pavilions, or observe nature from elevated observation decks. Children are invited into a world of imaginative play through nature-inspired playgrounds, which stimulate creativity and sensory engagement while fostering respect for the environment.

To further strengthen the ecological connectivity, the design incorporates a 100-meter-long bridge that links two patches of mature woodland. This elevated walkway allows people to move across the park without disturbing the delicate undergrowth below, offering an immersive yet respectful encounter with wildlife in its natural habitat.

A Dual-Zone Landscape: Balancing Activity with Preservation

Smart Zoning and Ecological Architecture

Henning Larsen’s planting and zoning strategy ensures a harmonious coexistence between park users and the park’s more passive, ecologically sensitive areas. While 84% of mature trees were retained during development, an additional 170 native plant species were introduced to reinforce the natural character of the landscape.

The site is carefully divided into ‘active zones’ and ‘passive zones’: the former supporting community-oriented activities and movement, the latter safeguarding core biodiversity corridors and preserving natural habitats. Features such as log piles, boulder stacks, and tree snags create shelter and nesting areas for birds and small animals, while a 20-meter-tall raptor nesting platform adds vertical biodiversity, offering a perch and nesting site for apex birds of prey.

This zoning approach doesn’t separate humans from nature—it brings them closer together in a mutualistic, non-intrusive relationship, redefining what an urban park can be.

A Design Honored, A Legacy Continued

Award-Winning Excellence in Blue-Green Design

In May 2025, Bidadari Park received the prestigious ULI Asia Pacific Award for Excellence, recognizing its forward-thinking integration of environmental, social, and infrastructural design principles. The award highlights the team’s success in turning a heritage-rich site into a dynamic, functional, and sustainable landscape for future generations.

The park was developed for the National Parks Board of Singapore and the Housing Development Board, in close collaboration with CPG Corporation, BECA, and AECOM. With phase one complete, the next chapter—the Memorial Garden—is set to open in late 2025, further honoring the site’s cultural and emotional legacy.

A Model for Urban Nature in Southeast Asia

Bidadari Park stands as a blueprint for how cities can evolve sustainably, without erasing the land’s history or disrupting its ecology. It’s a place where stormwater becomes habitat, where tree canopies become bridges for biodiversity, and where every resident—from birdwatchers to schoolchildren—can form a personal bond with the environment.

In a world grappling with climate uncertainty and urban expansion, Bidadari Park is a testament to the power of thoughtful, ecologically grounded public space—a living garden where heritage, habitat, and humanity all take root.

Photography: Finbarr Fallon