‘IN CONVERSATION’ with Dr Tan Puay Yok – “Nature in the City: Perspectives on Dealing with a Wicked Problem”

Dr. Tan Puay Yok is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment. Prior to joining NUS, Dr. Tan served in the National Parks Board in different capacities, including the management of Singapore’s green estate and living collection of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. His last appointment was directing the research programmes of its Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology and coordinating the research programmes of the Board.

Public concerns and debate among concerned segments of the population on the loss of green spaces in Singapore in the past and more recently over the last two years point to a wicked problem in action. In this talk, Dr Tan addressed what a wicked problem is, and what can be done about it and what perspectives will be useful to look at the conservation, planning and management of green spaces in Singapore.