A year after the launch of City Developments’ (CDL) 2,800 sq ft CDL MicroForest, early findings indicate that the “living laboratory” helps cool temperatures by up to 5°C compared to surrounding and roadside areas.
Nature-based solutions like the CDL MicroForest at City Square Mall’s City Green park offer complementary approaches to traditional infrastructure, helping to reduce ambient temperature and support biodiversity connectivity and ecosystem services in dense city centres, says the Mainboard-listed developer at a March 20 event marking the first anniversary of the CDL MicroForest.
The cooling benefits of dense urban greenery help mitigate local heat even in surrounding areas. Data has shown that areas within 1m to 2m of the microforest edge have recorded temperatures of up to 1°C to 4°C lower than urban surfaces further away.
Environmental DNA sampling suggests “approximately 70% more species richness” within the microforest as compared to another grass patch outside the microforest. Species detected include millipedes and springtails. CDL also recorded higher bird call activity within the microforest compared to surrounding areas, suggesting that the site may already be providing ecological value for urban wildlife.
In Singapore, the urban heat island effect can make urban spaces up to 7°C hotter than suburban forested areas, says Esther An, CDL’s chief sustainability officer. “The CDL MicroForest was set up to prove that nature-based solutions can provide a living shield against the rising heat, cooling urban spaces through greening. First-year data captures how dense, regenerative vegetation can help moderate temperatures and support biodiversity.”
Building on the initial success, the CDL MicroForest has doubled in size under City Square Mall’s asset enhancement initiative, doubling its footprint to 5,600 sq ft. CDL says this will amplify cooling effects, ecological benefits and research opportunities.
See also: City Square Mall’s $50 mil AEI adds 26,000 sq ft of GFA; mall records 9.7% rental reversion
National focus on heat resilience
In 2024, Singapore recorded its fourth consecutive year of near-record temperatures within a decade, alongside one of its heaviest rainfall years since 1980.
See also: Temasek Shophouse’s outdoor community space to open March 14
Rising urban heat, flash floods, infrastructure strain and biodiversity pressures underscore the growing climate risks facing dense cities, says CDL. As temperatures climb and extreme weather intensifies, the need for scalable, science-based and nature-based solutions has become increasingly urgent.
The national focus on heat resilience has sharpened. Speaking at this year’s Committee of Supply debate, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong underscored that Singapore is ramping up targeted measures to address heat stress.
The CDL MicroForest was established in March 2025 as a nature-based solution grounded in the principle of “cooling through greening”. Supported by the National Parks Board (NParks), the collaboration between CDL and researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) brings together private sector leadership and academic expertise in urban nature-based solutions.
By incorporating a diverse range of plant species, the CDL MicroForest mimics a tropical forest, lowering temperatures and providing refuge for Singapore’s wildlife, including native pollinators and dispersers. CDL says the project is a “scalable model” for integrating regenerative tropical microforests into dense urban areas.
Associate Professor Adrian Loo, deputy director of the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions at NUS, says: “Despite its compact footprint, the microforest at City Square Mall has indeed surprised us as a green urban sanctuary. Our preliminary data show increased biodiversity and activity alongside a measurable reduction in ambient temperatures.”
To encourage community involvement, the microforest project also progressed to incorporate citizen science earlier this month. The free iNaturalist app encourages visitors to capture their biodiversity observations and environmental monitoring by uploading photos and information of the plants, animals and other organisms that they encounter.
According to CDL, the initiative has recorded 65 observations across 46 species within the CDL MicroForest.
Photo: CDL
