How Singapore became a garden city I came across this excerpt that was posted from Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs, where he talks about how the emphasis on trees came about in Singapore. He visited both Paris and London, and was surprised to see how different they both were. Paris had their expressways lined with trees, while London had grass that was unkempt and overgrown with weeds. He also wasn’t impressed by the size of their buildings, but the standard of their maintenance. Cracked washbasins, leaking taps, and overgrown gardens were a telltale sign that the country wasn’t ran well. As such, he realised the need for Singapore to promote itself as a tropical garden city (to stand out in a Third World region). By keeping the country clean and green it would create a good impression, and in turn, attract businesses to set up shop in Singapore....