400 community gardens taking root

Residents, students and company employees have been digging in to ?grow? 400 community gardens around the island, up from 100 in 2005 when the Community in Bloom programme was launched by the National Parks Board (NParks). The programme has since become a huge success, said NParks. Singapore Management University sociologist Chung Wai Keung said the trend is ?a reaction to the over-urbanised living environment in Singapore. Planting gives individuals a sense of returning to a simple life.? He also noted that the gardens recreate a sense of community associated with rural life in the past .