The SMU Grow initiative was cited in an editorial as being symbolically significant since it proclaims a need for all to hold green values, and to recall the agricultural self-sufficiency of pioneers. Such efforts are welcomed for reasons of nostalgia, its sustaining power, and its communitarian value. The editorial also noted that one of the consequences of high-rise living is its anonymity and the consequent loss of tangible, face-to-face relationships. It suggested that  attempts be made to replicate SMU's initiative on a larger and sustained scale in the Housing Board environment, with neighbours coming together to nurture vegetable garden plots communally. This would help to restore some of the kampung spirit that Singaporeans love to evoke even today.