(5 Mar) From Ecosystem Services to Cultural Wellbeing: Ground Up Pathways for Resilience
Design with nature, not against it: Building community wellbeing from the ground up
Session date, time, venue and theme for 5 March 2026 event
Date: 5 March 2026 |
Time: 5.00pm - 6.30pm |
Venue: Plant Therapy Studio (City Sprouts) 102 Henderson Rd, Singapore 159562 |
Theme: Research and Interdisciplinarity |
How can the ways we value and experience nature strengthen wellbeing and resilience in our urban lives? This session introduces the concept of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) — the non-material benefits people gain from nature, such as identity, belonging, and connection. It explores how these often-overlooked cultural and emotional dimensions of nature can guide us toward building more resilient communities.
These ideas come into focus through the work of Terrapy SG, a community-focused and socially driven enterprise dedicated to harnessing horticultural therapy and other nature-based interventions to support diverse populations. Participants will take part in hapa zome (leaf pounding), a therapeutic horticulture activity that exemplifies how CES — including aesthetic appreciation, cultural expression, and social connection — can be activated through creative interaction with plants to promote holistic health and wellbeing.
Facilitators
Park Hye Young
Park Hye Young is Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Biophilic Design at NAFA, UAS. She specialises in sustainable landscape design and regenerative urban environments. Her doctoral research focuses on operationalising cultural ecosystem services in socio-ecological urban green planning
Tham Xin Kai
Tham Xin Kai is an AHTA Registered Horticultural Therapist, landscape architect and design educator with 10+ years’ experience across public and private sectors. As Programme Leader for NAFA’s Diploma in Landscape Architecture, he mentors students in practice, critical thinking and design.