The new town planning concept was introduced into Singapore with the building of the first New Town, Queenstown, from July 1952 to 1973 by the country's public housing authority, the Housing and Development Board. Today, the vast majority of the approximately 11,000 public housing buildings are organised into 22 new towns across the country.
Each new town is designed to be completely self-sustainable. Helmed by a hierarchy of commercial developments, ranging from a town centre to precinct-level outlets, there is no need to venture out of town to meet the most common needs of residences. Employment can be found in industrial estates located within several towns. Educational, health care, and recreational needs are also taken care of with the provision of schools, hospitals, parks, sports complexes, and so on.
Singapore's expertise in successful new town design was internationally recognised when the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) of the United Nations awarded the World Habitat Award to Tampines New Town, which was selected as a representative of Singapore's new towns, on 5 October 1992.[1]
| Name | Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Area (Total) |
Area (Residential) |
Residential units | Residential units (Projected) |
Population | Image | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ang Mo Kio | 宏茂桥 | hóngmàoqiáo | 638 | 283 | 48,068 | 58,000 | 151,700 | ||
| Bedok | 勿洛 | wùluò | 937 | 408 | 59,201 | 74,000 | 201,300 | ||
| Bishan | 碧山 | bìshān | 690 | 172 | 19,367 | 32,000 | 67,400 | ||
| Bukit Batok | 武吉巴督 | wǔjíbādū | 785 | 291 | 31,731 | 47,000 | 112,100 | ||
| Bukit Merah | 红山 | hóngshān | 858 | 312 | 50,247 | 68,000 | 147,000 | ||
| Bukit Panjang | 武吉班让 | wǔjíbānràng | 489 | 228 | 29,498 | 43,000 | 113,000 | ||
| Choa Chu Kang | 蔡厝港 | càicuògǎng | 583 | 307 | 39,511 | 62,000 | 155,800 | ||
| Clementi | 金文泰 | jīnwéntài | 408 | 198 | 23,871 | 35,000 | 74,500 | ||
| Geylang | 芽笼 | yálóng | 678 | 214 | 30,510 | 49,000 | 96,900 | ||
| Hougang | 后港 | hòugǎng | 1,276 | 354 | 47,819 | 68,000 | 173,500 | Largest new town in terms of total land area. | |
| Jurong East | 裕廊东 | yùlángdōng | 384 | 165 | 22,299 | 29,000 | 81,000 | ||
| Jurong West | 裕廊西 | yùlángxī | 987 | 480 | 68,760 | 92,000 | 251,200 | Largest new town in terms of existing residential units. | |
| Kallang/Whampoa | 加冷／黄浦 | jiālĕng/huángpǔ | 799 | 200 | 34,288 | 54,000 | 104,900 | ||
| Pasir Ris | 巴西立 | bāxīlì | 601 | 318 | 27,514 | 44,000 | 109,700 | ||
| Punggol | 榜鵝 | bǎng'é | 957 | 422 | 17,980 | 96,000 | 59,200 | ||
| Queenstown | 女皇镇 | nǚhuángzhèn | 687 | 210 | 29,812 | 60,000 | 85,000 | First new town in Singapore. | |
| Sembawang | 三巴旺 | sānbāwàng | 708 | 317 | 18,421 | 60,000 | 67,400 | ||
| Sengkang | 盛港 | shènggǎng | 1,055 | 397 | 43,848 | 90,000 | 156,200 | ||
| Serangoon | 实龙岗 | shílónggāng | 737 | 156 | 21,292 | 29,000 | 75,800 | ||
| Tampines | 淡滨尼 | dànbīnní | 1,200 | 500 | 62,369 | 83,000 | 235,800 | ||
| Toa Payoh | 大巴窑 | dàbāyáo | 463 | 210 | 35,418 | 48,000 | 105,400 | Second new town in Singapore. | |
| Woodlands | 兀兰 | wùlán | 1,198 | 525 | 58,525 | 88,000 | 229,500 | ||
| Yishun | 义顺 | yìshùn | 810 | 439 | 46,965 | 84,000 | 173,300 | ||
| Other Estates (Bukit Timah, Central Area, Marine Parade) | 126 | 22,898 | 25,000 | 66,500 | |||||
| Total | 890,212 | 1,418,000 | 3,094,100 | ||||||
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