| English | Tampines |
| Chinese | 淡滨尼 |
| (Pinyin | Dànbīnní) |
| Malay | Tampines |
| Tamil | தெம்பினிஸ் |
| Ruling party | |
| Places of Interest | |
Tampines (/tæmpəˈniːs/ ( listen)) (or Tampines New Town) is the largest residential area in the city-state of Singapore and is located in the East Region of the main island. The town is so named because in the 1900s a large forest of Tampines trees were there.
Like other districts in Singapore, it is a densely populated district with the population density higher than other housing districts. Tampines New Town is a regional centre that lies to the east of Singapore's city centre, much alike to the centrally located Orchard Road.
Contents |
| Tampines New Town | |
|---|---|
| Total area: | 12 km² |
| Residential area: | 5 km² |
| Dwelling units: | 61,485 |
| Projected ultimate: | 83,000 |
| Population: | 216,100 |
Tampines New Town is a HDB new town located in eastern Singapore. It is bounded by the Tampines Expressway, Tampines Avenue 10, canal north of Bedok Reservoir, Upper Changi Road, Simei Avenue, north of private estate off Upper Changi Road, Simei Road, west of private estate off Upper Changi Road North, the Pan Island Expressway, and back along Tampines Expressway. For administrative purposes, it includes the boundaries of Simei New Town located south of Tampines New Town proper.
In the past, Tampines was covered by forests, swamp and sand quarries. Ironwood trees, or tempinis, grew abundantly here and thus gave the area its name. Also it was part of military training area until about 1987.
The new town started in 1978. Construction began for Neighbourhoods 1 and 2 and was completed between 1983 and 1987 although it was given the priority. Neighbourhoods 8 and 9 started in 1985 - 1989, followed by Neighbourhood 5 which was completed in 1989 together with the Tampines Town Centre. Neighbourhood 4 was completed with the new Tampines North Division. Neighbourhoods 3 and 7 was only later completed, with fully completed in 1997.
New construction methods expedited the development of the town's infrastructure. Using prefabricated parts, a block of high-rise flats could be built in a month. More attractive designs, colours and finishings were also incorporated into Tampines, compared to earlier public housing which consisted of uniform slabs of concrete laid out row after row with more thought given to function than form. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) managed the construction of the town until 1991, when it handed the reins over to the Tampines Town Council. The Town Council is run by grassroot leaders and the residents themselves.
The Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) of the United Nations awarded the World Habitat Award to Tampines, which was selected as a representative of Singapore's new towns, on 5 October 1992. The award was given in recognition of an outstanding contribution towards human settlement and development.
Tampines New Town is home to over 200,000 people living in 52,000 HDB flats spread out over 4.24 square kilometres. It is divided into 5 districts:
All the districts have a Community Centre.
The urban planning policy of Singapore is to create partially self-sufficient towns, in terms of commercial needs, in order to relieve strain on traffic drawn into the city centre. Thus, an array of facilities are provided primarily for residents in the new towns. Tampines is one of Singapore's three regional centres (along with Woodlands and Jurong East), under the plan of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. As a result, the Tampines Regional Centre not only serve the Tampines residents but also the entire East Region.
Retail shopping in the Tampines Regional Centre is done at three main shopping malls: Tampines Mall, Century Square and Tampines 1. Commercial tenants of the shopping centres include restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, cinemas, bookstores and jewelry shops.
On November 30, 2006, IKEA opened its second outlet in Singapore at Tampines, together with adjacent Courts and Giant.[1]
The Tampines Regional Library is located near the Tampines town centre, and organises events for children and adults to promote reading and learning.
A network of expressways, the Pan-Island Expressway and Tampines Expressway, and arterial roads allows easy movement within the town and link it to other parts of the island. Public transportation is served by the Mass Rapid Transit at Tampines MRT Station and a Tampines Bus Interchange.
Intra-town feeder/townlink bus services bring residents from the Town Centre (where the MRT station and bus interchange is located) to their doorsteps.
The 14 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and three tertiary institutions (one Junior College, one Polytechnic and one Institute of Technical Education) provide education for Tampines residents, as well as those living in the region.
Tampines Stadium, which is the home to Tampines Rovers FC.
| Elias | Pasir Ris | Loyang | ||
| Paya Lebar Airbase | Loyang | |||
| Tampines | ||||
| Bedok Reservoir | Simei | Upper Changi |