| Singapore Estates and Towns | |
| Chinese Name: 兀兰/兀蘭 (Pinyin: Wùlán) Malay Name: Woodlands Tamil Name: வுடலண்ட்ஸ் |
|
| Founded | 1970s |
| Town Centre | Woodlands Square |
| Commercial District |
To be filled in |
| Land Area | 13.6 est. km² |
| Population | 192,700 est. |
| Town Council Administration |
Sembawang
Hawazi Daipi |
| Notes: 1 Statistics based on the entire town council. |
|
| Republic of Singapore | |
Woodlands, or the Woodlands New Town (Chinese: 兀兰新镇, Pinyin: Wùlán Xīnzhèn; Tamil: வுடலண்ட்ஸ்), is a suburban town in northern Singapore, part of the North West Community Development Council (Northwest CDC) district. The town should not be confused with the Woodlands constituency within the Woodlands New Town in the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
Woodlands is adjacent to Sembawang New Town and Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate, and is connected to Malaysia's southernmost city, Johor Bahru, by the Johor-Singapore Causeway. Woodlands is also connected to Yishun via Gambas Avenue and Senoko Industrial Park via Woodlands Avenue 10.
Woodlands has one of the largest shopping malls in Singapore. It is also home to the Singapore Sports School, Republic Polytechnic, and Innova Junior College.
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When Singapore was established as a trading port in 1823, Woodlands connected the Malayan Peninsula to the natural port in Singapore, connecting the two states in 1924 via the Johor-Singapore Causeway.
A town still in development, Woodlands is quite an ever-changing town, with a distinct style, apart from the hectic lifestyle familiar in downtown and older parts of Singapore. From the beginning of development during the 1970s to expand Marsiling, Woodlands has grown into a huge neighborhood, home to the many different people from all walks of life. Woodlands is one of the early development successes in Singapore, becoming today's model for future transportation, entertainment, leisure and education developments within an estate.
Woodlands' developments are concentrated in the central, southern and eastern portion of the estate, leaving a countryside lifestyle of fresh air, serenity and the privilege of being surrounded by trees in the northern portion.
Large open spaces, grasslands, parks, recreational facilities and communal gardens are found nearly everywhere in Woodlands. Most of the housing apartment blocks are interconnected, providing sheltered pavements throughout an entire division within each estate. Nonetheless, several larger parks are packed within estates and serve as escapes from the urban lifestyle. Representing a rich diversity of natural habitats and pleasant environments, these parks, though man-made, are often scenic. Woodlands Town Garden is one that has served Woodlands for quite some time.
There are three constituencies in the town, and nine neighbourhoods (N1 to N9) within the Woodlands vicinity made up primarily of Woodlands, Marsiling, Woodgrove and Admiralty, each with its own traits. Most of the neighbourhoods are centralised or aligned along their respective neighbourhood centres, where most of the commercial activities are conducted, other than the town centre, Woodlands Square.
| Name of Neighbourhood | Location | Commercial Areas | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlands | Centre, Northeast, Northwest and West of Woodlands Town | Woodlands Square (Centre and Town), Vista Point (Northeast), Sembawang Town Council (West) | Via MRT at Woodlands MRT Station; Via Bus at Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange |
| Marsiling | West and Southwest of Woodlands Square | Woodlands Checkpoint and Woodlands Town Centre | Via MRT at Marsiling MRT Station, Checkpoint Terminal |
| Woodgrove | South from Woodlands Square | The Woodgrove | Via Bus from Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange |
| Admiralty | East from Woodlands Square | Admiralty Place | Via MRT at Admiralty MRT Station, Via Bus from Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange |
"Woodlands" is also the name of the primary estate in the town, containing most of the commercial activities, such as Woodlands Square, the town's commercial hub, consisting of buildings and services of high standards. Built on a hill, Woodlands Square consists of a large hectare of grassland, houses the gala events or celebrations at different times of the year; a large mall, Causeway Point, oversees the Woodlands MRT Station and the Woodlands Civic Centre.
There are wide ranges of housing apartment blocks, some of which serve as the finest example of architecture in Singapore. Woodlands is highly accessible, compared to the other estates in the town: Feeder bus routes run within the estate, and large avenues allow a seamless flow of traffic. Woodlands is highly urbanised, however, and at times permitting, buildings were built a distance away from heavy-used roads in a distinctive style of post-independence Singapore. Buildings are phased closely together, developing in a carefully planned pattern.
Woodlands is increasingly an avenue for foreign Asians to the inner urban estates of Singapore. Marsiling presents the older living patterns of Singapore; it is a quieter and much denser estate, often offering a reasonable and larger alternative to other housing options, and houses a large number of elderly and heavy-duty industries.
Marsiling is a large estate compared to Woodlands, which extended from north of Woodlands Square to the Woodlands Checkpoint, bordering Malaysia.
A redevelopment plan of upgrading existing housing apartment blocks was introduced in late '90s, and thereafter a surge in housing prices that come along with a refurbished elevator serving every storey of the apartment block; larger apartments per household (a new room was added at the rear of each apartment) and of course, modernising to meet the standards of the local housing environment. Marsiling is situated next to the Marsiling Industrial Estate; Marsiling has shown an increasing community of foreign expatriates in recent years.
See also Modernising Environment and Main Upgrading Programme for more details on upgrading existing housing apartment blocks.
Of all the estates, Woodgrove is the smallest in size, located towards the northwest end of the town. Woodgrove houses most of the private housing in Woodlands, consisting of high-rise condominiums and landed properties. Woodgrove lies in between the estates of Marsiling and Woodlands.
Admiralty keeps abreast of contemporary housing in the town. It residents enjoy the convenience of the Admiralty MRT transit station, similar to that of Woodlands MRT Station, built solely for the SMRT train. Admiralty offers a rather reasonable quiet and organised housing, with well-designed apartments. It houses citizens who opt for government housing through the Housing and Development Board's plans, instead of purchasing apartments via private agencies, which often costs more but requires a shorter waiting time: Opting for government housing often takes months to process and space is limited only to newly built housing flats.
Admiralty is connected to Sembawang and Yishun via Gambas Avenue; the Woodlands Industrial Park and Senoko Industrial Park via Woodlands Avenue 10; Woodlands Estate via Woodlands Avenue 7; Marsiling Estate via Woodlands Square and Woodlands Avenue 3; and the Expressway via Woodlands Avenue 12.
Woodlands is diverse during the day and well lit at night. Shops, eateries, and commercial zones are evenly spread through the town, with bus and transit routes operating till close to midnight.
Divisions within estates are being rapidly modernised and modelled for Singapore's standards; playgrounds, communal gardens, sheltered pavements, multi-level parking lots, barbecue-pits, recreational facilities (such as tennis courts) and trees are found nearly everywhere.
With the modernising process outpacing the preservation of its past, Woodlands Town Garden keeps a clear and simple agenda, to bring greenery in the right ambience with the mixture of the local ethnicities. The theme of the park revolves around the Malay and Chinese culture, and winding through the park is Sungei Mandai Kechil, the river that extends into a lake within the park. Woodlands Town Garden is located near to the Woodlands Customs, in the Marsiling estate. To the east of this area, bordering the polytechnic is Admiralty Park, a 27-hectare national park much of which is covered in mangrove.[1]
Woodlands Regional Library, the largest neighbourhood library in Singapore at the time of its launch, is operated by the National Library Board. The four-story public library caters to all ages and is organized according to themes of general, reference, teens, and children.
Causeway Point, one of the largest shopping malls in Singapore, houses 250 shops and various outlets. Woodlands Civic Centre is a designated centre of education, public services, and other forms of assistance for residents. The centre houses the Woodlands Regional Library, several banks, CPF Woodlands Branch, and numerous merchandise and educational institutions.
Sports are an emerging emphasis in the Singaporean society. Recreational facilities can be easily located around the estates and especially in parks: The multi-purpose stadium, the Woodlands Stadium, and Woodlands Swimming Complex are common places for sport-goers.
Experimental styles of architecture have found their way into Woodlands, making the town a place of wonder and color, with much integration with recreation. From the early practical designs to its modern-day luxurious manifestation, housing apartment blocks are no longer as plain as they sound; with the garnish of parks, communal gardens and décors, these blocks are pieces of art and style themselves. The centrepiece of the town, Woodlands Square, attracts a constant flow of travellers and shoppers daily. Tireless planning and redevelopment keeps the town modernised.
Educational institutions are evenly distributed throughout the estate. From newly-founded schools to well-established ones, Woodlands has several top educational institutions in the northern region. Schools in Woodlands are allocated into the N5 and N7 clusters.
Singapore's first sport school, Singapore Sports School, located on Champion's Way, is an independent boarding school with some of the finest sports facilities. Singapore's fifth polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, is situated in Woodlands Avenue 9. Innova Junior College is situated at 21 Champions Way, next to Woodlands Avenue 2.
Woodlands is highly accessible, connected by major roads and expressways, with a relatively large underground bus interchange, the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange and an elevated MRT station next to Causeway Point at Woodlands Square. Most of the bus routes are operated by SMRT Buses, while SMRT Trains operate the MRT stations.
Residents of Woodlands are serviced by three MRT stations, at the centre of the suburb, Woodlands MRT Station; north of the suburb, Marsiling MRT Station and Southeast of the suburb, Admiralty MRT Station. The regional bus interchange was relocated from the previous Town Centre, Woodlands Town Centre, to the current town centre at Woodlands Square.
Land transportation in Woodlands is relatively efficient, in comparison to other estates, contrasting by the amount of well-maintained roads, though a common sight in Singapore. Twelve avenues support and help circulate all of the traffic of the town, especially Avenue 2|Avenues 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12.
Avenue 2 is a shorter route from the older estates of the town to the Bukit Timah Expressway. Avenue 3 connects Marsiling from the exit of Bukit Timah Expressway to Woodlands Centre Road, the sole road to the checkpoint of Woodlands Customs. The rest of it maintains a similar route of the MRT line from Marsiling MRT Station to Woodlands MRT Station, which connects to Woodlands Square. As the avenue ends at the entrance of the slope of Woodlands Square (the road that circulates Woodlands Square), another end starts the Woodlands Avenue 7, which connects Woodlands to Admiralty, also the route of the MRT line from Woodlands MRT Station to Admiralty MRT Station.
Divisions within estates are further connected and regulated by two- or single lane roads called streets, which are distinguished by a suffix of double-digit numbers, such as Woodlands Street 82 and Woodlands Street 83. This was a common practice before the late '90s. Drives are two- or single lane roads built for newer divisions within an estate, similar to that of the streets.
Links and crescents are often three-, two-, or single lane roads that convey commuters from a main road to another main road, such as the Woodlands Link, which connects Woodlands Avenue 9 to the main roads in the Woodlands Industrial Park. Crescents connect main roads to streets or drives.
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| Southern Integrated Gateway | Stulang | Permas Jaya | ||
| Kranji | Sembawang | |||
| Woodlands | ||||
| Bukit Timah Expressway | Mandai | Sembawang Airbase |