North-East Region | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Malay | Wilayah Timur Laut (Singapura) |
| • Chinese | 東北區 (新加坡) |
| • Tamil | வடகிழக்கு பிராந்தியம் (சிங்கப்பூர்) |
      From top left to right:Singapore Institute of Technology Punggol Campus Court, Terraced houses inSerangoon, HDB flats inHougang,Sengkang LRT Line,Waterway Point,Nanyang Polytechnic | |
 Subzones 27 to 33 in orange makes up the North-East Region of Singapore. | |
| Coordinates:1°23′30″N103°53′40″E / 1.39167°N 103.89444°E /1.39167; 103.89444 | |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Planning Areas | |
| CDC | |
| Regional centre | Seletar |
| Largest PA | Sengkang |
| Government | |
| • Mayors | Central Singapore CDC North East CDC South East CDC |
| Area | |
• Total | 103.9 km2 (40.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 930,910 |
| • Density | 8,960/km2 (23,210/sq mi) |
TheNorth-East Region is one of the fiveregions in thecity-state ofSingapore. The region is the most densely populated and has the highest population among the five, withSengkang being its most populous town as of 2020 andSeletar as the regional centre. Comprising 13,810 hectares, it includes sevenplanning areas and is largely aresidential region with 217,120 homes.[3] Housing largely consists of high-densityHDBpublic housing estates, however private housing is also present in the region. As its name implies, it is located in the north-eastern part of Singapore.[4]
The North-East Region, along with the four other planning regions, was officially established by theUrban Redevelopment Authority in 1999.[5] Prior to the 1970s, the region was predominantlyrural and experienced very littleurbanisation. It was only with the development of towns such as Ang Mo Kio andHougang over the next few decades that the region began to grow significantly inpopulation and experienced dramatic urban development. As of 2020, the North-East Region has a population of 930,910.[6] While predominantly a residential region, the North-East Region is also home totourist attractions, such asPulau Ubin andConey Island. The region has a number ofhospitals,parks,educational facilities, and security and defence services. There are also a variety oftransport options, includingMass Rapid Transit,Light Rail Transit andpublic bus services, facilitating transport within and outside the region.
Before the 1960s, the North-East Region was primarily made up offarmland andrainforest. At this time the majority ofurbanisation in Singapore was concentrated in the southern part of the country, where theCentral Region is now located. The first Master Plan was adopted in 1958.[7] The Master Plan was a statutory plan which regulatedland use and development over a 20-year period, to be reviewed every five years.[7] One of the main aims of this plan was to establishNew Towns away from the Central Region, laying the precedent for the North-East Region’s urban development.[7] However, this plan was soon deemed inefficient and not flexible enough to accommodate the rapid demographic and economic development in Singapore.[8] In 1971 the Concept Plan was introduced, a more long-term plan which rather than providing a detailed guide forurban planning, it simply provided a general direction for development over the next 40 to 50 years.[8] These two combined planning processes (The Master Plan and the Concept Plan) continue to be revised every few years, led by theUrban Redevelopment Authority.[8]
It was over the next few decades that towns within the North East Region were built up. The first new towns wereAng Mo Kio andHougang. Ang Mo Kio New Town began development in 1973[9] and Hougang in 1979.[10] Up until the 1990s, the North-East Region was included as part of the Rural Planning Area.[11] This area consisted of most of the land outside of the Central Planning Area. However, under the 1991 Concept Plan, the country was officially organised into five regions, along with 55subdivision.[11] Thus, the North East Region was established. This system allowed for more area specific planning and detailed land use guides.
Situated at the northeastern corner ofSingapore Island, the region comprises a total land area of 103.9 km2 (40.1 sq mi), including the North-Eastern cluster of islands,Pulau Ubin,Pulau Tekong andPulau Tekong Kechil. It borders Singapore'sEast Region to the east,Central Region to the south andNorth Region to the west.
The North-East Region is governed locally by four differentCommunity Development Councils, namely theCentral CDC,North East CDC,North West CDC andSouth East CDC.
The North-East Region is divided into 7 different planning areas, with a total of 48 subzones.
| Planning Area | Area (km2') | Population[6] | Density (/km2') |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ang Mo Kio | 13.94 | 162,280 | 11,967 |
| Hougang | 13.97 | 227,560 | 26,893 |
| North-Eastern Islands | 42.88 | 50 | 1.16 |
| Punggol | 9.34 | 174,450 | 15,000 |
| Seletar | 10.25 | 300 | 20.5 |
| Sengkang | 10.59 | 249,370 | 21,917 |
| Serangoon | 10.1 | 116,900 | 11,796 |
According to theSingapore Department of Statistics’ 2020 Population Trends report, the total population of the North-East Region is 930,910.[6] Out of its 7 planning areas, Sengkang is the most populated, with 249,370 residents.[6] Alternatively, the North-Eastern Islands is the least populated area with only 50 residents, as it is one of the few areas in Singapore that has not experienced dramatic urban development.[6]
According to the 2015 General Household Survey, the most common ethnic background in the North-East Region isChinese, accounting for the majority of the population.[12] Additionally,English is the most common language spoken at home (35.4%), closely followed byMandarin (33.9%).[12] Other common languages spoken at home include otherChinese dialects (13.4%),Malay (7.8%) andTamil (3.5%). The most popular religion followed isBuddhism (36.3%), while other prevalent religions in the region includeChristianity (19.3%),Taoism (11.1%),Islam (9.1%) andHinduism (4.6%).[12] In addition, 19.1% of people practise no religion.[12]
The region is home to theSeletar Aerospace Park, which houses several aviation manufacturing and research facilities owned by companies such asRolls-Royce,Pratt & Whitney[13] and Singapore Technologies Aerospace, allowing the aviation industry in Singapore to expand out ofChangi, which is a major aviation andcommercial zone located in theEast region of the country. Several industrial zones are also located within the region such as Defu Industrial Estate inHougang and Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park inAng Mo Kio.
The Punggol Digital District, a business park located inPunggol, houses companies in thedigital industry.[14] Announced in 2018, the business park is expected to provide 28,000 jobs in the technology sector, specialising in cyber security, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, fintech, and smart living.[15]
Located within theNorth-Eastern Islands planning area,Pulau Ubin is a populartourist attraction with both local and foreign visitors visiting the island as it is one of the lastrural areas in Singapore, with an abundance of naturalflora andfauna. It is particularly popular for outdoor activities such asmountain biking, as it is home to theKetam Mountain Bike Park.[16] Additionally, theChek Jawawetlands is also a popular attraction due to its array ofwildlife and uniquebiodiversity.[17] Ubin Town is the only settlement on the island and offers a number of restaurants, bicycle rental shops and other small shops catering totourism.[18]
Coney Island, also known as Pulau Serangoon, is also a popular attraction within the region. Located off the northeastern coast within the planning area ofPunggol, Coney island is accessible via two bridges at the eastern and western ends of the island, linking it to themain island. Visitors to the island can participate in activities such ascycling,bird watching and nature walks.[19] Coney Island Park is managed by theNational Parks Board and home to a range of differenthabitats and a variety of fauna and flora.[19]
Residents living within the area have access to differenteducational facilities ranging frompreschools toprimary andsecondary schools as these are located around the different towns in the North-East region.
There are 28 secondary schools within the North-East Region, including:[20]
There are also 44 primary schools within the region, including:[21]
The area is also home to varioustertiary institutions such as,Anderson Serangoon Junior College,ITE College Central,Nanyang Junior College,Nanyang Polytechnic and theSingapore Institute of Technology. There are also 3international schools, namely, theAustralian International School Singapore, theFrench School of Singapore and theGlobal Indian International School Singapore.
Sengkang General Hospital is the largest hospital in the region. The 1000-bed hospital was opened on the 18th of August 2018 and is managed bySingHealth.[22] Other hospitals in the North-East region includeAng Mo Kio - Thye Hua Kwan Hospital,Bright Vision Hospital andSengkang Community Hospital, which is attached to Sengkang General Hospital.[23]
There are a number ofparks within the region, all of which are managed by theNational Parks Board.
Parks within the North-East region include:[24]
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TheSingapore Civil Defence Force operates twofire stations in the region:[25]
Ang Mo Kio Fire Station has been operational since 1984 and provides services to Ang Mo Kio and Serangoon.[26]
Sengkang Fire Station has been operational since 2001 and provides services to Hougang, Punggol, Sengkang and Serangoon.[26]
Along with the fire stations, there are also two fire posts in the region:[27]
Thepublic transport system in Singapore was designed to connect the North-East Region to the city centre, withMass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in each town centre.[28] There is also a number ofbus stops andLight Rail Transit (LRT) stations which connect towns within the region. As of 2015, 59.5% of the working population aged fifteen and older use public transport regularly to get to work.[12] The North East region also has oneairport:Seletar Airport. The airport was formally amilitary airbase, but is now owned by theSingapore government and operated byChangi Airport Group.[29] It is mostly used forflight training,private aircraft and chartered flights.
There are three MRT lines that operate in the North-East Region:North East line,North-South line andCircle Line. The North East line is the most prominent. It runs fromHarbourFront station in the Central Region toPunggol station in the north, connecting six MRT stations within the North-East Region, namelySerangoon,Kovan,Hougang,Buangkok,Sengkang,Punggol andPungol Coast MRT stationstations.[30] In 2024 the line is expected to be extended to include thePunggol Coast MRT station, which is under construction.[31]Yio Chu Kang andAng Mo Kio are the stations located on the North-South line in this region.Tai Seng,Bartley,Serangoon andLorong Chuan stations are on the Circle line in this region.
In addition, theCross Island MRT line, which is currently under planning, is expected to cross through the region. Plans for the project were first announced in 2013,[32] and theLand Transport Authority expects that it will be completed by 2030.[33] The line will connect toAng Mo Kio station,Hougang station,Punggol station andRiviera station, along with future MRT stations includingSerangoon North station,Defu station,Tavistock station andTeck Ghee station.[33]
There are also 28 operational LRT stations in the region, connecting residential areas to the MRT lines. There are two main LRT lines in the region: thePunggol LRT line and theSengkang LRT line.
The North-East Region has an establishedpublic bus network and a number of bus interchanges connecting towns within the region and to other parts of the country.
The following bus interchanges are located within the North-East Region:[34]
There are fourexpressways that pass through the North East Region:Central Expressway,Seletar Expressway,Tampines Expressway andKallang–Paya Lebar Expressway.[35] Additionally, theNorth–South Corridor, an under-construction expressway, is planned to connect to Ang Mo Kio.[36]
The North-East Region is predominantly aresidential area. Like other regions outside thecity centre, towns in the North-East Region are largely made up of high-density, high-risepublic housing, provided by theHousing and Development Board (HDB).[37] HDBestates make up 78.72% of households in the region.[6] Each of these housing developments are designed forself-sufficiency, withschools,hospitals,parks,sports facilities,shopping malls and otheramenities easily available to residents.[37] The North-East Region experiences continual development of housing and other public facilities. New housing in Ang Mo Kio, Hougang and Serangoon is being developed, along with new transport options, parks and other amenities.[38] In recent years, the HDB has also developed more of a focus onsustainability and incorporating ecological considerations intotown planning.[39] The town of Punggol was branded as the “first eco-town”, with more greenery incorporated into the area, along with the development of the Punggol Promenade andWaterway.[39]
TheNational Heritage Board has designated a number of “historic sites” in Singapore, some of which are located in the North-East Region. These include: