The North Region of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

is one of the five

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in the

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

. The region is the second largest region in terms of land area, and has a population of 582,330.

Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...

is the regional centre and also the most populous town with 255,130 residents living in the area. Comprising 13,500 hectares of land area, it includes eight planning areas. The relative isolation of the area from the

Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive build ...

meant relatively belated urban development and the greater abundance of natural greenery. Still, the region includes one of Singapore's largest

new towns A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

. Largely grouped into three new towns, it houses 129,000

residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...

housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...

units of various types, although

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

tends to dominate. Excluding naturally occurring green spaces, the region has 3 square kilometres of recreational spaces.

History

Planning strategies

Planning considerations for the

Singapore Master Plan 2003 Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

involving the North Region took into consideration its existing strengths. With a good mix of various housing types, the region also has established industrial areas particularly in

Sungei Kadut Sungei Kadut is an industrial estate and planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. It is bounded by Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang to the south, Mandai to the east, as well as Lim Chu Kang and the Western Water Catchment to the w ...

and

Senoko Senoko is located in Sembawang, in the northern part of Singapore. It is most known for Senoko Power Station, which generates and supplies electricity, and the Senoko Fishing Port. Etymology In Franklin and Jackson's ''Plan of Singapore'' (1830) ...

which provide for employment opportunities close to the residential areas. Transportation, which used to be considered difficult, has been improved tremendously with the completion of the

Bukit Timah Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...

and

Seletar Expressway The Seletar Expressway (Abbreviation: SLE) is a highway in Singapore that traverses the northern end of the island and joins the Central Expressway (CTE) and the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in Seletar to the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) in Kranji ...

s, and the introduction of the Mass Rapid Transit's North South line. There are adequate commercial facilities with the siting of the

Woodlands Regional Centre Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...

in the area, as well as recreational facilities. In addition, there is an abundance of green spaces, untouched forests, and even farmland, which are a rarity in Singapore today. The burgeoning population in Singapore meant more space could be reserved for residential housing in the region. The newly built Sembawang New Town will expand northwards to the Senoko Industrial area. Another new town will be built in

Simpang Simpang, is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. The word ''Simpang'' means junction or intersection in Malay. It is situated north of Yishun, east of Sembawang and west of Seletar. Pulau Seletar is classified under Simp ...

. In terms of commercial needs, the Woodlands Regional Centre will be further developed. Large tracts of land remain awaiting potential development, with the potential of even taping into the market of residents in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, across the

Strait of Johor The Johore Strait (also known as the Tebrau Strait, Straits of Johor, Selat Johor, Selat Tebrau, and Tebrau Reach) is an international strait in Southeast Asia, between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. Geography The strait separates the Ma ...

. More industrial areas to meet employment needs are also planned for the region. Given the large tracts of virgin forests within the region, care will be taken to protect and enhance them. New parks and

park connector The Park Connector Network (PCN) of Singapore is a network of walking/running/cycling paths that connects the various parks and other green spaces in Singapore. Both the parks and the PCN are managed by National Parks Board (NParks). As part of ...

s are planned for, and a new sports complex will be built in Sembawang New Town. Facilities built for the new

Republic Polytechnic Republic Polytechnic (RP) is a post-secondary education institution and statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education (Singapore), Ministry of Education in Singapore. Established in 2002, it is the first and only Polytechnic (Si ...

campus may also be opened for public use.

Geography

With a total land area of , the region is situated on the northern corner of

Singapore Island Singapore Island, or Mainland Singapore, is the main constituent island of the sovereign island country and city-state of the Republic of Singapore. It is located at the southern tip of Malay Peninsula, in-between the Straits of Malacca and th ...

, bordering the North-East Region to the east,

West Region Western Region or West Region may refer to: Places *Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi, the Western Region *Western Region, Bahrain *Western Region, Eastern Cape, South Africa *Western Region, Ghana *Western Region (Iceland) *Western Region, Nepal *Western Regi ...

to the south-west and the

Straits of Johor The Johore Strait (also known as the Tebrau Strait, Straits of Johor, Selat Johor, Selat Tebrau, and Tebrau Reach) is an international strait in Southeast Asia, between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. Geography The strait separates the Ma ...

to the north.

Regime

The North Region is governed locally by the

North West CDC The North West Community Development Council is one of five Community Development Councils (CDCs) set up across the Republic of Singapore to aid in local administration of governmental policies and schemes. They are funded in part by the govern ...

and is divided into 8 planning areas.

Planning Areas

Economy

Sembawang Shipyard

Sembawang Shipyard is a

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

that specialises in ship repairs and fabrication. Owned by

SembCorp Marine Sembcorp Marine Limited an Singaporean company. It is listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). It was a subsidiary of Sembcorp until 2020, when the companies demerged following Sembcorp Marine's poor financial performance. Sembcorp Marine's pr ...

, the shipyard has the deepest dry dock in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. Formerly a British naval base, the shipyard was built in 1938 as the Sembawang Naval Base. After Singapore's independence, the naval base was converted into a commercial shipyard under the management of Sembawang Corporation (now known as SembCorp).

Tourism

The region is home to several attractions, namely the

Singapore Zoo The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens or Mandai Zoo, is a zoo located on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested Central Water Catchment, central catchment area. Opened in 1973 ...

, Night Safari and

River Safari River Wonders, formerly known as River Safari, is a river-themed zoo and aquarium located in Mandai, Singapore, forming part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It is built over and nestled between its two counterparts, the Singapore Zoo and the ...

. In June 2016, it was announced that a eco-tourism hub will be developed in

Mandai Mandai is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area located in the North Region, Singapore, North Region of Singapore, famously known for being the access point of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, Singapore, Night Safari. The Mandai Cremator ...

. Together with the current zoological parks, the area will feature eco-friendly accommodations such as camps, tents, and family rooms.

Jurong Bird Park Jurong Bird Park is an aviary and tourist attraction in Jurong, Singapore. The largest such bird park in Asia, it covers an area of on the western slope of Jurong Hill, the highest point in the Jurong region. It is one of the parks managed by ...

will be relocated to the area, and the new bird park will be connected to a rainforest sanctuary, as part of the plan, with an expected completion date by 2020.

Education

Residents living within the area have access to different educational facilities ranging from preschools to primary and secondary schools, as these are located around the different towns in the East region. The area is also home to various tertiary institutions such as,

Yishun Junior College Yishun Innova Junior College (YIJC) is one of the 14 junior colleges in Singapore, offering two-year pre-university programmes for students who graduate from secondary schools after their O-level examinations. The two-year A-Level programme p ...

and

Innova Junior College Yishun Innova Junior College (YIJC) is one of the 14 junior colleges in Singapore, offering two-year pre-university programmes for students who graduate from secondary schools after their O-level examinations. The two-year A-Level programme pre ...

and a special needs school, MINDS. There is also an international school,

GEMS World Academy GEMS World Academy (Dubai) is an international Independent school, private school, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, UAE. The school is managed by GEMS Education. Founded in 2007, it follows the International Baccalaureate Curriculum, and ...

, located in

Yishun Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...

References

External links

North Region, Singapore
{{Places in Singapore Planning areas in Singapore Regions of Singapore