Central Area - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, the Central Area or Central Business District (CBD) contains the core financial

FINANCIAL

FINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...

and commercial district

Commercial district

A commercial district or commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is commercial activities , as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an industrial zone, or other types of neighbourhoods...

s, including eleven urban planning areas

Urban planning areas in Singapore

Singapore is currently divided into 55 urban planning areas by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, organised into five regions. A Development Guide Plan is then drawn up for each planning area, providing for detailed planning guidelines for every individual plot of land throughout the country.The...

, namely Downtown Core

Downtown Core

The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...

, Marina East

Marina East

Marina East is located at East Coast Park, Singapore. It covers 140 hectares of reclaimed land. The NTUC Club Marina East Course which is a public golf course, is located here.-External links:**...

, Marina South

Marina South

Marina South is a peninsula adjacent to the Central Business District in Singapore, and also the name of an urban planning area in the Central Area of Singapore's Central Region.-History:...

, Museum

Museum Planning Area

The Museum Planning Area is an urban planning area in the Central Region of Singapore. It is located in the area known as the Civic District. The area plays a "bridging role" between the Orchard Street area and the Downtown Core, which necessitates proper transport networks for vehicles,...

, Newton

Newton, Singapore

Newton is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Region in Singapore.The Newton Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Bukit Timah Road to the north, Balmoral Road, Anderson Road, Orange Grove Road, Tanglin Road and Grange Road to the west, Claymore Road, Claymore Hill,...

, Orchard

Orchard Road

Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...

, Outram

Outram, Singapore

Outram is a district in Singapore, within the Central Area, relatively near the prominent city centre and financial districts, but is nearer the border of the Central Area, and outside the Downtown Core. Outram is served by extensive public transport, including SBS Transit and a Mass Rapid Transit ...

, River Valley

River Valley

River Valley is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.The River Valley Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Orchard Boulevard, Devonshire Road and Eber Road to the north, Oxley Rise and Mohamed Sultan Road to the east, Martin...

, Rochor

Rochor

Rochor is a place in the central area of Singapore. There are two hotels in the area and there are many commercial buildings in the area as well.-External links:*...

, Singapore River

Singapore River

The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...

and Straits View as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority

Urban Redevelopment Authority

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...

(URA). Part of the Central Region

Central Region, Singapore

The Central Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. Comprising 13,150 hectares of land area, it includes 11 Planning Areas within the Central Area which is the immediate vicinity of the Singapore's central business district, as well as another 11 more outside it.Although...

in the southern part of Singapore, it includes high value land intensely regulated by the URA's urban planning initiatives. It approximately equates to the area which may be referred to as the city despite Singapore being a city in itself.

Singapore River

Singapore River

which currently empties into Marina Bay

Marina Bay

Marina Bay is a bay near Central Area in the southern part of Singapore, and lies to the east of the Downtown Core. Marina Bay is set to be a 24/7 destination with endless opportunities for people to “explore new living and lifestyle options, exchange new ideas and information for business, and be...

, is a major landmark in this Central Area. The historical past of this river was that it emptied into the Singapore Straits, the main maritime activity site for the colony. The commercial areas which developed on the south banks became the central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

for post-independence Singapore (also known as Golden Shoe

Golden Shoe (Singapore)

The Golden Shoe district is a zone in the CBD of Singapore. It is 1.6 kilometres from Raffles Place. It is notable for its excellent food and it lies at the heart of the banking district.-External links:*...

). URA groups these areas of commercial activity and calls it the Central Area.

The Central Area has since been expanded by the Government of Singapore and the URA to include the land reclamation of Marina Bay. Many construction projects have been completed on these reclaimed lands with many more still under consolidation or development. One significant feature of the Central Area is that it is more densely packed than other parts of Singapore and there are greater numbers of MRT stations.

Description

Before independence, the central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

in the Central Area consisted of what is now the Downtown Core

Downtown Core

, Museum, Newton

Newton, Singapore

, Orchard

Orchard Road

Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...

, Outram

Outram, Singapore

, River Valley

River Valley

, Rochor

Rochor

Rochor is a place in the central area of Singapore. There are two hotels in the area and there are many commercial buildings in the area as well.-External links:*...

, and the Singapore River

Singapore River

planning areas. These included areas such as Dhoby Ghaut

Dhoby Ghaut

Dhoby Ghaut is a place in Singapore that often refers to the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station, a major interchange station on the Mass Rapid Transit of Singapore. Dhoby Ghaut or Dhobi Ghat literally means washing place in Hindi, from dhobi "washerman" or one that does laundry and ghat, generically meaning...

and Raffles Place

Raffles Place

Raffles Place is a geographical location in Singapore, south of the mouth of the Singapore River. Located in the Downtown Core and the Central Area, it features some of the tallest buildings and landmarks of the country.-History:...

. These planning areas were themselves designated and set apart only recently. Each of these districts have a heavy and dense commercial presence, especially in the Downtown Core, Orchard and Singapore River planning areas.

Rochor, Newton, River Valley and Outram are commercially thriving, but have less skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

s and generally include a more substantial residential

Residential area

A residential area is a land use 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 residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for residential use may permit...

presence. School

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

s, condominium

Condominium

A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

s and Housing Development Board apartment

Apartment

An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...

s may be located in these areas, albeit at a high price.

In an attempt to expand the Central Area from the 1970s, the Government of Singapore

Government of Singapore

The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...

and the Urban Redevelopment Authority have reclaimed land portions from Marina Bay

Marina Bay

. Newly created portions of land surrounding Marina Bay have been organised and labelled into Marina East

Marina East

Marina East is located at East Coast Park, Singapore. It covers 140 hectares of reclaimed land. The NTUC Club Marina East Course which is a public golf course, is located here.-External links:**...

, Marina South

Marina South

Marina South is a peninsula adjacent to the Central Business District in Singapore, and also the name of an urban planning area in the Central Area of Singapore's Central Region.-History:...

, Straits View, with their own separate plans. The development of the reclaimed land surrounding Marina Bay, such as the construction of infrastructure, was similar to that of Jurong

Jurong

Jurong is the largest town in the western part of Singapore, consisting of 11 residential precincts, 14 industrial districts, 1 military zone and 1 Waterfront district. It resembles Woodlands, the largest town in the northern part of Singapore, which is smaller in size, has smaller industrial area...

and Jurong Island

Jurong Island

Jurong Island is an artificial island located to the southwest of the main island of Singapore, off Jurong Industrial Estate. It was formed from the amalgamation of seven offshore islands, the islands of Pulau Ayer Chawan, Pulau Ayer Merbau, Pulau Merlimau, Pulau Pesek, Pulau Pesek Kechil , Pulau...

, with the exception to use the land for commercial purposes. Many construction projects have been completed on the reclaimed lands since their creation, but much of it is still under consolidation or development.

The area tends to be more densely packed

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

than other parts of Singapore, and a great number of Mass Rapid Transit

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...

(MRT) stations tend to be concentrated in this area, especially interchange stations

Cross-platform interchange

A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...

and stations along the Circle MRT Line

Circle MRT Line

The Circle Line is Singapore's fourth Mass Rapid Transit line, operated by SMRT Corporation. This underground line is currently long with 28 stations and is fully automatically operated...

History

Much of the central area bounded by Telok Ayer Road, which has a high concentration of skyscrapers is built on reclaimed land. Therefore the Thian Hock Keng Temple built in 1839 along Telok Ayer Road used to face the sea and it was visited by Chinese immigrants giving thanks to Ma Zu (Goddess of the Sea) for their safe voyage. Prior to 1839, the temple served as a joss-house for the Hokkien immigrants. This temple, which is also the first Hokkien

Hokkien

Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....

temple to be built by the Hokkien clan under the leadership of Tan Tock Seng

Tan Tock Seng

Tan Tock Seng was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 to an immigrant Fukien father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl...

and Si Hoo Keh, is in the architectural style of southern China, using only material

Material

Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...

s imported from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

and supported with no nails. The clan’s office was housed there and this temple was also used as a meeting venue. The construction of the temple was completed in 1842 and details of this temple’s history are recorded in granite tablets found on the wall inside the Entrance Hall.A plaque inscribed with the words Bo Jing Nan Ming (Gentle Waves over the South Seas) which was presented by the Guangxu Emperor

Guangxu Emperor

The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...

in 1907, is found in this temple providing evidence of the temple’s stature. The temple comprises an architectural masterpiece of stone, tiles and wood, dragons and phoenixes, amazing cravings, sculptures and imposing columns.
The Thian Hock Keng temple has been gazetted as a national monument

Monument

A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...

in 1973.
The adjacent placement of places of worship of various religions (such as the Thian Hock Keng Temple, the Nagore Durgha Shrine, the Central Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

Church and Al Abrar Mosque) and demonstrate the peaceful coexistence of the early multi-ethnic and multi-cultural communities

Community

The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...

in Singapore

Singapore

.

Also, over at Church Street, there is the Yueh Hai Ching Temple

Yueh Hai Ching Temple

Yueh Hai Ching Temple , also known as Wak Hai Cheng Bio in Teochew, is a Chinese temple in Singapore, and is located at Phillip Street in the Downtown Core, within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district....

. The Temple is one of the oldest Taoist

Taoism

Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...

temple and it was built in 1826. This temple was established by a group of Teochew settlers from Guangzhou in China when they dedicated a shrine to Tian Hou. This temple faced the sea and was therefore a place where newly-arrived Chinese immigrants (sailors and travelers included) came to offer their thanks to the Goddess for their safe voyage across the seas. The renovation to the temple was undertaken by the Ngee Ann Kongsi, which was formed by a group of immigrants from the Teochew community.This temple served as a meeting place for the people of the Teochew community in the late 19th century when the Teochews became the second largest Chinese Dialect group in Singapore.The temple was honoured with a bian e, an imperial signboard from Emperor Guang Xu of the Qing Dynasty in 1907. In 1996 it was gazetted as a national monument and it underwent repairs and restoration works. This temple is a silent testimony to the faith and gratitude of many people in Singapore. The background contrast between the old temples and the new modern buildings indicate that new and old can surely bond and blend in one common space.The temple has a cover structure which are models depicting the lives of Chinese villager

Villager

The Villager, formerly the Highland Villager, is the oldest community newspaper in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, USA.It was founded in 1953 as Highland Villager....

s. The emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

of China at that point in time also presented the temple with a signboard that is still displayed in the temple till today. The temple is separated into two sections; each section caters for the different people coming from the different parts of China

China

.

The Armenian Church is located at Hill Street, it is the oldest church in Singapore. The funding for the building of the church came from contributions of the Armenian community. It was built in the 1830s by George Coleman, the architect of many buildings in Singapore. The Armenian Church is the church for the Armenian community, a small community in Singapore once. The Church was credited as a national monument.

CHIJMES

CHIJMES

CHIJMES is a historic building complex in Singapore, which began life as a Catholic convent known as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and convent quarters known as Caldwell House...

, located at Victoria Street, is currently converted into a modern dining area with restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s. It was originally a Catholic Convent which was convented. The original structure was well-preserved and the chapel

Chapel

A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...

is still present till today. The restaurants resides in the old structure

Structure

Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. This notion may itself be an object, such as a built structure, or an attribute, such as the structure of society...

s of the convent

Convent

A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...

.

The closeness of the locations of various religions worship indicated the peaceful coexistence of the early multi-ethnic and multi-cultural communities in Singapore.
The streets in the CBD area have a long history which showed a very different CBD as compared to the present. History past, Ang Siang Hill was the site of remittance houses where the Chinese immigrants go to when they wanted to remit money back home. Sago Lane (Street of the Dead) was formerly used as a place for people to die with the funeral parlor on the ground floor and living areas on the second floor. This area was infamous because of the large number of deaths found there.
Although the Sago Street is referred to as the Street of the Dead, the funeral parlor was actually located in the Sago Lane. Sago Lane runs parallel to the Sago Street.

Commercial

Singapore's Central Business District comprises the core of Singapore's financial activities and thus includes many important and significant financial buildings. There are many skyscrapers in the Central Business District. Skyscrapers in the city include the relatively new ones such as the UOB building

UOB Plaza

United Overseas Bank Plaza is a complex with twin tower late-modernist skyscrapers in the city of Singapore. UOB Plaza One is one of the three tallest in the city, sharing the title with the OUB Centre and Republic Plaza...

and the Sail at Marina Bay

The Sail @ Marina Bay

The Sail @ Marina Bay is a waterfront lifestyle condominium located in the Marina Bay area in Singapore. It was completed in 2008. The first tenants have moved into Central Park Tower in July 2008. Residents moved into Marina Bay Tower a few weeks later. The structure of The Sail is and 70...

, as well as the older but still well maintained and used buildings such as the Swissôtel The Stamford

Swissôtel The Stamford

Swissôtel The Stamford , is a luxury hotel in Singapore managed by Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts. Designed by architect I.M. Pei, Swissôtel The Stamford, at a height of is one of Southeast Asia’s tallest hotels...

, which once held the title as the world's tallest hotel.

Majority of Singapore's tallest building are found in the CBD, where land are the most expensive in Singapore. However, due to aviation restrictions, buildings in the CBD cannot go higher than 280m. Most of the iconic building that represents Singapore CBD skyline also stand on free hold land, which are extremely uncommon in Singapore today.

Some commercial buildings reflect the cultural Chinese heritage of Singapore in addition to the presence of other cultural heritage sites in the Central Area. The UOB Plaza makes use of the traditional Chinese symbol of the octagon in its design, which supposedly brings about good Feng Shui

Feng shui

Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....

according to traditional Chinese geomancy.

Cultural

The majority of Singapore’s tallest buildings are found in the Central Business District (high-valued land) but the skyscrapers cannot go higher than 280 metres due to Air traffic regulations. Also most of these buildings are built on freehold land which is relatively uncommon in Singapore today.

We will find that some commercial buildings do reflect the cultural Chinese heritage of Singapore. This is added to the presence of other cultural heritage sites in the Central Area. An example is the UOB Plaza makes use of the traditional Chinese symbol of the octagon in its design which is supposed to bring in good Feng Shui according to traditional Chinese geomancy.

Singapore's Central Area possesses some important cultural sites. Historical shophouse

Shophouse

A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...

s with their original façades preserved can be found along street

Street

A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...

s like Club and Ann Siang Streets

Ann Siang Hill

Ann Siang Hill is a small hill, and the name of a one-way road located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore...

. These shophouses have, however, been largely gentrified, displacing many of the original tenants, resulting in a loss of certain traditional trades such as crafts.

These shophouses were preserved as part of URA

Urban planning in Singapore

Urban planning in Singapore has formulated and guided its physical development from the day the modern city-state was founded in 1819 as a British colony to the developed, independent country it is today. Urban planning is especially important due to land constraints and its high density.The Urban...

efforts to preserve the nation's cultural heritage

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

. The façades are intact but the businesses operating inside today are now different, with law firms, design companies, insurance firms

Insurance

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

and bars and restaurants. These new companies fit into the old structures without too much alteration to the original façade. There are also shophouses that continue to serve as local clubhouses. Dates are present on the shophouses themselves to indicate date of construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

, mostly in the 19th century.
Even though the shop houses today are filled with modern businesses and people, the cultural practices are still strong along these streets. An example would be the hungry ghost festival, one can often see many shops laying out tables outside their shop house and offering prayers. An indication that we do still remember and preserve our cultural identity and practices.

The Central Business District was the original location for many schools in Singapore, such as Anglo-Chinese School

Anglo-Chinese School

The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...

, Raffles Institution (Secondary) and Raffles Girls' School

Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)

Raffles Girls' School is an independent girls' secondary school in Singapore. RGS was recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award , among other awards...

, Yeung Ching (Yangzheng) Primary School and Tao Nan School. These schools have since moved to newer locations.
The Asian Civilisations Museum

Asian Civilisations Museum

The Asian Civilisations Museum is an institution which forms a part of the three museums of the National Museum of Singapore. It is one of the pioneering museums in the region to specialise in pan-Asian cultures and civilisations...

lies near the bank of the Singapore River, and it is a cultural landmark that has been preserved since colonial times. This building is otherwise known as the Empress Place Building

Empress Place Building

The Empress Place Building is a historic building in Singapore, located on the north bank of the Singapore River in the Downtown Core, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district. The building is currently the second wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum...

. It was converted to a museum in 2003. The Peranakan Museum

Peranakan Museum

The Peranakan Museum is a museum in Singapore specialising in Peranakan culture. A sister museum to the Asian Civilizations Museum, it is the first of its kind in the world, that explore Peranakan cultures in Singapore and other former Straits Settlements in Malacca and Penang, and other Peranakan...

is also nearby along Armenian Street. This building is the Old Tao Nan School

Old Tao Nan School

The Old Tao Nan School is a historic building in Singapore, located along Armenian Street in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district. The building was a wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum. The other wing of the museum is located at the Empress...

, and since early 2008 has been specializing in Peranakan

Peranakan

Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....

culture.

The CBD is very much rooted to the cultural traditions of the Chinese. Some examples are the Chinese geomancy or Feng Shui. We can see that many buildings in the CBD are actually designed according to this Chinese belief. The Furama City Hotel, for example, has a roofline which resembles the open palm of the hand to ward off evil. The ‘Fountain of Wealth’ at the Suntec Tower has the inward flowing water at the fountain for two reasons. Water is the symbol of life and wealth in Chinese culture and the inward motion of the water signifies the retention of wealth for Suntec City. According to feng shui experts, the water which flows inwards represents riches pouring in, thus the fountain is appropriately named ‘Fountain of Wealth’.

Land Use

Over the course of its history, dating back to as far as the 18th Century, the land use of the various regions of Singapore have changed over time. The mixed land use in the central area is unlike other regions in Singapore, housing both the old and the new side by side.

Taking for instance, the case of the shophouses on Ann Siang Hill

Ann Siang Hill

Ann Siang Hill is a small hill, and the name of a one-way road located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore...

, the use of the shophouses have changed over the years. In the past, these shophouses were used as clan houses for the various clans that existed in the Chinatown region. Due to a housing shortage exacerbated by the destruction of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, an HDB paper estimated that in 1966, 250,000 lived in squalid shophouses in the Central Area

Central Area

In Singapore, the Central Area or Central Business District contains the core financial and commercial districts, including eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as...

.

However in recent times, with continued progress of the nation, the regions closest to the core of the central area has continued to be upgraded and developed. In this region, though the physical structure may remain the same, the use has now been changed. Though there are still various clan houses there, alongside them are new offices and shops. Some shophouses have even adapted to house both the traditional and modern land uses in the same complex.

Moving closer to the city center, the type of buildings observed change drastically. The Raffles Place area has been changed from a low lying shophouse region to a region that is exclusive to skyscrapers. Despite the fact that there is a height limit of 280m, these skyscrapers are so dense that the density of offices here is probably the highest in Singapore. There are several clusters throughout the region for the different business sectors - there are areas dedicated to the offices in fields of law and banking.

Transport

There has always been a high flow of traffic

Traffic

Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...

within the CBD due to its identity as the core of the financial centre in Singapore

Singapore

, resulting in a high density

Density

The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...

of office

Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...

s in this area of the city. This leads to a large amount of people commuting

Commute

Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to:* Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work* Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation...

to and from the city to work everyday. In a bid to prevent congestion

Traffic congestion

Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...

in the city, the Government

Government of Singapore

has implemented several different measures to curb the problem. For example, 5 more ERP gantries were erected in the CBD since July 2008. The operating hours of these gantries are also tweaked to accurately reflect the traffic situation in the CBD. A multistory automated car park has also been constructed to allow workers around the area to park their cars with a peace of mind and it is also very convenient as the driver does not have to waste the time to find a parking lot.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has also implemented several taxi stands around the city as designated points along busy main road

Road

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...

s since taxi

Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...

drivers are not allowed to pick up or drop off passenger

Passenger

A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....

s within the Central Business District (CBD) area in Singapore, where buses ply daily from 7am to 10pm except on Sundays and Public Holidays

Holiday

A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...

to ensure the safety of passengers, taxi drivers and other road users, except at the designated taxi-stops.
SBS Transit

SBS Transit

SBS Transit Limited is a public transport operator in Singapore. Its major competitor in Singapore's duopoly transport system is SMRT Corporation, which also operates bus, rail, taxi and other transport services....

and SMRT

SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation is a public transport operator incorporated on March 6, 2000, as a result of an industry overhaul to form multi-modal public-transport operators in Singapore. It is the second-largest public-transport company in Singapore after ComfortDelGro...

also offer bus services from the various parts of Singapore to the CBD via direct bus services. A new scheme of premium bus services running during the morning and evening peak hours provide quick bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

connection downtown.
Singapore's rapid rail transit

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

network, the MRT

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

, calls at several stops downtown, including City Hall

City Hall MRT Station

City Hall MRT Station ' is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore, that is part of the North South Line and the East West Line in Singapore, and serves as an interchange station between the two lines....

, Raffles Place

Raffles Place MRT Station

Raffles Place MRT Station ' is a Mass Rapid Transit interchange station on the North South Line and the East West Line in Singapore. It is directly beneath the centre of the financial district of Raffles Place, located in the Downtown Core area, south of the Singapore River...

and Tanjong Pagar

Tanjong Pagar MRT Station

Tanjong Pagar MRT Station ' is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the East West Line in Singapore. The station caters to people, especially businessmen, working in the Shenton Way and Robinson Road area, and residents...

. All four rail lines (both under construction and in operation) in Singapore run through the city area, which contains multiple rail interchanges between the East West Line

East West MRT Line

The East West Line was the 2nd Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 49.2 km long with 35 stations , making it the longest MRT line in Singapore. It takes about 63 minutes to travel from one end to the other...

, the North South Line

North South MRT Line

The North South Line was the 1st Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 44 km long with 25 stations, and is operated by SMRT Corporation...

, the North East Line

North East MRT Line

The North East MRT Line is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore and the world's second longest fully underground, automated and driverless, rapid transit line after Singapore's Circle MRT Line. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations and operated by SBS Transit. Travelling from one end...

and the under construction Circle Line

Circle MRT Line

The Circle Line is Singapore's fourth Mass Rapid Transit line, operated by SMRT Corporation. This underground line is currently long with 28 stations and is fully automatically operated...

. A railway station in Tanjong Pagar provides a rail link to Malaysia to the north.

Future Development

The Central Area of Singapore is slated to undergo significant changes in upcoming years. This expansion includes the construction of newer industrial buildings, as well as road expansion and other infrastructural projects. This also includes the expansion of the Mass Rapid Transit

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

system's Circle Line, to be completed in 2012.

Because of its history dating back to the origins of the country, the area also contains several buildings of intrinsic and immense cultural value. These include shophouses and temples, some of which are still used by historical groups in Singapore. (i.e. Hokkien

Hokkien

clan associations) Some of these buildings are being preserved but put to good economic use in the process, as renovation works in the interior of these buildings allow them to be used for other purposes while preserving their historical and architectural value. Other examples of buildings put to such use in Singapore include the Asian Civilisations Museum

Asian Civilisations Museum

and the Peranakan Museum

Peranakan Museum

.

There are also recreational facilities planned for development in the Central Area. These include the Gardens At The Bay, the Sports Hub, and the Fullerton Heritage. These will have significant impact on the recreational and sporting scenes in Singapore upon completion. Finally, the largest project in the area would be the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort

Integrated Resort

An integrated resort is a resort with a wide variety of leisure and entertainment attractions, all housed in one resort property. The first known integrated resort began in early 1980s in Malaysia, when Resorts World Genting was developed from a single hotel with casino facility to a variety of...

along the waterfront of Marina Bay.

External links

Planning Areas Boundaries Map A, showing extent of the Central Area

LTA, (2008, March 17). Land Transport Authority- What's new. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from Land Transport Authority Web site: http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1902

LTA , (Land Transport Authority) (2007, October 22). Taxi Stands in CBD. Retrieved August 24, 2009, Web site: http://taxisingapore.com/taxi-stands/

(2006). New Page 1. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from CBD Web site: http://cgz.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cgz/accounts/staff/rchambers/GeoBytes/GCSE/Revision/Urban%20Land%20Use%20models/Central%20Business%20District/Central%20Business%20District.hmp.htm

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Description

History

Commercial

Cultural

Land Use

Transport

Future Development

See also

External links