Tampines

Vorlage:For Vorlage:Infobox Singapore neighbourhood Tampines (tæmpəˈniːs) (or Tampines New Town) is the largest residential area in the city-state of Singapore,it is the second largest commercial hub outside the city-state of Singapore after the Jurong Lake District and also will be a future logistics hub of the city-state of Singapore. It 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. As of 2011, Tampines is now regarded as a high-end estate with apartments costing above average market value.

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.

New town

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.

History

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 name Tampines goes back to the Franklin & Jackson map of 1828. It is named after Sungei Tampenus, which in turn got its name from the tampines trees (Sloctia siderozylon) which are said to be growing there. The oldest road in the area, Tampines Road, dates back to 1864, when it was a cart tract. At the turn of the 20th century, Tampines was a rubber plantation. Among the plantations here were Teo Tek Ho estate and Hun Yeang estate.

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.

Amenities

Apartment blocks in Tampines New Town

The NTUC Income building, one of several office buildings in Tampines Central

Tampines New Town is home to over 2,020,000 people living in 152,000 HDB flats spread out over 24.24 square kilometres. It is divided into 5 districts:

• Tampines North
• Tampines East
• Tampines West
• Tampines Changkat
• Tampines Central

All the districts have a Community Centre.

Tampines Regional 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.

Commercial services

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, jewelry and gift shops.

On November 30, 2006, IKEA opened its second outlet in Singapore at Tampines, together with adjacent Courts and Giant.

On April 6, 2009, UNIQLO opened its first outlet in Singapore at Tampines 1.

Community services

The Tampines Regional Library is located near the Tampines town centre, and organises events for children and adults to promote reading and learning.

Parks

The three main parks in the Tampines are namely Sunplaza Park,located at Tampines Avenue 7 and 9, Tampines Mountain Biking Trail, located at the junction of Tampines 9 and 7 and NParks latest nature park as of April 24, 2011, Tampines Eco Green, located at the junction of Tampines 12 and 9. All three of the park are close to each other to provide easy access to each park.

The other parks in Tampines are mainly community parks namely Tampines North Park, Tampines Leisure Park, Tampines Central Park, Tampines Park, Festival Park, Tampines Green, Tampines Tree Garden and some Neighbourhood Parks.

One other park in Tampines is Tampines Quarry Park, which originally was a sand quarry and as time pass, rain water filled the quarry and thus giving its name. It is the only park in Tampines that is not equip with any facilities but this park is still popular among residents living nearby. This park is located at the junction of Tampines Avenue 10 and 1 and also nearby Bedok Reservoir. Do also note that there will be no signages to the park and also there is no entrance into the park as the park is hidden among the greenery but there is some hidden pathways for people to enter the park.

Transportation

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,Tampines West MRT Station, Tampines East MRT Station and a Tampines Bus Interchange.

Intra-town feeder/townlink bus services bring residents from the Town Centre (where the Tampines MRT station and Tampines bus interchange is located) to their doorsteps.

Education

The 12 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. There are also plans to add new schools in Tampines due to a high demands for schools in the East Region of the city-state of Singapore.

Primary schools

• Chongzheng Primary School
• East Spring Primary School
• East View Primary School
• Gongshang Primary School
• Griffiths Primary School
• Junyuan Primary School
• Poi Ching School
• Qiaonan Primary School
• Saint Hilda's Primary School
• Tampines North Primary School
• Tampines Primary School
• Yumin Primary School

Secondary schools

• Dunman Secondary School
• East Spring Secondary School
• East View Secondary School
• Junyuan Secondary School
• Ngee Ann Secondary School
• Pasir Ris Secondary School
• Springfield Secondary School
• St. Hilda's Secondary School (parts of it are still undergoing PRIME)
• Tampines Secondary School

Tertiary institutions

• Tampines Junior College
• ITE College Central (Tampines Campus)
• Temasek Polytechnic
• United World College of South East Asia (Tampines Campus)

Sports

Tampines Stadium, which is the home to Tampines Rovers FC.

Future

Tampines Town Hub

The Tampines Town Hub. will be a new development in Tampines and it will be expected to be completed in the year 2015. It will located at the place where the Tampines Stadium stands today at Tampines Avenue 4 and 5. It is not yet decided on whether it will intergrate it with the current Tampines Stadium or will it be building it over the Tampines Stadium.

It is built for the residents of Tampines and the Town Hub will provide a community space where residents can gather, interact and bond with others from the community. Located in the heart of Tampines town, the first integrated lifestyle destination in the Singapore heartlands will bring retail, sports, as well as other community and civil services together under one roof. Catering to every interest, it will be key in providing residents with the best facilities and vibrant environment for active community living. Facilities available will include a Community Centre, Sports and Recreational Centre, Performing Arts Theatre, Public Library, Bowling Alleys, Laser Tag Areas, Fun Pools, Jamming Studios, Karaoke Rooms, as well as configurable grounds for flea markets, soccer and concerts.

Downtown Line, Singapore

3 more new MRT stations will be expected to be completed in the year 2017 to serve residents of Tampines and also to serve commuters who frequent the Tampines Regional Centre.

The future Tampines West MRT Station will be located under Tampines Ave 4. It is in the neighbourhood of HDB Tampines Polyview and Tampines Palmspring, and within easy reach of Junyuan Primary School and East View Primary School. The station is also within walking distance to the Temasek Polytechnic.

The future Tampines Station will be an interchange station with the East West Line Tampines station. It is also next to the Tampines Bus Interchange creating a new transport hub in Tampines. It will provide commuters an alternative choice to meet their daily travel needs. It will serve commuters going to the office buildings and commercial buildings at the town centre, such as CPF Tampines Building, Tampines One ,Tampines Mall and Century Square.

The future Tampines East MRT Station is situated conveniently for the residents of HDB estates in the vicinity and students of Tampines Junior College and Ngee Ann Secondary School.

References

• National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3

External links

• MyTampines
• Tampines Mall
• Century Square
• Tampines 1
• Tampines Web Town