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A decade ago, Punggol was known primarily for its lalang fields and a lone tree on top of a small hill, since it was removed, which graced many Instagram photos.
Even further back, Punggol was called Kampung Punggol, a rural town known for fishing, poultry and pig farming, as well as its seafood restaurants and boating facilities.
Today’s Punggol is very far from those beginnings, although elements of its heritage and history have been incorporated into urban planning.
While the “lonely Punggol tree,” which was the city’s most recognizable landmark, has long since disappeared, in its place is the Punggol Waterway, a 4.2 km-long man-made waterway that winds through from the city. A 10 m wide landscaped walkway that runs along both banks of the canal provides a space for recreation and relaxation for residents.
The city in northeast Singapore, one of the youngest cities on the Housing Board, is home to some 187,800 residents living on 49,909 HDB flats. It is no accident that Punggol has grown into the thriving city it is today.
Yesterday, the HDB detailed how Punggol was planned to become a “21st century waterfront city”. The vision was first revealed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at his 2007 National Day Rally.
A Punggol City Guide, to be published later this year, chronicles the city’s vision and distinctive identity to help future planners and agencies unify their developments as it evolves.
Two other city design guides, for Pasir Ris and Tengah, will also be ready later this year.
The first city design guide, for Woodlands, was released by the HDB in 2018, and there are plans to publish such manuals for each of its 24 cities.
Each city is planned on three scales: city, neighborhood and precinct.
The bird’s-eye city layer provides the overall theme, concept, and vision of the city, such as its landmarks and how the bike routes are laid out.
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187,800 Number of residents living in 49,909 HDB flats in Punggol.
The neighborhood – or district – layer establishes subtopics and concepts based on the heritage and character of each area.
The enclosure layer, a ground level guide, details the design of individual projects such as the type of playgrounds or the type of street furniture to be installed.
At the city level, Punggol was planned and designed around the general theme of “Water and Nature”, taking inspiration from its waterfront location and lush greenery.
The city is planned with 11 housing districts, each with its own distinctive character. Each district is divided into farms of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 apartments to create small, intimate communities.
Bike lanes are being built in conjunction with new roads, while existing roads are modernized with bike lanes where possible to improve connectivity for residents on the first and last miles.
At the neighborhood level, the 11 housing districts are further segmented into nine sub-themes that correspond to Punggol’s overall theme of “Water and Nature.”
These include themes from “Urban Terraces”, “Veranda” and “Marinos”, selected based on the historical and physical characteristics of the different areas.
For example, within the Waterway West district, residential developments take terraced construction forms that run down to Punggol Waterway and Punggol Reservoir, in line with the district’s “Urban Terraces” theme.
The terraced effect allows the largest number of HDB apartments to enjoy panoramic views of the boardwalk.
The sub-theme is further enhanced at the precinct level, such as through a layered ceiling design on the discharge porch at Waterway Cascadia, a build-to-order (BTO) project in the Waterway West district.
Logistics manager Sam Lim, 43, who has resided in Punggol since 2012, said he still remembers the days when Punggol was a quiet city with few activities.
“When we moved into our first apartment, there was a field of lalang across our block and there were no stores open. Back then it was considered quite ‘ulu’, but over the years you can definitely feel that it has become more crowded,” he said. . He said.
His family of three sold their first four-bedroom BTO flat on Punggol Drive and moved into a larger five-bedroom apartment on Sumang Lane two years ago. “People ask me why I bought a flat in Punggol again. Why not? My family is used to this area, now we have many friends living around us and we also enjoy the facilities here.”
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