Singapore is governed as a unitary state without provinces or states. However, for the purposes of administration and urban planning, it has been subdivided in various ways throughout its history.
As of 2022, Singapore has a total land area of about 753 km2 (291 sq mi), not including its sea area.
Historically, these subdivisions have been based on postal districts, especially during the colonial era. When local elections necessitated the setting up of electoral districts, however, it began to supplement postal districts as an alternative form of local governance, since each electoral district is headed by a member of parliament who represents and speaks for the respective electorates.
Community Development Council Districts of Singapore | |
---|---|
Category | Unitary state |
Location | Republic of Singapore |
Created by | PA Act 1997 |
Created |
|
Number | 5 districts (as of 2015) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
Established in 1997 by the PA Act, there were 9 districts formerly, governed by 9 different Community Development Councils (CDCs). In 2001, the 9 districts and CDCs were then reformed into 5, namely the North East CDC, North West CDC, South East CDC, South West CDC and Central Singapore CDC. [1] [2] Each district is then further divided into electoral constituencies and town councils.
The council boundaries follow that of the existing political divisions, with each handling between four and six GRCs and SMCs and roughly dividing the country's population into equal parts. Each CDC is managed by a Council, which in turn is headed by a mayor and has between 12 and 80 members. The members are appointed by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the People's Association.
The role of the CDCs is to initiate, plan and manage community programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion within local communities. [3] The electoral boundaries of Singapore are relatively fluid, and are reviewed prior to each general election. The districts are composed of the constituencies and electoral districts (the latter as of the 2015 General Elections).
There are currently five CDCs, namely the
The first town councils were set up in September 1986 by the Town Councils Act, with the main purpose of estate management. [4] Prior to the introduction of town councils, housing estates were managed by the Housing Development Board. [5] As the estates were centrally managed, the standardised rules that the board had set for all housing estates made HDB towns monotonous in appearance and problems faced by residents in the different estates were not addressed fast enough. [5]
Town councils boundaries are drawn based on electoral district boundaries. A town council area can consist of a Group Representation Constituency (GRC), a Single Member Constituency (SMC), or a collection of neighbouring GRCs and SMCs controlled by the same political party. The Members of Parliament head the town councils of their constituencies. Town councils boundaries do not correspond to new town boundaries; different parts of the same HDB town may be managed by different town councils. [6]
There are currently 17 town councils as of 2020: [7]
Town Council | Constituency |
---|---|
Aljunied–Hougang | Aljunied GRC |
Hougang SMC | |
Ang Mo Kio | Ang Mo Kio GRC |
Kebun Baru SMC | |
Yio Chu Kang SMC | |
Bishan–Toa Payoh | Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC |
Marymount SMC | |
Chua Chu Kang | Chua Chu Kang GRC |
Hong Kah North SMC | |
East Coast | East Coast GRC |
Holland–Bukit Panjang | Holland–Bukit Timah GRC |
Bukit Panjang SMC | |
Jalan Besar | Jalan Besar GRC |
Potong Pasir SMC | |
Jurong–Clementi | Jurong GRC |
Bukit Batok SMC | |
Yuhua SMC | |
Marine Parade | Marine Parade GRC |
MacPherson SMC | |
Mountbatten SMC | |
Marsiling–Yew Tee | Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC |
Nee Soon | Nee Soon GRC |
Pasir Ris–Punggol | Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC |
Punggol West SMC | |
Sembawang | Sembawang GRC |
Sengkang | Sengkang GRC |
Tampines | Tampines GRC |
Tanjong Pagar | Tanjong Pagar GRC |
Radin Mas SMC | |
West Coast | West Coast GRC |
Pioneer SMC |
Town councils are then further subdivided into different constituencies, which are classified as either Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) or Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs). The boundaries of the electoral constituencies are decided by the Elections Department, which is under the control of the Prime Minister's Office. [8]
The five regions of Singapore are groupings of the planning areas.
In the 1990s, the Urban Redevelopment Authority carved up the country into 55 of planning areas. The Singapore Department of Statistics adopted these boundaries for the latest 2000 nationwide population census, and the Singapore Police Force uses them as an approximate guide when demarcating boundaries for its Neighbourhood Police Centres.
Singapore is divided into 64 survey districts, of which 34 are mukims (originally, rural districts) and 30 are town subdivisions. [9]
Postal districts were numbered from 01 to 83 under the new system implemented on 1 September 1995. Census data and most forms of internal boundaries had been based on postal districts until the introduction of new planning boundaries in the 1990s.[ citation needed ]
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th in terms of population in the country overall. The planning area is located at the south-western corner of the North-East Region, bordered by the planning areas of Yishun to the north, Sengkang to the north-east, Serangoon to the east, Bishan to the south and the Central Water Catchment to the west.
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) or often referred to as the Housing Board, is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development responsible for Singapore's public housing. Founded in 1960 as a result of efforts in the late 1950s to set up an authority to take over the Singapore Improvement Trust's (SIT) public housing responsibilities, the HDB focused on the construction of emergency housing and the resettlement of kampong residents into public housing in the first few years of its existence.
Clementi is a planning area and residential town located at the easternmost fringe of the West Region of Singapore. The town borders Bukit Batok to the north, Bukit Timah to the northeast, Queenstown to the east and Jurong East to the west.
Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Bukit Batok, often abbreviated as Bt Batok, is a planning area and matured residential town located along the eastern boundary of the West Region of Singapore. Bukit Batok statistically ranks in as the 25th largest, the 12th most populous and the 11th most densely populated planning area in the Republic. It is bordered by six other planning areas - Choa Chu Kang to the North, northeast and northwest, Cashew to the northeast and east, Clementi to the south, Bukit Timah to the southeast, Jurong East to the southwest and Tengah to the west.
Bedok is a planning area and matured residential town located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah along the south-eastern coast of the East Region of Singapore. Bedok is bounded by five other planning areas: Paya Lebar to the north, Hougang to the northwest, Tampines to the northeast and east, Geylang to the west and Marine Parade to the southwest. It also shares a maritime boundary with the Singapore Strait to the south and southeast.
Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a planning area and new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. the planning area borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west and the Downtown Core, Outram and Singapore River planning areas of the Central Area to the east.
Jurong West is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. Jurong West shares boundaries with Tengah in the north, Jurong East in the east, Boon Lay and Pioneer in the south, and Western Water Catchment in the west.
The People's Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of the Government of Singapore that oversees neighbourhood grassroots communities and social organisations. Established in 1960, it was part of a nation-building programme to promote social cohesion and multiracialism.
Sengkang is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares boundaries with Seletar and Punggol in the north, Pasir Ris and Paya Lebar in the east, Hougang and Serangoon to the south, as well as Yishun and Ang Mo Kio to the west.
The Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency is a Single Member Constituency (SMC) located in the western area of Singapore. The current Member of Parliament for the constituency is Liang Eng Hwa of the People's Action Party (PAP).
The Hougang Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. Its current Member of Parliament is Dennis Tan Lip Fong of the Workers' Party (WP).
A group representation constituency (GRC) is a type of electoral division or constituency in Singapore in which teams of candidates, instead of individual candidates, compete to be elected into Parliament as the Members of Parliament (MPs) for the constituency. The Government stated that the GRC scheme was primarily implemented to enshrine minority representation in Parliament: at least one of the MPs in a GRC must be a member of the Malay, Indian or another minority community of Singapore. In addition, it was economical for town councils, which manage public housing estates, to handle larger constituencies.
Teo Ho Pin is a Singaporean former politician who served as Mayor of North West District between 2001 and 2020.
Whampoa Single Member Constituency was a single member constituency (SMC) located in the eastern region of Singapore. The constituency covers the main area of Whampoa.
The Sengkang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of four divisions: Anchorvale, Rivervale, Buangkok, and Compassvale; Compassvale was subsumed into the other three following the resignation of its MP, Raeesah Khan. The current Members of Parliament are He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Louis Chua from the Workers' Party (WP).
The Punggol West Single Member Constituency is a Single Member Constituency located in the north-eastern area of Singapore formed in 2020. The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Sun Xueling of the People's Action Party (PAP).
The Marymount Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency (SMC) located in the central area of Singapore formed in 2020. The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Gan Siow Huang of the People's Action Party (PAP).