Administrative divisions of Singapore

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Administrative divisions of Singapore
SubzonesOfSingapore.png
Subzones of Singapore, one of the many ways Singapore is locally divided

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.

Contents

As of 2022, Singapore has a total land area of about 753 km2 (291 sq mi), not including its sea area.

History

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.

Administrative and Electoral Divisions

Community Development Council Districts

Community Development Council Districts of Singapore
CDC map of Singapore 2020.svg
Category Unitary state
Location Republic of Singapore
Created byPA Act 1997
Created
  • February 1997 [1]
  • 11 November 2001 (Finalized)
Number5 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

Town councils

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]

Town Councils map of Singapore 2020.svg

There are currently 17 town councils as of 2020: [7]

Town CouncilConstituency
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

Constituencies

Electoral boundaries during the Singapore general elections 2020.svg

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]

Other administrative subdivisions

URA Master Plan boundaries

Regions

The five regions of Singapore are groupings of the planning areas.

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.

Survey Districts

Singapore is divided into 64 survey districts, of which 34 are mukims (originally, rural districts) and 30 are town subdivisions. [9]

Postal Districts

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 ]

See also

Related Research Articles

A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ang Mo Kio</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North-East Region ----, Singapore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing and Development Board</span> Organization for public housing in Singapore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clementi, Singapore</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in West Region, Singapore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Batok</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in West Region ----, Singapore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedok</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in East Region ----, Singapore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Merah</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jurong West</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in West Region ----, Singapore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Association</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sengkang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North-East Region ----, Singapore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency</span> Electoral ward in Singapore

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hougang Single Member Constituency</span> Electoral division in Singapore

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group representation constituency</span> Type of constituency defined in Singapores constitution

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sengkang Group Representation Constituency</span> Group Representation Constituency region

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punggol West Single Member Constituency</span>

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marymount Single Member Constituency</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 "Full map of CDCs released for first time". The Straits Times, p. 25 (Retrieved from Newspaper SG). 21 August 1997. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "First 2 CDCs preparing for launch". The Straits Times, p. 27. (Retrieved from Newspaper SG). 17 February 1997. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Fernandez, W. (19 August 1996). PM Goh urges young to rally behind him. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Straits Times, 19 Aug 1996, p. 24.
  4. ↑ Low, A. (1 September 1986). Town councils take over from HDB. .The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  5. 1 2 Ngoo, I., et al. (7 April 1987). My kind of town. The Straits Times, Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Koh, T., et al.
  6. ↑ Town Councils Act( Cap. 329A,2000 Rev. Ed. )
  7. ↑ "Town Councils (Declaration) Order 2020". Singapore Statues Online. 29 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Alex Au Waipang, 'The Ardour of Tokens: Opposition Parties' Struggle to Make a Difference', in T.Chong (eds), Management of Success: Singapore Revisited (Singapore, 2010), p. 106.
  9. ↑ "Land Titles Search". Singapore Land Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
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