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From rural village to waterfront town: How Punggol got its distinct HDB town identity


The_King

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SINGAPORE - A decade ago, Punggol was known mainly for its lalang fields and a lone tree atop a small hill - since removed - that graced many Instagram photos.

Even further back, Punggol was called Kampung Punggol, a rural village known for fishing, poultry and pig farming, as well as its seafood restaurants and boating facilities.

Today's Punggol is a far cry from these beginnings, although elements of its heritage and history have been incorporated into the town planning.

While the "Punggol lone tree" that was the town's most recognisable landmark is long gone, in its place is the Punggol Waterway, a 4.2km-long man-made waterway that meanders through the town.

A 10m-wide landscaped promenade running along both banks of the waterway provides a space for recreation and relaxation for residents.

The town in north-east Singapore, one of the Housing Board's youngest towns, is also home to some 187,800 residents living in 49,909 HDB flats.

 
 

It is not by chance that Punggol has become the thriving town it is today.

On Wednesday (Oct 7), the HDB spelt out how Punggol was shaped into a "Waterfront town of the 21st century". The vision was first unveiled by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his 2007 National Day Rally.

A Punggol town guide, which will be out at the end of this year, lays out the town's vision and distinct identity to help future planners and agencies unify its developments as it evolves.

 

af_cascadia_071020.jpg Waterway Cascadia, a Build-To-Order project in Waterway West district. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Two other town design guides for Pasir Ris and Tengah will also be ready by the end of this year.

 

The first town design guide, for Woodlands, was launched by the HDB in 2018, and there are plans to release such manuals for each of its 24 towns.

Each of Singapore's 24 towns are planned on three scales: the town, neighbourhood and precinct.

The bird's-eye view town layer provides the overall theme, concept and vision for the town, such as its landmarks and how cycling paths are laid out.

The neighbourhood - or district - layer sets out sub-themes and concepts based on the heritage and character of each area.

The precinct 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 town level, Punggol was planned and designed based on the overall theme of "Water and Nature", drawing inspiration from its waterfront location and lush greenery.

The town is planned with 11 housing districts, each with its own distinct character. Each district is further split into estates of  2,000 to 3,000 flats to create small and intimate communities.

Cycling paths are built in tandem with new roads, while existing roads are retrofitted with cycling paths, where feasible, to enhance residents' first- and last-mile connectivity.

At the neighbourhood level, the 11 housing districts are further segmented into nine sub-themes that correspond to the overall "Water and Nature" theme.

These include Urban Terraces, Verandah, and Marine themes, picked based on the historical and physical features of different areas.

For instance, within the Waterway West district, residential developments adopt terracing building forms that step down towards the Punggol Waterway and the Punggol Reservoir, in line with the district's Urban Terraces theme.

The terraced effect allows for the most number of HDB flats to enjoy scenic views of the waterfront.

The sub-theme is further enhanced on the precinct level, such as through a layered roof design at the drop-off porch in Waterway Cascadia, a Build-To-Order (BTO) project in Waterway West district.

 

Logistics manager Sam Lim, 43, who has been a resident in Punggol since 2012, said he still remembers the days when Punggol was a quiet town with few activities.

"When we moved into our first flat, there was a lalang field opposite our block and no shops were open. It was considered quite 'ulu' (remote) back then but, over the years, you can definitely feel that it has gotten more crowded," said Mr Lim.

His family of three sold their first four-room BTO flat in Punggol Drive and moved to a bigger five-room flat in Sumang Lane two years ago.

Said Mr Lim: "People ask me why I bought a flat in Punggol again. Why not? My family is used to this area, we have many friends living around us now and we also enjoy the facilities here."

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12 minutes ago, chamfer said:

Slum is a slum..... what waterfront living....

Every now and then got raf noise pollution and smoke pollution from pasir gudang...

guess where

 

image.thumb.png.ecd423e8d1defe58c23c2f1380b0b652.png

 

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20 minutes ago, The_King said:

when i see the picture, i was shock. WTF so near. i wonder what will those ppl think if everyday see pasir gudang. i wonder how the smell is like, or if pasir gudang is operational 24/7.

 

 

 

Think they will feel sian....... then the flat will be hard to resell off too.

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23 minutes ago, The_King said:

when i see the picture, i was shock. WTF so near. i wonder what will those ppl think if everyday see pasir gudang. i wonder how the smell is like, or if pasir gudang is operational 24/7.

 

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, chamfer said:

Think they will feel sian....... then the flat will be hard to resell off too.

 

punggol used to be a natural filter but loong loong jin smart to redevelop the area into housing area.

 

even more kumgong is that there r people willing to buy into this kumgong idea.

 

pasir gudang industrial park is a petchem heavy area since the 1980s, so this makes the buyers extra kumgong.

 

really is one kumgong can find a even more kumgong.

 

wahahahahhaha

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6 minutes ago, socrates469bc said:

 

 

punggol used to be a natural filter but loong loong jin smart to redevelop the area into housing area.

 

even more kumgong is that there r people willing to buy into this kumgong idea.

 

pasir gudang industrial park is a petchem heavy area since the 1980s, so this makes the buyers extra kumgong.

 

really is one kumgong can find a even more kumgong.

 

wahahahahhaha

 

 

dont know what were they thinking, buy flat nvm go online to check the map one.

 

 

MV5BZDQwMjNiMTQtY2UwYy00NjhiLTk0ZWEtZWM5

 

 

 

 

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as usual trying to mislead people. that shit place have only a waterway point with tons and tons of HDB all cramped together. 

 

oh and please do not let me start with the fugly HDB design. just look at the one left side of waterway point. it's like a fucking wall. i think changi prison look better

 

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On 10/7/2020 at 10:20 PM, socrates469bc said:

 

 

punggol used to be a natural filter but loong loong jin smart to redevelop the area into housing area.

 

even more kumgong is that there r people willing to buy into this kumgong idea.

 

pasir gudang industrial park is a petchem heavy area since the 1980s, so this makes the buyers extra kumgong.

 

really is one kumgong can find a even more kumgong.

 

wahahahahhaha

 

Development is all about achieving 8,974,973 SG population!

 

You dont want to live their? CeCa wants!

 

From Ganges River to Punggol Waterfront!  Huat AH!!!

 

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Edited by Bigbird
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10 minutes ago, Bigbird said:

 

Development is all about achieving 8,974,973 SG population!

 

You dont want to live their? CeCa wants!

 

From Ganges River to Punggol Waterfront!  Huat AH!!!

 

spacer.png

 

at the rate loong loong is leading the country, just pray that the region continue to be in such a mess that makes sgp like an oasis.

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12 hours ago, Bigbird said:

 

Looks like there's no such thing as Kama then?!?!?

 

karma takes sometime to happen.

 

u look at old horse, know liao.

 

he stabbed alot of people during his dictatorship until he gets stabbed in his final yrs. now his son bo chance to be pm liao.

 

Ah Gong did more good than bad, so it will take a longer time b4 loong loong has to pay for his karma.

 

wahahahahhahaha

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On 10/7/2020 at 10:22 PM, The_King said:

just pwn them with this picture is enough

 

image.png

Not bad... Bery near mordor... Got eye of Sauron looking at chiu 24/7

The bto brochure will promote it as tourist attraction... can sexperience the feel of living in gondor... 

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32 minutes ago, XianGe said:

Not bad... Bery near mordor... Got eye of Sauron looking at chiu 24/7

The bto brochure will promote it as tourist attraction... can sexperience the feel of living in gondor... 

those with direct seaview of the eye of Sauron

 

 

v9MDYw.giftenor.gif93cdda3f3ded29563c371d1dcd2c58e1.gifsource.giftenor.gifgiphy-downsized.gifEnergeticGlumHarpyeagle-max-1mb.gif

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On 10/9/2020 at 12:37 PM, socrates469bc said:

 

karma takes sometime to happen.

 

u look at old horse, know liao.

 

he stabbed alot of people during his dictatorship until he gets stabbed in his final yrs. now his son bo chance to be pm liao.

 

Ah Gong did more good than bad, so it will take a longer time b4 loong loong has to pay for his karma.

 

wahahahahhahaha

 

Lets hope it doesn't disappoint the masses!

 

"Old horse" is who? Lao giraffe Go ah? Ah Go son want to be PM meh?

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On 10/9/2020 at 12:21 AM, XianGe said:

Wif $$$ it can be made into anything... thing is it will jz be an overpriced area cos the real prime area is still cbd area...

Slumggol is still slumggol... An air filter

 

On 10/9/2020 at 2:15 PM, meng.huat said:

slumgol jiu shi slumgol.

many pinoy sai there.

 

nothing near the premium "waterfront town" they try to spin.
 

 

If u think about it Sg is 50x27 km and its very small.  Johor bahru is ~ 1/3 the size of SG & Johor is 5 X the size of SG 

 

Look at the annual Haze we "enjoy" and It Just takes seconds for it to envelop the whole of SG!  Dependent highy on the wind too!

 

So the denser particle matters PM 10-2.5 will fall nearer around the source but the Ultra Fine Particles which will get into our blood stream, will travel and float in the air longer! 

 

Just think of the Haze but VCOs is worst since its invisible and toxic! :sick:

 

TLDR: Whole of SG will be envoloped by VCO (you cant see doesnt mean u are not breading in toxic gases), only how severe!

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11 minutes ago, Bigbird said:

 

Lets hope it doesn't disappoint the masses!

 

"Old horse" is who? Lao giraffe Go ah? Ah Go son want to be PM meh?

 

old horse is bolehsian's dictator.

 

lao goh's son now is being sued gao gao.

 

karma for lao goh's liberalization of hdb housing policy.

 

but it also raises the question as to what was sgx doing in the past 10 yrs b4 the whole thing blew up.

 

wahahahahhahahahha

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1 hour ago, socrates469bc said:

 

old horse is bolehsian's dictator.

 

lao goh's son now is being sued gao gao.

 

karma for lao goh's liberalization of hdb housing policy.

 

but it also raises the question as to what was sgx doing in the past 10 yrs b4 the whole thing blew up.

 

wahahahahhahahahha

 

Oh Old horse the Mad-hater!

 

He's 90yo liao but moving like 60s!  Amazing!

 

As for local poli-tition screw ups, they will just sweep under the rug!  They know Sinkies are Kumgong balless kia!  Life goes on!

 

I believe nothing will happened to SGX, Want to blame also blame the listing company Underwriters & Sponsors!  Everyone got their money liao!   SG is not USA!

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