Central Area - Land Use

Land Use

Over the course of its history, dating back to as far as the 18th Century, the land use of the various regions of Singapore have changed over time. The mixed land use in the central area is unlike other regions in Singapore, housing both the old and the new side by side.

Taking for instance, the case of the shophouses on Ann Siang Hill, the use of the shophouses have changed over the years. In the past, these shophouses were used as clan houses for the various clans that existed in the Chinatown region. Due to a housing shortage exacerbated by the destruction of World War II, an HDB paper estimated that in 1966, 250,000 lived in squalid shophouses in the Central Area.

However in recent times, with continued progress of the nation, the regions closest to the core of the central area has continued to be upgraded and developed. In this region, though the physical structure may remain the same, the use has now been changed. Though there are still various clan houses there, alongside them are new offices and shops. Some shophouses have even adapted to house both the traditional and modern land uses in the same complex.

Moving closer to the city center, the type of buildings observed change drastically. The Raffles Place area has been changed from a low lying shophouse region to a region that is exclusive to skyscrapers. Despite the fact that there is a height limit of 280m, these skyscrapers are so dense that the density of offices here is probably the highest in Singapore. There are several clusters throughout the region for the different business sectors - there are areas dedicated to the offices in fields of law and banking.