Bukit Panjang: History

11 March 2008

Bukit Panjang before urban development
Bukit Panjang used to comprise rural settlements and agricultural areas, which grew up along Bukit Timah Road in the early 1900s. The area houses the Cold Storage Dairy Farm and industrial buildings such as the Nanyang Shoe Factory and the Lam Soon Canning and Rubber Factory. There were also granite quarries, rubber plantations and nurseries.

Zhenghua New Town
Development of Zhenghua New Town started in 1984. It is the 3rd miniature town developed by Housing & Development Board (HDB).

The rugged topography of Zhenghua was preserved with the town's urban axis expressed along the valley. The landscape is exemplified with grand boulevard space along it.

Residential precincts were designed to be in repetitive modules, in cellular layouts comprising clusters of buildings. Low structures such as covered linkways and shelters were placed along the footpath to soften the massive scale of high-rise buildings. Subsequently, this precinct layout design is adopted for other towns.

Distinctive residential buildings are designed along major approaches and at important junctions to give identity to Bukit Panjang New Town. This includes the specially designed 21 storey H-shaped blocks at the entrance from Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).

Bukit Panjang New Town
The name of the New Town is changed from Zhenghua back to Bukit Panjang in 1986.

Unlike previous towns which are commonly designed in metric dimensions, streets in Bukit Panjang are named after the original kampong tracks. All these tracks are named with a geographical theme in Malay.
Petir Road: thunder.
Jelebu Road: haze.
Fajar Road: dawn.
Senja Road: dusk.
Bangkit Road: a rise up the hill.
Saujana Road: plain of horizon.
Lompang Road: plain / empty.
Jelapang Road: criss-cross.
Gangsa Road: bronze.

Stepped Housing
A pilot project of introducing a new type of housing form called 'Stepped Housing' is implemented at Bukit Panjang New Town in 1994. In 'Stepped Housing' precinct, the apartment blocks of are sited above the multi-storey carpark. These carpark facilities were integrated within the overall design for easy access by the residents. Subsequently, 'Stepped Housing' is applied in other towns.

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