Administrative divisions of Singapore

Community Development Council Districts of Singapore
Community Development Council Districts of Singapore
Category	Unitary State
Location	Republic of Singapore
Created by	PA Act 1997
Created	February 1997 ; 11 November 2001 (Finalized);
Number	5 districts (as of 2015)
Government	Community Development Council; National Government;
Subdivisions	Constituencies;

While the small physical size of the city-state does not qualify the creation of national subdivisions in the form of provinces, states, and other national political divisions found in larger countries, the city has nonetheless been administratively subdivided in various ways throughout its history for the purpose of local administration and urban planning.

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[]

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

Central Singapore Community Development Council
North East Community Development Council
North West Community Development Council
South East Community Development Council
South West Community Development Council

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]

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

Town Council	Constituency
Aljunied–Hougang	Aljunied GRC
Aljunied–Hougang	Hougang SMC
Ang Mo Kio	Ang Mo Kio GRC
	Kebun Baru SMC
	Yio Chu Kang SMC
Bishan–Toa Payoh	Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC
Bishan–Toa Payoh	Marymount SMC
Chua Chu Kang	Chua Chu Kang GRC
Chua Chu Kang	Hong Kah North SMC
East Coast	East Coast GRC
Holland–Bukit Panjang	Holland–Bukit Timah GRC
Holland–Bukit Panjang	Bukit Panjang SMC
Jalan Besar	Jalan Besar GRC
Jalan Besar	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
Pasir Ris–Punggol	Punggol West SMC
Sembawang	Sembawang GRC
Sengkang	Sengkang GRC
Tampines	Tampines GRC
Tanjong Pagar	Tanjong Pagar GRC
Tanjong Pagar	Radin Mas SMC
West Coast	West Coast GRC
West Coast	Pioneer SMC

Constituencies[]

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 regions are groupings of the planning areas.

Planning Areas[]

Regions are further subdivided into planning areas. In the 1990s, the Urban Redevelopment Authority carved up the country into 55 of these planning areas. Their boundaries became increasingly accepted as an alternative method of subdividing the country, made all the more popular as the boundaries do not change compared to the more fluid nature of electoral boundaries. 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, as opposed to the former Neighbourhood Police Post system which was also based on electoral divisions.

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]}

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Full map of CDCs released for first time". The Straits Times, p. 25 (Retrieved from Newspaper SG). 21 August 1997. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
^ "First 2 CDCs preparing for launch". The Straits Times, p. 27. (Retrieved from Newspaper SG). 17 February 1997. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
^ 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.
^ Low, A. (1 September 1986). Town councils take over from HDB. .The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Ngoo, I., et al. (7 April 1987). My kind of town. The Straits Times, Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Koh, T., et al.
^ Town Councils Act (Cap. 329A, 2000 Rev. Ed.)
^ "Town Councils (Declaration) Order 2020". Singapore Statues Online. 29 July 2020.
^ 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.
^ "Land Titles Search". Singapore Land Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2016.

External links[]

CDC Districts Archived 23 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine
Singapore Land Registry Archived 23 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[PAact1997-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "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.

[MyKindOfTown-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b 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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show v t Places in Singapore by region
Listed by planning areas (Subzones in parenthesis)
Central	Bishan Marymount Upper Thomson Bukit Merah Alexandra Bukit Ho Swee Depot Road HarbourFront Kampong Tiong Bahru Telok Blangah Tiong Bahru Bukit Timah Holland Road Downtown Core Anson Bugis City Hall Clifford Pier Marina Centre Raffles Place Tanjong Pagar Geylang Aljunied Geylang East Kampong Ubi MacPherson Kallang Bendemeer Boon Keng Crawford Geylang Bahru Kallang Bahru Kampong Bugis Kampong Java Lavender Tanjong Rhu Marina East Marina South Marine Parade East Coast Katong Mountbatten Museum Bras Basah Dhoby Ghaut Fort Canning Newton Novena Balestier Orchard Outram Chinatown Pearl's Hill Queenstown Commonwealth Dover Ghim Moh Kent Ridge Pasir Panjang River Valley Rochor Bencoolen Farrer Park Kampong Glam Little India Mount Emily Rochor Canal Sungei Road Singapore River Boat Quay Clarke Quay Robertson Quay Southern Islands Sentosa Straits View Tanglin Toa Payoh Bidadari Joo Seng Potong Pasir
East	Bedok Reservoir Kaki Bukit Kembangan Siglap Changi Airport Changi Bay Pasir Ris Loyang Paya Lebar Tampines Simei
North	Central Water Catchment Lim Chu Kang Mandai Sembawang Admiralty Senoko Simpang Pulau Seletar Sungei Kadut Kranji Turf Club Woodlands Marsiling Yishun Lower Seletar
North-East	Ang Mo Kio Cheng San Chong Boon Kebun Baru Yio Chu Kang Hougang Defu Industrial Park Kovan Lorong Halus North-Eastern Islands Punggol Coney Island Seletar Aerospace Park Sengkang Anchorvale Buangkok Compassvale Fernvale Jalan Kayu Rivervale Serangoon Garden North Lorong Chuan
West	Boon Lay Samulun Bukit Batok Central Brickworks Bukit Gombak Guilin Hillview Bukit Panjang Dairy Farm Nature Reserve Senja Choa Chu Kang Yew Tee Clementi Faber Toh Tuck West Coast Jurong East International Business Park Jurong Gateway Jurong Port Jurong River Penjuru Crescent Teban Gardens Yuhua Jurong West Central Boon Lay Place Chin Bee Hong Kah Kian Teck Safti Taman Jurong Wenya Yunnan Pioneer Benoi Sector Gul Circle Joo Koon Pioneer Sector Tengah Tuas Tuas View Western Islands Jurong Island Bukum Semakau Sudong Western Water Catchment

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