Tampines ( pronounced Tam-Pee-nees ) ( or Tampines New Town ) is the largest residential area in the city-state of Singapore and is located in the East Region of the main island. The town is so named because in the 1900s a large forest of Tampines trees were located at the present site. The nearby areas of Teban, Tampines, Teck Hock village, Beremban, Sungei Blukar were collectively known as "TAMPINES". Name of "TAMPINES" was derived from the Malay name of the "Riau ironwood" tree which grew abundantly in Tampines. The Tampines tree is one of the most valuable timber trees in Peninsula Malaysia, known for its strength, suppleness and durability.
Like other new towns and neighbourhoods in Singapore, it is a densely populated district and is home to a rather diverse group of different races. It tends to be even more dense than other housing districts. Tampines New Town is a regional centre that lies to the east of Singapore's city centre.
Like much of Singapore, Tampines was once covered by forest, plantations and villages. Ironwood trees, or tempinis, grew abundantly here and gave the area its name. Tampines was a sand quarrying area, an activity which left significant tracts of land pitted and barren.
The transformation of Tampines into the first regional town centre in Singapore began in the 1970s. Since then, Tampines New Town has blossomed into the institutional, social, recreational and commercial hub of the eastern part of Singapore. Many government and commercial agencies have established offices in the town. It now houses a population of 200,000 people in 52,000 Housing and Development flats on 424 hectares of land. It is a bustling new town with lots of activities.
New construction methods expedited the development of the town's infrastructure. Using prefabricated parts, a block of high-rise flats could be built in a month. More attractive designs, colours and finishings were also incorporated into Tampines, compared to earlier public housing which consisted of uniform slabs of concrete laid out row after row with more thought given to function than form. The Housing and Development Board ( HDB ) managed the construction of the town until 1991, when it handed the reins over to the Tampines Town Council. The Town Council is run by grassroot leaders and the residents themselves.
The Building and Social Housing Foundation ( BSHF ) of the United Nations awarded the World Habitat Award to Tampines, which was selected as a representative of Singapore's new towns, on 5 October 1992. The award was given in recognition of an outstanding contribution towards human settlement and development.
Amenities
Tampines New Town is now home to over 200,000 people living in 52,000 HDB flats spread out over 4.24 square kilometres. It is divided into 5 districts :
1.) Tampines North
2.) Tampines East
3.) Tampines West
4.) Tampines Central
5.) Tampines Changkat
All the districts have a Community Centre located within them :
1.) Tampines North Community Club
2.) Tampines East Community Club
3.) Tampines West Community Club
4.) Tampines Central Community Club
5.) Tampines Changkat Community Club
Tampines Regional Centre
The urban planning policy of Singapore is to create partially self-sufficient towns, in terms of commercial needs, in order to relieve strain on traffic drawn into the city centre. Thus, an extensive array of facilities are provided primarily for residents in the new towns. Tampines is one of Singapore's three regional centres ( along with Woodlands and Jurong East ), under the plan of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. As a result, the Tampine Regional Centre not only serve the Tampines residents but also the entire East Region.
Commercial services
Retail shopping in the Tampines Regional Centre is facilitated by two main shopping malls : Tampines Mall and Century Square, which underwent a facelift in 2005. Commercial tenants of the shopping centres include restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, cinemas, bookstores and jewelry shops. A new shopping mall next to the MRT station named Tampines One is currently under construction.
On November 30, 2006, IKEA Tampines opened its second outlet in Singapore among much fanfare at Tampines, together with adjacent Courts Megastore and Giant.
Community services
The Tampines Regional Library is located near the Tampines town centre, and regularly organises events for children and adults to promote reading and learning.
Transportation
An efficient network of expressways, the Pan-Island Expressway and Tampines Expressway, and arterial roads allows easy movement within the town and link it to other parts of the island. Public transportation is well served by the Mass Rapid Transit at Tampines MRT Station ( EW2 ) and a Tampines Bus Interchange.
Intra-town feeder/townlink bus services bring residents from the Town Centre ( where the MRT station and bus interchange is located ) to their doorsteps.
Education
The 14 primary schools, 10 secondary schools and 4 different tertiary institutions provide diversified education options for Tampines residents, as well as those living in the region.
Primary schools
- Changkat Primary School
- Chongzheng Primary School
- East Spring Primary School
- East View Primary School
- Gongshang Primary School
- Griffiths Primary School
- Junyuan Primary School
- Poi Ching School
- Qiaonan Primary School
- Saint Hilda's Primary School
- Tampines North Primary School
- Tampines Primary School
( Undergoing PRIME, which is expected to be completed in December 2009 ).
- Yumin Primary School
Secondary schools
- Changkat Changi Secondary School
- Dunman Secondary School
- East Spring Secondary School
- East View Secondary School
- Junyuan Secondary School
- Ngee Ann Secondary School ( Parts of it are still undergoing PRIME )
- Pasir Ris Secondary School
- Springfield Secondary School
- St. Hilda's Secondary School
- Tampines Secondary School ( Undergoing PRIME )
Tertiary institutions
- Tampines Junior College
- ITE College Central ( Tampines Campus )
- Temasek Polytechnic
- Singapore Institute Of Commerce ( SIC Tampines Campus )
Sports
- Tampines Stadium ,which is the home to Tampines Rovers FC.
- Tampines Swimming Pool Complex
- Tampines Sports Hall
- Tampines Mountain Biking Trail
- Safra ( Tampines )
- Safra Tampines Clubhouse
Places of Worship
- An-Le Temple
- Golden Pagoda Buddhist Temple
- Hean Thuan Chong Toh Tong Temple
- Hiang Tong Keng Temple
- Hiap Tien Keng Leng Poh Tian Temple
- Kew Sian King Temple
- Kwang Hua Buddhist Monastery Temple
- Lorong Tua Peck Kong Temple
- Sree Jadha Muneswara Temple
- Tampines Chinese Temple
- Tian Kong Temple
- Masjid Darul Ghufran
Others
- All Saints Home
- Metta Day Rehabilitation Centre for the Elderly
- Pasir Ris South Student Care Centre
- Tampines Leisure Park
- Tampines North Park Tampines Park
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