Woodlands

Woodlands (, ஊட்லண்ட்ஸ்) is a planning area and residential town located in the North Region of Singapore. The town is connected to Malaysia's southernmost city, Johor Bahru, via the Johor-Singapore Causeway.

Woodlands planning area borders Sembawang to the east, Mandai to the south, Sungei Kadut to the west and the Straits of Johor to the north. Woodlands New Town is situated with the Woodlands planning area.

History
The area consisting of modern-day Woodlands Town first witnessed the opening of the Johor-Singapore Causeway in 1923. Early Woodlands consisted of villages and squatters where residents made their living mostly as small-time shopkeepers and vegetable farmers in the Marsiling area, while rubber plantations and poultry farms dot the landscape in Jalan Ulu Sembawang where modern-day Admiralty is located. The first HDB flats were built from 1972 in the northern part of Marsiling, and the Woodlands Bus interchange located at Woodlands Centre Road was built in 1980.

Development of Woodlands began in 1981. This compromises of the building of HDB flats in the Neighbourhood 1, which was completed in 1985; well after the Marsiling Estate. The Neighbourhood 8 were completed in 1987, together with the Neighbourhood 3 in 1989. Because of the saturation of HDB flats, the numbering system added 'A', 'B' and 'C'. Blocks 6xx in Admiralty begun to be completed in 1996, together with the 7xx in 1997. Expansion into Innova began in 1998 and was completed in 2002, which consists of block 5xx. Expansion into the Woodlands East began in 1999 and completed in 2004.

Neighbourhood layout
There are three constituencies in the town, and nine neighbourhoods (N1 to N9) within the Woodlands vicinity made up primarily of Woodlands, Marsiling, Woodgrove and Admiralty. Woodlands Square serves as the town centre while adjacent neighbourhood centres also offer a variety of commercial activities. Integrated development plans including Kampung Admiralty are officially launched in April 2014.

Of all the estates, Woodgrove is the smallest in size, located towards the northwest end of the town. Woodgrove houses most of the private housing in Woodlands, consisting of high-rise condominiums, and landed properties. Woodgrove lies in between the estates of Marsiling and Woodlands.

Marsiling, Woodlands, Woodgrove and Admiralty altogether form Woodlands New Town (not to be confused with Woodlands, Singapore).

Infrastructure
Woodlands is diverse during the day and well lit at night. Shops, eateries, and commercial zones are evenly spread through the town, with bus and transit routes operating till close to midnight.

Divisions within estates are being rapidly modernised and modelled for Singapore's standards; playgrounds, communal gardens, sheltered pavements, multi-level parking lots, barbecue-pits, recreational facilities (such as tennis courts) and trees are found nearly everywhere.

With the modernising process outpacing the preservation of its past, Woodlands Town Garden keeps a clear and simple agenda, to bring greenery in the right ambience with the mixture of the local ethnicities. The theme of the park revolves around the Malay and Chinese culture, and winding through the park is Sungei Mandai Kechil, the river that extends into a lake within the park. Woodlands Town Garden is located near to the Woodlands Checkpoint, in the Marsiling estate. To the east of this area, bordering the polytechnic is Admiralty Park, a 27-hectare national park much of which is covered in mangrove. The recent riverine park which opened in phases is the Woodlands Waterfront. It has engaged a lot of residents, especially those staying in northern Singapore. It is also linked to Admiralty Park and a 25 km Northern Explorer Park Connector Network.

Woodlands Regional Library, the largest neighbourhood library in Singapore at the time of its launch, is operated by the National Library Board. The four-storey public library caters to all ages and is organised according to themes of general, reference, teens, and children.

Causeway Point, one of the largest shopping malls in Singapore, houses 250 shops and various outlets. Woodlands Civic Centre is a designated centre of education, public services, and other forms of assistance for residents. The centre houses the Woodlands Regional Library, several banks, CPF Woodlands Branch, and numerous merchandise and educational institutions.

Sports are an emerging emphasis in the Singaporean society. Recreational facilities can be easily located around the estates and especially in parks: The multi-purpose stadium, the Woodlands Stadium, and Woodlands Swimming Complex are common places for sport-goers.

Experimental styles of architecture have found their way into Woodlands, making the town a place of wonder and color, with much integration with recreation. From the early practical designs to its modern-day luxurious manifestation, housing apartment blocks are no longer as plain as they sound; with the garnish of parks, communal gardens and décors, these blocks are pieces of art and style themselves. The centrepiece of the town, Woodlands Square, attracts a constant flow of travellers and shoppers daily. Tireless planning and redevelopment keeps the town modernised.

Education
Educational institutions are evenly distributed throughout the estate. From newly founded schools to well-established ones, Woodlands has several top educational institutions in the northern region. Schools in Woodlands are allocated into the N5 and the N7 clusters.

Singapore's first sports school, Singapore Sports School, is an independent boarding school with some of the finest sports facilities. Singapore's fifth polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, is situated in the north of Woodlands. Innova Junior College, a new junior college in Singapore, is situated at the south of Woodlands.

Schools
International school

• Singapore American School

Primary schools

 * Admiralty Primary School
 * Evergreen Primary School
 * Fuchun Primary School
 * Greenwood Primary School
 * Innova Primary School
 * Marsiling Primary School
 * Qihua Primary School
 * Riverside Primary School
 * Si Ling Primary School
 * Woodgrove Primary School
 * Woodlands Primary School
 * Woodlands Ring Primary School

Secondary schools

 * Admiralty Secondary School
 * Christ Church Secondary School
 * Evergreen Secondary School
 * Fuchun Secondary School
 * Marsiling Secondary School
 * Riverside Secondary School
 * Si Ling Secondary School (merging with Marsiling Secondary School in 2017)
 * Singapore Sports School
 * Spectra Secondary School
 * Woodgrove Secondary School
 * Woodlands Secondary School
 * Woodlands Ring Secondary School

Tertiary institutes

 * Republic Polytechnic
 * Innova Junior College

Special schools

 * MINDS - Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore

Places of worship
Woodlands has 6 churches and 2 mosques and 1 temple.

Churches: Mosques: Temple:
 * Woodlands Carepoint Methodist Church
 * Woodlands Evangelical Free Church
 * Covenant Evangelical Free Church
 * New Life Bible Presbyterian Church
 * Church of Saint Anthony
 * Lighthouse Evangelism Church
 * An-Nur Mosque
 * Yusof Ishak Mosque
 * Siva Krishnan Temple

Accessibility
Woodlands is highly accessible, connected by major roads and expressways, with a relatively large underground bus interchange, the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange and an elevated MRT station next to Causeway Point at Woodlands Square. Most of the bus routes are operated by SMRT Buses, while SMRT Trains operates the MRT stations.

Train
Residents of Woodlands are serviced by the three MRT stations, at the centre of the suburb, Woodlands MRT Station; north of the suburb, Marsiling MRT Station and Southeast of the suburb, Admiralty MRT Station. The regional bus interchange was relocated from the previous Town Centre, Woodlands Town Centre, to the current town centre at Woodlands Square.

Access to Woodlands will be made easier through the introduction of the 30-km long Thomson Line over 2019-2021, which will create 2 additional stations in Woodlands, namely Woodlands North and Woodlands South. The first 3 stations- Woodlands North, Woodlands, and Woodlands South will be completed by 2019. This will facilitate more convenient transportation within Woodlands itself.

Roads
Land transportation in Woodlands is relatively efficient, in comparison to other estates, contrasting by the amount of well-maintained roads, though a common sight in Singapore. Twelve avenues support and help circulate all of the traffic of the town, especially the notable ones, such as Avenue 2, Avenue 3 and Avenue 7, which come from the expressways.

Avenue 2 is a shorter route from the older estates of the town to the Seletar Expressway. Avenue 3 connects Marsiling from the exit of Bukit Timah Expressway to Woodlands Centre Road, which leads to Woodlands Checkpoint. The rest of it maintains a similar route of the MRT line from Marsiling MRT Station to Woodlands MRT Station, which connects to Woodlands Square. As the avenue ends at the entrance of the slope of Woodlands Square (the road that circulates Woodlands Square), another end starts at Woodlands Avenue 7, which connects Woodlands to Admiralty, also the route of the MRT line from Woodlands MRT Station to Admiralty MRT Station.

Divisions within estates are further connected and regulated by two- or single lane roads called streets, which are distinguished by a suffix of double-digit numbers, such as Woodlands Street 82 and Woodlands Street 83. This was a common practice before the late '90s. Drives are two- or single lane roads built for newer divisions within an estate, similar to that of the streets.

Links and Crescents are often three-, two-, or single lane roads that convey commuters from a main road to another main road, such as the Woodlands Link, which connects Woodlands Avenue 9 to the main roads in the Woodlands Industrial Park. Crescents connect main roads to streets or drives.

Future plans
According to the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority and its Master Plan for the North Region of Singapore, Woodlands Regional Centre is set to come into its own as the Northern Gateway to Singapore with the future cross-border rail link to Malaysia. Featuring some 700,000m² of new commercial space and more than 100ha of developable land, the growth of the Woodlands Regional Centre will anchor the development of the North Coast Innovation Corridor. More commercial and shopping options will progressively be made available in the Woodlands Central, with a future pedestrian mall running through the heart of the district. As a significant employment cluster, the Woodlands North Coast will bring jobs and commercial opportunities closer to home for residents of the North Region.