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Observations were made at 5 stations along the SMRT East-West line on one

day: Joo Koon, Redhill, City Hall, Kallang and Pasir Ris. Observations were also

made at other stations on and off the train.

From Pasir Ris to Joo Koon, land use changed from residential to commercial

to industrial. The outskirts, towards Pasir Ris and Joo Koon, were generally less

developed than land located centrally (figs. 1 and 2). Land use was most intensive in

the central area, as it is the most accessible and therefore suitable for business.

The use and characteristics of most buildings around the MRT station, the

density of the buildings and the location of the MRT station relative to its

surroundings was used to evaluate land use.

The East (from Pasir Ris to Kallang) is mostly used residentially and

commercially. Areas from Pasir Ris to Kembangan contained densely built landed

properties, suggesting the income of the residents is higher than those in the areas

from Eunos to Kallang, which contained mostly HDB flats around 10 stories high (fig.

3), indicating that it has been used residentially for a long time, as older HDB flats

tend to be shorter.

The central area (City Hall and environs) is densely built up and is mostly

used commercially. For example, just outside the MRT station, there were the

Citylink and Raffles City malls (fig. 4). Land use was most intensive here; only MRT

stations here were built underground.

The West (from Redhill to Joo Koon) is less built up, though places such as

Jurong East contained shopping centres (e.g. IMM, fig. 5); areas as far West as

Pioneer still contained commercial and residential buildings, possibly due toSingapore's land scarcity, requiring the government to maximize residential land use

to accommodate Singapore's population.

The land beyond Pioneer is mostly used industrially, evident from the

equipment and buildings seen en route to Joo Koon (fig 6). This may have a

historical basis, since Jurong was originally swampland; land was reclaimed solely to

develop industry infrastructure.

Land use in all areas maximised accessibility. Most MRT stations had means

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of accessing other forms of public transport. For example, even in the least built-up

area, Joo Koon, there was a taxi stand, making island-wide transport more

accessible (fig. 8). Accessibility was optimised through having bus stops or 

interchanges and placing the station on two or more lines (e.g. City Hall).

Land use in many areas was determined by history. For example, Stamford

Road, where City Hall MRT station is, was originally a shopping hub; the area is still

used commercially. However, this is not always true. At Kallang MRT station, there

were residential buildings and small shops. Yet, Kallang was probably initially an

industry hub, as the name 'Kallang' could be a corruption of the Malay word for  ‘mill’;

there used to be rice and saw mills in the area. As secondary industries became less

important, residential buildings replaced these mills.

Singapore's level of development 

Generally, Singapore is well developed. Most land is optimized for a

specialized use (e.g. manufacturing). Isolated parcels of land remain undeveloped,

although construction works are carried out island-wide, optimizing land use and

keeping Singapore’s level of development high by improving the people’s standard of 

living (fig. 9).

Singapore’s land is generally well utilised. Most buildings were high-rise,

ensuring every parcel of land is optimally used, contributing to Singapore’s

development.

Conclusion

Land use changes with time, but always aims to use the available land

optimally, optimizing Singapore’s potential for development. Land use, although

planned by the government, may evolve organically according to the needs of thepeople.

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