Why is tobial ship like a circle? Most areas in Singapore look like this. All this. But Topayo actually looks like this. To find out why we need to go all the way back to the 1960s, before Topia was built.
Toa Payoh, which means big swamp in Hokkien and Malay, used to be a huge stretch of swampy farmland that was used to real pigs. Most of the land was leased out by the government for temporary use after World War 2, and many of the villagers rented the land for $2 a month to live in zinc roof all adult houses. But the post war housing shortage was becoming a national crisis. So in the late 1960s, Toa Payoh was bought.
In 1960, the first year of a housing board, the first five year plan was drawn up calling for the building of 51,031 housing units by the end of 1965, a house every 45 minutes. Seven community and holiday centers were opened at places all over the island, and many more are on the way. A better life for rural people, more jobs, the new industries and skilled workers. Singapore has the highest building rate in the whole of Asia. So the people were very proud to show the royal party this fine new housing estate.
Toa Payoh became the first satellite town designed entirely by HDB. A satellite town is basically a self sufficient housing estate located outside the city center with its own amenities, schools, shops, markets, cinemas and places of worship. According to the town planner himself, the neighborhood must have a neighborhood center where you have your market, your convenience shops and everything else. And then the town center would be designed to cater for the whole town.
This is how the new Singapore will look. Multi story blocks of apartment houses, commercial houses, restaurants, hotels, theaters, shopping centers and markets.
The unique circular road layout was designed to make traffic flows smoothly throughout the town and also to keep traffic away. This means that there’s no direct route through the neighborhood. This prevents traffic from other parts of the island from flowing through. As a result, there’s less congestion, making the roads quieter and less busy.
The ring design also makes it easy to get around. Going from point to point in Topayo typically only requires 15 minutes or less, and these smaller roads within the circle make it really convenient to go from location to location. For example, Dragon Playground to eat old school curry rice, 13 minutes by bus. Then for dessert, let’s say to Creamier for ice cream, just 11 minutes away. After all their food, it’s time you go to the gym at Toa Payoh Central to burn off my free scoops of ice cream, 12 minutes away by bus.
Since then, town planning in Singapore has evolved past this ring shaped design. Nowadays, this is a lot more common. First up, Tenga. It’s all about greats here, like a giant game of TikTok. Next, Marina Bay. Yep, you guessed it, more grades. It’s like they’re everywhere. Oh, look, it’s Pongo. Surprise, more grades.
So why grids? Firstly, grids make it easier for traffic to flow in a city. With a grid plan, there are many ways to get to a specific place. This helps traffic flow better because drivers can avoid busy roads and still reach where they need to go. If you do a bit of simple math, in a grid layout of 3 blocks by three blocks, there are 20 possible ways to get from point a to point B in a temp block by Tem block grid. There are 184,007 hundred and fifty six ways to get from point a to point B. Great roads also mean fewer detours, so drivers are always getting closer to where they want to be. Also, you’ll never get lost because if you’re like me and have no sense of direction, following instructions like left, then right, then left is a lot easier. And if you miss one turn, no worries, you can still turn at the next intersection and make your way back. Grades also make it easy to organise the neighbourhood, especially as you plan for a growing population. With a grid layout, it’s simpler to allocate spaces for amenities such as schools, parks, shopping centers and public transportation hubs. As an architect.
Planner, I plan and build many of the towns that you live in. The smart town really functions like the human body. We have greenery and pubs like our lungs that help to cleanse the air. We have all the roads, just like the veins and arteries in our bodies that move the traffic, the people and the.
Goods. By organizing the space efficiently, you can achieve more with fewer resources. That’s why newer towns like Pungo and Tenga are structured in.
Bits. When we did the first cut of Pungo Eco Town, this was the pattern of the wind flow. And then we adjusted the buildings, we moved the paths around, and then you find that the wind flows.
Improve. What actually defines your neighborhood. For me, if my bus starts going in circles, I know I’m definitely in Toa Payoh. 13 minutes by bus, 13 minutes by bus, 13 minutes by bus, 13 minutes by bus. Just 12 minutes by bus. 12 minutes away by bus. Just 11 minutes away. Just 11 minutes away. Just 11 minutes away. Just 11 minutes away. It’s just 11 minutes away. Why did you drag it now? Right.