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reporter2
13-09-16, 19:57
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/new-hdb-town-heavy-on-greenery-light-on-cars

New Tengah HDB town heavy on greenery, light on cars

http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_pictrure_780x520_/public/articles/2016/09/09/st_20160909_tengah09a_2583373.jpg?itok=TvVvqWMe
An artist's impression of the new HDB town in Tengah.PHOTO: HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Sep 9, 2016

Tengah to have forest corridor and car-free town centre; first flats to be launched in 2018

Janice Heng


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvrAjKkRBLg

A new Housing Board town the size of Bishan will be built in the west, with green features to suit its forested setting. These include Singapore's first car-free town centre and a 5km "forest corridor" with hiking trails.

The first new town to be developed since Punggol two decades ago, Tengah's development will be in line with the Government's push to be green and sustainable.

A forest fringe will run around the 700ha town. And a 100m-wide, 5km-long forest corridor will link Tengah to the surrounding green network between the western and central catchment areas.

"As we build this new town, we will integrate the developments with the surrounding ecosystem, and we will retain much of the existing natural landscape, so residents in Tengah will be able to experience the feeling of being at home with nature," said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong last night in announcing the Tengah master- plan at the HDB Awards dinner.

Located between Jurong East to the south, Choa Chu Kang to the north and Bukit Batok to the east, the Tengah area today is largely forest and scrubland.

But it will eventually contain 42,000 new homes: 30,000 units of public housing and 12,000 of private housing. The first public flats there will be launched in 2018.

Greenery will be woven through the town, from a large central park to "community farmways" that run through housing estates with gardens, play areas and farms.

As part of Singapore's car-lite efforts, all roads there will get dedicated walking and cycling paths. A car- free town centre will be set in parkland with traffic running beneath.

Said HDB chief executive Cheong Koon Hean: "Tengah marks a step for us to develop towns that are greener, more eco-friendly and sustainable, and with a smart element."

One consideration for future residents is that the town is close to the existing Tengah military airbase.

Responding to queries, HDB said Tengah will comply with planning guidelines "which also take into consideration possible surrounding noise sources and the permissible noise level". Blocks will generally go up to 14 to 15 storeys in height.

Tengah is just one part of the west's transformation. Upcoming Jurong Lake District, touted as the second Central Business District, lies to the south of Tengah. The town's western industrial area is also part of the Jurong Innovation District.

Tengah plans will be exhibited at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh from today until Sept 25, from 9am to 8pm. Members of the public are invited to visit and give their feedback.


* Set in a park, the ''car-free'', pedestrian-friendly town centre will have traffic running underneath instead.

* A 100m-wide, 5km-long Forest Corridor will run through the town, with hiking trails for residents to enjoy the greenery.

* At the heart of Tengah will be a 20ha Central Park, with an existing concrete canal turned into a ''forest stream''.

* Wide green stretches called ''community farmways'' will link housing districts with play areas, community gardens and farms.

* All roads in Tengah will have dedicated walking and cycling paths on both sides.

* Tengah will be the first fully ''smart'' HDB town. Smart technologies piloted elsewhere - from utilities monitoring to environmental sensors - will be rolled out on a townwide scale.

reporter2
13-09-16, 20:11
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/new-hdb-town-in-tengah-to-be-forest-town

New HDB town in Tengah to be 'forest town'

By Renald Yeo

[email protected]

Sep 9, 2016


THE first public housing estate to be developed in two decades, Tengah, will be markedly different from existing estates.

It will feature a car-free town centre; its lush greenery and community farms will also set it apart from other Housing & Development Board (HDB) towns.

To be located in the west, near Jurong East, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok, Tengah will be about the size of Bishan, at about 700 ha. It is expected to have 30,000 public-housing units and 12,000 private ones when completed.

Its masterplan was unveiled by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong at the HDB Awards Ceremony on Thursday.

He said: "As we build this new town, we will integrate the developments with the surrounding ecosystem, and we will retain much of the existing natural landscape."

Tengah will be made up of five districts - named Plantation, Garden, Forest Hill, Brickland and Park.

The first lot of flats will be made available in Plantation from 2018.

It will not be called "forest town" for nothing. It will have a 100 m wide and 5 km long verdant corridor, which will be part of a larger network of greenery that connects the Western Catchment Area and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The forest corridor will be made up of existing secondary forest species; more native rainforest species will also be planted to turn the area into a lush forest habitat.

Spaces for community gardening and urban farming will be introduced in Tengah. These spaces will take the form of linear farmways, which will traverse several housing districts within the town and provide opportunities for social interaction among the residents interested in hobby farming and gardening.

Tengah will also support Singapore's drive to go "car-lite", in that it will have dedicated walking and cycling paths on both sides of the roads.

The HDB estate's car-free town centre will be achieved by running the roads beneath the town centre, thus freeing up spaces at ground level.

Mr Wong said the masterplan for Tengah is part of the ongoing effort to transform Singapore's west.

The upcoming Jurong Lake District, dubbed Singapore's second central business district - it will house the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail terminus - lies just south of Tengah.

The new town's western industrial area also lies within the Jurong Innovation District.