Singapore's Planning Areas: The "Cities" Within a City-State

Singapore is a unitary city-state — it has no subordinate cities. However, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) divides it into 55 planning areas grouped into 5 regions for census, planning, and administration.

Five Regions & Key Planning Areas

Central Region (Core)

• Downtown Core (CBD, Marina Bay, Civic District)
• Orchard, River Valley, Museum, Newton, Tanglin, Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Bukit Timah, Toa Payoh, Bishan, Kallang, Geylang, Marine Parade

North Region

• Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Mandai, Simpang, Central Water Catchment

North-East Region

• Hougang, Sengkang, Punggol, Seletar, Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio, Seletar Aerospace

East Region

• Tampines, Bedok, Pasir Ris, Changi, Changi Bay, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong

West Region

• Jurong West, Jurong East, Boon Lay, Pioneer, Tuas, Western Water Catchment, Tengah, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Clementi

Why "Cities" Is Misleading

• No separate municipal governments — single-tier governance (Town Councils manage estates, not sovereignty)
• Planning areas = statistical/planning units, not political entities
• High-density, contiguous urban fabric — no rural/urban divide

New Towns (HDB Estates)

What people often mean by "cities" are HDB New Towns — self-contained satellite towns with housing, malls, MRT, schools, clinics:

• Queenstown (1st, 1957), Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Clementi, Woodlands, Tampines, Jurong West, Sengkang, Punggol (newest)
• Each 100,000–250,000 residents

For addresses, use 6-digit postal code (unique to building/block) — not planning area name.