The Central Area comprises the core financial and commercial districts in Singapore, comprising of eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Part of the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore, it includes high value land intensely regulated by the URA's urban planning initiatives. It approximately equates to the area which may be referred to as the city despite Singapore being a city in itself. A major landmark of the Central Area is the Singapore River, which originates, then flows directly through it, eventually emptying into what is currently Marina Bay. Historically, it emptied into the Singapore Straits, with the river mouth being the main site of maritime activity for the fledging colony. The commercial areas which subsequently developed on the south banks of the river became the central business district for post-independent Singapore, also commonly known as the Golden Shoe due to the shoe-shaped district boundary. The commercial activity has since spilled over to surrounding areas, however, which the URA then grouped together collectively as a single planning unit it calls the Central Area.
Description
Before independence, the central business district in the Central Area consisted of what is now the Downtown Core, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, and the Singapore River planning areas. These included areas such as Dhoby Ghaut and Raffles Place. These planning areas were themselves designated and set apart only recently. Each of these districts have a heavy and dense commercial presence, especially in the Downtown Core, Orchard and Singapore River planning areas. Rochor, Newton, River Valley and Outram are commercially thriving, but have less skyscrapers and generally include a more substantial residential presence. Schools, condominiums and Housing Development Board apartments may be located in these areas, albeit at a high price. The Government of Singapore and the Urban Redevelopment Authority have expanded the Central Area from the 1970s to the present by land reclamation of portions of Marina Bay. Newly created portions of land surrounding Marina Bay have been organised and labelled into Marina East, Marina South, Straits View, with their own separate plans. The development of the reclaimed land surrounding Marina Bay, such as the construction of infrastructure, was similar to that of Jurong and Jurong Island, with the exception to use the land for commercial purposes. Many construction projects have been completed on the reclaimed lands since their creation, but much of it is still under consolidation or development. The area tends to be more densely packed than other parts of Singapore, and a great number of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations tend to be concentrated in this area, especially interchange stations and stations along the Circle MRT Line.
