Downtown Core

The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. It is one of the most dense areas in Singapore, even more than other divisions in the Central Area, to the extent that much of it is filled with skyscrapers. As it name implies, it forms the economic core of Singapore, including key districts such as Raffles Place and key administrative buildings such as the Parliament House, the Supreme Court and City Hall as well as numerous commercial buildings and cultural landmarks.

History

The mouth of the Singapore River contained the old harbour for the Port of Singapore, so naturally, the city grew up around it. Even as a fledgling colony, the area which is now known as the Downtown Core was the financial, administrative and commercial centre of the colony. In 1823, Singapore was reorganised according to the Raffles Plan of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles, and specified elements like the "Commercial Square" (now Raffles Place) and the "European Town" as well as various other commercial and administrative entities located between the two areas. This would later become the Downtown Core.

Problems

The main problem is high office and commercial space rents. In 2006 alone, rents approximately tripled for some units. This forced many tenants not to renew their tenancies and to seek less expensive premises outside the Downtown Core. Another serious problem is the lack of parking. This can only be overcome either by increasing parking charges (already regarded by Singaporean motorists as high) or providing more car park lots at new buildings in the area.

References

*cite web |url= http://www.ura.gov.sg/dgp_reports/downtown/main.html|title= Downtown Core Planning Report 1995|accessdate=2007-07-15 |format= |work= Urban Redevelopment Authority

External links

* [http://www.ura.gov.sg/ppd/mp2003/index.jsp?content=central&region=central Draft Master Plan 2003 - Central Region]
* [http://home.pacific.net.sg/~goh.andrew/downtown/downtownspore.html Some snapshots from downtown Singapore]