Analysis of Singapore’s HDB Towns Neighbourhood Centres System from a Holistic Spatial Perspective and Its Enlightenment
Abstract：
Studying community service facilities, particularly the planning, construction and operation of neighbourhood centres, along with corresponding improvement strategies holds significant importance for promoting high-quality urban development. Singapore’s HDB towns, spanning over six decades, have gained global recognition for its meticulous planning and efficient implementation. Resident satisfaction with service facilities remains consistently high. The planning and implementation approaches of its community service facilities, especially the neighbourhood centre system, warrants thorough investigation. This paper examines three characteristic cases, each drawn from a distinct generation of Singapore’s HDB town neighbourhood centres system development. By collecting data on community service facilities across towns and applying spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran’s I), it reveals the actual spatial patterns of the neighbourhood centres system and their alignment with planned hierarchical centres. The study finds that Singapore’s neighbourhood centres system planning offers robust yet flexible support for the spatial provision of service facilities, manifested in three key aspects: the smart and pragmatic land use planning for neighbourhood centres, the flexible land use regulations, and differentiation and adaptability of centres system due to continuous adjustment. Finally, three suggestions for the planning of community centres in China’s new urban areas are put forward: implementing refined land use planning and management for planned centres, enhancing land supply elasticity and use compatibility hosting community service facilities, continuously optimizing the community life circle network through detailed planning adjustment.