Sengkang

Sengkang, estate located within the North-East Region. Sengkang derived its name from a road called Lorong Sengkang, off Lorong Buangkok.

Description
With seven sub-zones and a total area of approximately 1,055 ha, the estate is bounded by Tampines Expressway to the north, Central Expressway to the west, Yio Chu Kang Road and its extension to the south, and a major arterial road to the east. Sengkang is a development of HDB high-rise apartments and private housing with all the necessary amenities, and areas for industrial use.

The town was built over an earlier village named Kangkar, a fishing village which had its own jetty. This heritage is retained in the design of the town which has the theme "Town of the Seafarer". Rubber, pepper and vegetable plantations had flourished in the quaint area in the old days. Existing rivers, such as Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon provide scenic views to the area. The Tampines and Central Expressways provide key road linkages.

Today's landmarks are the Sengkang Town Centre, Sengkang MRT Station and Buangkok MRT Station, part of North-East MRT Line. There is also a comprehensive Light Rapid Transit (LRT) which makes Sengkang the first LRT town where the rail system is planned together with the town design right from the start.

Variant Names
Chinese names: Sengkang means "prosperous harbour" in Chinese. Also Kangkar or GangJiao meaning "foot of the port" since it once was the location of a fishing port found along Sungei Serangoon.



Author
Vernon Cornelius



References
Urban Redevelopment Authority. (1997). Sengkang planning area: Planning report 1997 (pp. 4, 6, 8, 26). Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 711.4095957 SIN) 

Raymond, J. (2000, February 8). Sengkang takes shape. The Straits Times, Home, p. 28.



The information in this article is valid as at 1999 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
Geography>>Population>>Urban planning
Suburbs--Singapore
Urbanization--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings
People and communities>>Social groups and communities



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