Snap Insight: NDR 2025 – ‘ulu’ no more, northern Singapore is set to be central in its own way
More than a satellite business district, Woodlands Regional Centre will become a central economic hub in its own right, says Woo Jun Jie of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
An aerial view of the nearly completed Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link which links Woodlands North to Johor Bahru on Aug 5, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas)
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SINGAPORE: It is the morning peak hour, but people crossing green spaces and an open plaza to get to tall office blocks do not look particularly harried. Some stroll over from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate, others stream out from the MRT station – one could think this is a scene out of the city centre or a satellite business district such as Tampines or Jurong East.
But in time to come, this could just as easily be in Woodlands.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 17), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans to transform the northern region of Singapore, from what some call an “ulu” - Malay word for remote - area into vibrant and connected neighbourhoods.
In a global city, there should be no real ulu districts, only differently central districts.
SINGAPORE’S “NORTHERN GATEWAY” FROM MALAYSIA
In particular, Mr Wong highlighted the significant role that Woodlands will play as Singapore’s “northern gateway” from Malaysia.
To support the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, flexible industrial spaces will be developed around the RTS Link station in Woodlands to provide more space for homes and businesses.
The formal signing of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) deal between Mr Wong and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has further reinforced the important role that Woodlands will play as a key node in economic activity between Singapore and Malaysia.
More than simply an industrial or business hub, the Woodlands Regional Centre is expected to become a vibrant district that incorporates homes, amenities and lush green spaces into its urban fabric.
These plans to develop Woodlands as Singapore’s northern economic hub have been some time in the making. They have been announced in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) past master plans, including the last one gazetted in 2019 and the Draft Master Plan 2025 unveiled in June.
FROM “ULU” TO CENTRAL HUBS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT
These plans build on efforts to create more decentralised satellite business districts that bring jobs closer to homes. Districts like Changi Business Hub, Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Tampines Regional Centre were once seen as “ulu” too.
Importantly, each of these hubs has its own specific economic focus. And they have over time established themselves as key nodes of economic activity in their own right.
For instance, the Punggol Digital District is an increasingly attractive base for technology and digital economy players while Changi Business Hub serves the aviation and banking sectors.
Woodlands will have its own signature focus. Aside from the JS-SEZ, Woodlands will also serve as a strategic centre for the Northern Agri-Tech and Food Corridor.
While we typically associate business activity in most cities with one central business district, Singapore’s highly diversified and globalised economy will require a different notion of centrality, with overlapping districts that are central to different sectors and businesses.
From this perspective, it is more than “decentralisation”. Woodlands will not just be a satellite business district but a central economic hub in its own right that complements the many others across Singapore.
Dr Woo Jun Jie is Senior Lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
