Kallang
Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the north, Geylang in the east, Marine Parade in the southeast, Marina East in the south, the Downtown Core in the southwest, Rochor, Newton in the west, and Novena in the northwest.
Throughout its history, Kallang was home to several national landmarks, some of which were built along the banks of the Kallang Basin, including the old National Stadium as well as the country's first purpose-built civil airport, the Kallang Airport. The famous Kallang Roar and Kallang Wave have roots traced to the former National Stadium, which hosted 18 National Day Parades, as well as numerous notable cultural and sporting events. As such, Kallang played a pivotal role in Singapore's aviation and sporting histories.
Today, Kallang is best known as the location of the Singapore Sports Hub, which is home to the new National Stadium and the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The new National Stadium hosted the National Day Parade in 2016, while the Singapore Indoor Stadium frequently hosts concerts and performances.
Etymology
The area of what is now Kallang first appeared in an 1830 survey map of Singapore as "Kilang". By 1838, the place name was spelled as "Kelang". The modern-day "Kallang" is in use since 1842, even though the alternative spelling "Kalang" is also utilised in some instances.The Chinese and Tamil names for Kallang are "加冷" and "காலாங்" respectively. Both are direct transliterations of the English/Malay name. The Chinese word "加冷" is generally based on Cantonese transliteration of the word "Kallang". Kallang was also nicknamed "火城" by the Chinese community because it was the site of the Kallang Gasworks.
Geography
Location
Situated towards the southeastern shore of Pulau Ujong, the perimeter of Kallang Planning Area is made up of Toa Payoh in the north, Geylang in the east, Marine Parade in the southeast, Marina East in the south, the Downtown Core in the southwest, Rochor and Newton in the west, as well as Novena in the northwest. Starting from the north in an anti-clockwise direction, the boundaries of Kallang Planning Area are marked by the Pan Island Expressway, Central Expressway, Bukit Timah Road, Tekka Lane, Northumberland Road, Gloucester Road, Race Course Road, Rangoon Road, Serangoon Road, Syed Alwi Road, Jalan Sultan, Beach Road, Ophir Road, East Coast Parkway, Fort Road, Mountbatten Road, and Sims Way. Kallang Planning Area is part of the Central Region of Singapore.Although by definition a single "planning area" according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Kallang/Whampoa New Town as per the Housing and Development Board also includes the estate of Whampoa, located within Balestier subzone of the adjacent Novena Planning Area. Kallang/Whampoa is the only HDB town that spans across two separate planning areas.
Statistics
Occupying an area of 9.17 square kilometres, Kallang Planning Area is ranked 32nd among the 55 planning areas in terms of total area, ahead of Bukit Panjang Planning Area and behind Punggol Planning Area. It is ranked 18th in terms of population size, ahead of Queenstown Planning Area and behind Punggol Planning Area.With an area of 7.99 square kilometres, Kallang/Whampoa New Town is ranked 9th among the 23 new towns in terms of total area, ahead of Bukit Batok New Town and behind Bukit Merah New Town.
Subdivisions
Kallang Planning Area consists of nine "subzones", as officially established by the Urban Redevelopment Authority for urban planning purpose.| Subzone | Location | Notable places | Accessibility |
| Bendemeer | Northern Kallang; areas along Serangoon Road, Bendemeer Road, Saint George's Road and Saint Michael's Road | Boon Keng MRT station, Hong Wen School, Bendemeer Primary School, Bendemeer Secondary School, Northlight School, Kallang Community Club, Towner Post Office, Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist Temple, Central Sikh Temple, Tong Tek Buddhist Temple, Bendemeer Shopping Mall, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, Saint Wilfred Field, Saint Wilfred Squash Centre, Saint Wilfred Tennis Centre, Kallang Polyclinic, National Aerated Water Company Factory | Boon Keng MRT station and buses |
| Geylang Bahru | Estates along Geylang Bahru | Geylang Bahru MRT station, Kallang Basin Swimming Complex, Kallang Distripark, Ministry of Manpower Services Centre, Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board office, Kolam Ayer Community Club | Geylang Bahru MRT station and buses |
| Kampong Bugis | Areas surrounding the mouth of the Kallang River | Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal, Kallang Riverside Park, the conserved Kallang Airport complex, Merdeka Bridge, Tai Pei Buddhist Centre, Sri Manmatha Karuneshvarar Temple, Kallang Gasworks, Gay World Amusement Park, Geylang Indoor Stadium | Buses |
| Tanjong Rhu | Southern Kallang; Singapore Sports Hub and areas along Tanjong Rhu Road | Stadium MRT station, Mountbatten MRT station, Dunman High School, Singapore Swimming Club, Singapore Sports Hub, Sport Singapore headquarters, Kallang Theatre, Leisure Park Kallang, Kallang Track, Kallang Tennis Centre, Kallang Field, Kallang Ground, Kallang Netball Centre, Kallang Squash Centre, Kallang Sea Training Centre, Kallang Water Sports Centre, Benjamin Sheares Bridge, Mountbatten Fire Post, PAssion WaVe @ Marina Bay, Katong Community Centre, the former National Stadium, Kallang Airport, Kallang Park, Kallang Camp, Kallang Football Hub, Tanjong Rhu MRT station, Katong Park MRT station | Stadium MRT station, Mountbatten MRT station and buses |
| Kallang Bahru | Areas around Kallang Bahru, Kallang Avenue and Kallang Place | Bendemeer MRT station, Singapore Post Kallang Delivery Base, Aperia Mall, Victoria Wholesale Centre | Bendemeer MRT station and buses |
| Crawford | Areas on the western bank of Kallang Basin | Nicoll Highway MRT station, Kallang Riverside Park, Golden Mile Complex, Kampong Glam Community Club, Kampong Glam Neighbourhood Police Post, Kampong Glam Park, Crawford Post Office, Marina Promenade, Gardens by the Bay , St John Headquarters, The Concourse, The Plaza, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Masjid Hajjah Fatimah, Water Venture | Nicoll Highway MRT station and buses |
| Lavender | Areas west of Lavender Street; surrounding areas at the northern stretch of Jalan Besar | Lavender MRT station, Farrer Park MRT station, City Square Mall, Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar Swimming Complex, Football Association of Singapore, Jalan Besar Community Club, People's Association headquarters, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority Building, North Bridge Road Tua Pek Kong Temple, City Square Post Office, Singapore Indian Development Association, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Mustafa Centre, Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre, New World Amusement Park | Lavender MRT station, Farrer Park MRT station and buses |
| Boon Keng | Estates along Upper Boon Keng Road | Kallang MRT station, Geylang West Community Club, Chwee Kang Beo Temple | Kallang MRT station and buses |
| Kampong Java | Western Kallang; areas around Balestier Road, Rangoon Road, Owen Road, Dorset Road, Tessensohn Road and Cambridge Road | Little India MRT station, Farrer Park MRT station, Land Transport Authority headquarters, Tanglin Police Division headquarters, Kampong Java Neighbourhood Police Centre, Cairnhill Neighbourhood Police Post, Balestier Plain, Singapore Indian Association, Singapore Khalsa Association, Farrer Park Field, Farrer Park Tennis Centre, East Asia School of Theology, APS Swim School, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Farrer Park Primary School, Pek Kio Community Centre, Kampong Java Park | Little India MRT station, Farrer Park MRT station and buses |
It is noteworthy that while the Old Kallang Airport Estate along Old Airport Road and Dakota Crescent is often associated with Kallang for historical reasons, it is officially placed under the subzone of Aljunied, part of the adjacent Geylang Planning Area, for urban planning purpose.
Similarly, the industrial zone bounded by MacPherson Road, Aljunied Road, the Pelton Canal and Pan Island Expressway is part of the Kallang Way subzone. Despite the name of this subzone, it is now part of Geylang. Previously, this area formed part of the now-defunct Kallang mukim.
The subzone of Farrer Park belongs to the adjacent Rochor Planning Area, even though the eponymous open field historically known as "Farrer Park" is located within Kallang.
While the subzones of Little India and Kampong Glam constitute parts of Rochor, many developments often associated with these two areas are located within Kallang, resulting in an "overspill" effect. "Little India" and "Kampong Glam" often refer to their respective cultural districts that are larger than the URA-defined subzones and extend into Kallang.
The subzone of Lorong 8 Toa Payoh was known as "Kallang", possibly due to its location on either side of the Kallang River. The subzone was later renamed to its current name, taken after a nearby road of the same name, and is a constituent part of Toa Payoh Planning Area.
Geology
Kallang sits on the Kallang Formation which consists of soft marine clay, loose alluvial muddy sand, loose beach sand, soft peaty and organic mud, and coral. Aside from the eponymous Kallang, the Kallang Formation is also found in other parts of Singapore, particularly at river valleys, as well as around river mouths and coastal regions.Terrain
The terrain of Kallang is generally flat and low, with elevation no more than 15 metres above sea level.Though not located within Kallang Planning Area, the geographic point of Bukit Kallang is a hill in the Central Water Catchment and has an elevation of 97 metres. Bukit Kallang is situated at the southeastern corner of the Upper Peirce Reservoir, west of the TreeTop Walk suspension bridge, and within the territory of the former Ulu Kallang mukim. The Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir maintained by the Public Utilities Board is within its vicinity, so is the source of the Kallang River, the Lower Peirce Reservoir.