Facilities serve different areas, so planning connects the residential unit, precinct, neighbourhood and town.
Spatial scale is the size of the area you are studying. A residential unit, or home, sits within a precinct. Several precincts form a neighbourhood, and several neighbourhoods form a town. This arrangement of smaller areas within larger ones is a spatial hierarchy.
Singapore has more than 20 towns with different mixes of homes, facilities, transport and green spaces. A town centre brings together shops and social activities for people from several neighbourhoods. Everyday facilities can sit closer to homes. Facilities used less often, or needing more users to operate, can serve a wider area.
There is no single fixed size for every precinct. Planners consider the site and residents' needs. They also connect the different scales: footpaths and cycling routes link homes to local facilities and public transport, which connects neighbourhoods to town centres and other towns.
Green spaces and habitat connections can be planned alongside these routes. A facility may look close on a map but remain hard to reach. A busy road, stairs or a missing crossing can make the actual journey difficult.
Step by step
Match the facility to its users
Consider how often people need it and how many users it needs to keep operating.
Choose its location
Put daily facilities near homes. Connect facilities serving a wider area to several neighbourhoods.
Check the journey
Look for safe crossings, shade, step-free access and connections between transport services.
Worked example: The nearest facility may not be the most accessible
In a practice plan, a playground is 200 m away across a busy road, while another is 350 m away on a shaded path with a safe crossing. Distance matters, but the actual route and users' needs can make the farther playground more accessible.
Watch out for this
A town is just another word for a neighbourhood.
In this hierarchy, several neighbourhoods form a town. State the level you are discussing so the service area and connections are clear.
Check your understanding
Which plan best connects different spatial scales?
- Putting every service inside every individual home.
- Building a town centre without routes from surrounding neighbourhoods.
- Linking local paths and neighbourhood transport to a town centre.