Hougang is an urban planning area and a suburb in the north-eastern area of the city-state of Singapore. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the area is part of the North-East Region, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang in the north and Serangoon to its south. Development started approximately around the 1980s. Most of Hougang is residential and encompasses the main Housing and Development Board’s housing estate of Hougang New Town.
Hougang is the pinyin version of Aū-káng, a Hokkien and Teochew name meaning “river end”. In the past, the name connoted the area stretching from the fifth milestone junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Serangoon Road to the seventh milestone confluence of Upper Serangoon Road and Tampines Road.The area was once a large piece of forested land. Farming of pigs was also carried out by farmers. The last of these pig farmers were relocated by the mid-1990s to HDB flats built in Hougang. Today, it is an HDB new town with over 40,000 housing units interspersed with pockets of private residential areas.At Hougang Street 21, there was a well that is still identified as the tua jia ka well structure. This well identified the Teochew village of tua jia ka which means the “foot of a big well”. In the past, the village was a popular place for food, street wayangs, itinerant Chinese medicine men and story tellers spinning yarns.
Amenities
Hougang is regarded as part of the “heartland” of Singapore, a significant distance away from the Central Area. Most of its commercial activity is centred on a few shopping centres such as Hougang Mall, Hougang Plaza, Kang Kar Mall, Heartland Mall and Hougang Festival Market.Similar to most other residential towns in Singapore, Hougang was designed to be a partially self-sufficient with enough amenities to minimise residents commuting to the Central Area. Facilities include a sports stadium where the S.League plays, an aquatics centre, an indoor sports complex, a number of parks such as Punggol Park, along with many wet markets and hawker centres. One of the more prominent landmarks in Hougang is the Buangkok Green Medical Park, which houses several medical facilities including the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Singapore Leprosy Relief Association (SILRA). Hougang is served by two MRT stations: Hougang MRT Station which is located beside the bus interchange and Hougang Mall; and Kovan MRT Station which is beside Heartland Mall. Residents in Buangkok bordering Sengkang have the option of using Buangkok MRT Station as well.
Hougang Central Bus Interchange
The Hougang Central Bus Interchange serves Hougang Town with a range of bus services going to other parts of the island. It is located in Hougang Central, near Hougang Mall and it has an underground link to Hougang MRT Station.
The services departing from Hougang Central Bus Interchange and their destinations are listed as follows:
Bukit Merah – 132 & 153
Buona Vista – 74 & 74e
Singapore Changi Airport PTB 1, 2 & 3 – 27
Singapore Changi Airport Cargo Complex – 89 & 89e
Clementi – 147 & 165Kovan (Hougang South) – 112 & 113 (Loop Service)
Jurong East – 51Kent Ridge – 151 & 151e
Marina Centre – 107MShenton Way – 107
Woodlands – 161A feeder service is also available, linking residents to the town centre.
Majority Of Hougang Except Hougang South – Service 325 (Loop Service)
Hougang South Bus Interchange was closed (Since 15 Feb 2004) when the authorities acquired it for other developments.It was situated next to the Kovan food centre/Wet Market, near Heartland Mall.
Bus services operating from there included:
Jurong East – 51
Geylang Lor 1 – 62 (Now From Punggol To Geylang Lor 1 [Loop])
Bukit Merah – 132
Kent Ridge – 151Feeder Services 321, 322, 326, 327 & 328 (Merged To Service 101
From Serangoon To Buangkok Link [Loop])
The old bus interchange is now a public carpark and private bus terminal for express buses.
4 bus services currently serve the bus stop there (Kovan Hub):
Hougang Ave 3 (Loop) – 115
Hougang Central – 112 & 113
Sengkang – 119
Schools
Private Universities
University of New Brunswick (Singapore College)
Junior Colleges
Serangoon Junior College
Secondary Schools
Bowen Secondary School
Holy Innocents’ High School
Hougang Secondary School
Montfort Secondary School
Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)
Serangoon Secondary School
Xinmin Secondary School
Yuying Secondary School
Primary Schools
CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity (formerly known as CHIJ Punggol)
Holy Innocents’ Primary School
Hougang Primary Schoo
lMontfort Junior School
Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Primary)
Punggol Primary School
Xinghua Primary School
Xinmin Primary School
Yio Chu Kang Primary School
Condominiums
Evergreen Park Condominium
The Florida
Hougang Green
Central Place
Central View
Minton Rise
Regentville
Rio Vista Condominium
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