Residents in Ang Mo Kio can look forward to a revitalised town centre with new community spaces and enhanced connectivity under the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) plans for the town. A new recreational trail, called the “Garden Loop”, will also improve connectivity between the two town gardens – Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East and Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West – as well as the neighbouring Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Mr Henry Kwek, Adviser to Kebun Baru SMC Grassroots Organisations (GROs) announced these and other rejuvenation plans at the launch of the Ang Mo Kio ROH exhibition today.

Rejuvenating Ang Mo Kio Town

2 In drawing up the rejuvenation plans for Ang Mo Kio, HDB conducted a survey and several Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to understand the improvements that residents hope to see in their town. Many said they appreciated the central location of Ang Mo Kio and its proximity to greenery, and hoped that connectivity between the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre and town gardens could be improved so that everyone could enjoy the greenery in the town. They also asked for more facilities and spaces for community gatherings and activities.

3 Based on these feedback, the ROH proposals for Ang Mo Kio will focus on revitalising the town and neighbourhood centres, injecting new community spaces, and bringing greenery closer to residents. There are also plans to involve residents in co-creating the spaces and activities.

Upgrading Ang Mo Kio’s Town Centre

4 The Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, located at the heart of the town, will undergo a facelift in two phases. The first phase, announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Aug 2022¹, involves upgrading the pedestrian mall with a sheltered canopy to connect the pedestrian mall to AMK Hub, new shaded seating around the pedestrian mall, and more ramps within the Town Centre to make moving around easier for residents. These works, to be carried out by the Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC), will be progressively completed from Q2 2024.


A new arrival canopy provides shaded link to the central pedestrian mall and integrates seamlessly with the covered linkways leading to AMK Hub [Credit: AMKTC]	New shaded seating with greenery to improve walking experience along the pedestrian mall between shops [Credit: AMKTC]

5 HDB will carry out the second phase of the rejuvenation works in the town centre, to further improve the living environment for residents. Slated to complete by 2027, the works include:

A thematic play corridor to add more buzz to the town centre. Designed as a mini road circuit with road markings and play equipment, the play corridor includes spaces for children to have fun, while providing opportunities for residents to gather and chit chat. Cyclists can also stop for a rest along the play corridor as they ride through Ang Mo Kio and its many parks.

A new traffic-themed play space will also serve as a rest stop for cyclists [Credit: HDB]

The open area beside Broadway Plaza will be developed as a community space. Play elements such as intergenerational facilities and activities will further encourage interaction and bonding among residents.

New shop spaces will also be developed, bringing new trades and fresh retail experiences to residents and visitors of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre. These will complement existing commercial facilities within the vicinity and add to the extensive range of retail offerings available within the town centre.

Connecting Ang Mo Kio’s green spaces

6 Ang Mo Kio is home to several parks, including the Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East and Town Garden West, and the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park managed by the National Parks Board (NParks). As part of efforts to bring nature closer to the community and transform Ang Mo Kio into a walking and cycling town, HDB, together with various agencies, has planned the following enhancements:

A new recreational trail, called the “Garden Loop” will be introduced to connect both the town gardens and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park to the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre. The new trail will come with pocket parks and fitness corners, offering spaces for residents to walk, run, or cycle seamlessly from the town centre to the gardens and parks in Ang Mo Kio.

NParks also plans to enhance the Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West. Besides the newly opened dog run, residents can look forward to a new therapeutic garden with a wider variety of plants, while for children, a new Nature Play garden will be added to encourage outdoor play. Residents will also be able to rest and relax at a lily pond to be recreated at the base of the hill, complete with resting areas.

To connect Ang Mo Kio to neighbouring Bishan, a new linear park will be designed along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 from Yio Chu Kang MRT station to Bishan Road. This will be complemented by a network of nature ways which is progressively being implemented to intensify the greenery in the town. Multi-tiered plantings that mimic the natural structure of forests will be introduced along roadsides to encourage ecological connectivity and bring nature closer to people. Gateways will also be enhanced using specially selected colours that relate to the area’s history and heritage to create a welcoming entrance and attract more biodiversity.

Multi-tiered planting and red hues along Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 [Credit: LTA]

Improving connectivity in Ang Mo Kio

7 Throughout Ang Mo Kio town, residents can look forward to a better overall Walk-Cycle-Ride (WCR) experience, with the upcoming Cross Island Line (CRL) and the North-South Corridor (NSC) along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6.

8 Construction work for the CRL has begun, and when completed, residents will be served by both the new Ang Mo Kio Interchange and new underground Teck Ghee Station on the CRL. This will improve access and shorten travel time to other parts of Singapore.

9 The upcoming NSC, which will also run along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, will comprise almost 9km of viaduct and some 12km of underground road tunnels, linking the northern region of Singapore to the city. With more vehicular traffic diverted to the NSC viaduct and tunnel, surface streets along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 can be repurposed for greener connectivity including provision of bus lanes, cycling trunk routes, pedestrian paths, as well as more communal and green spaces. More information on the CRL and NSC can be found in Annex A.

Creating more senior-friendly neighbourhoods

10 With four out of ten Ang Mo Kio residents aged 60 and older, the ROH plans also seek to promote active ageing and enable senior residents to move around their estates with greater ease and safety.

11 Within the neighbourhoods, therapeutic gardens, fitness trails/corners, and exercise equipment will be designed to promote active lifestyles and social interaction. In addition, mobility enhancements such as barrier-free ramps will be added to enhance safety and improve accessibility, allowing senior residents to move with ease around their estate.

More barrier-free ramps in Ang Mo Kio neighbourhoods [Credit: HDB]

Friendly Streets Pilot along Ang Mo Kio St 31

12 Along Ang Mo Kio Street 31, a new Friendly Streets pilot by the Land Transport Authority will make access to the nearby Teck Ghee Court Neighbourhood Centre and Ang Mo Kio Town Centre more inclusive. Residents will find it more pleasant, convenient, and safe for them to move about their neighbourhood with features such as:

a) Raised zebra crossing for pedestrians especially the elderly, wheelchair users and families with prams;
b) Narrowed roads and traffic-calming measures to slow cars down; and
c) Quicker green man activation and longer green man time to give pedestrians more time to cross the road.

Wider and barrier-free paths and crossings for safer crossing [Credit: LTA]

Upgrading of neighbourhood centres

13 Four existing neighbourhood centres in Ang Mo Kio will be refreshed to offer a better shopping and dining experience for residents and boost local businesses. Mayflower Market and Food Centre, Teck Ghee Square, Chong Boon Centre and Yio Chu Kang View will be upgraded to inject greater vibrancy in the neighbourhoods, with improvements to pathways, landscaping and new seating areas.


Mayflower Market & Food Centre will be upgraded with more greenery, seating and new pathway treatment. [Credit: HDB]	Open Space at Yio Chu Kang Green will beupgraded with new landscaping, seating, and flooring. [Credit: HDB]

Forging a stronger town identity

14 As one of the earlier HDB towns to be developed, Ang Mo Kio has a rich heritage. HDB together with other agencies, will explore ways to incorporate aspects of Ang Mo Kio’s history into the town to strengthen its identity.

15 The Ang Mo Kio Heritage Trail, first launched in 2011, will undergo a refresh to tell new stories of the neighbourhoods, communities and heritage businesses that have been operating since the early days of the town. The trail will also feature architectural icons such as Block 259 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2, also known as the "Clover Block", houses of faith such as Liuxun Sanhemiao and Ang Mo Kio Joint Temple, and new sites such as the Kebun Baru Bird Singing Club and the merlion statues of Ang Mo Kio.

Locations of the heritage markers in AMK, as part of NHB’s refreshed AMK Heritage Trail. [Credit: NHB]

16 In addition, volunteers from Ang Mo Kio GRC GROs, Kebun Baru and Yio Chu Kang GROs will work closely with residents to co-create art installations at selected void deck walls in Ang Mo Kio. These community-led projects are part of the PAssionArts Movement to foster a lively and colourful neighbourhood, and at the same time transform void deck walls into meaningful places for community engagement. Designs for the artworks in Kebun Baru and Yio Chu Kang will be dementia-friendly to help residents with wayfinding, while in Cheng San-Seletar, the projects will focus on improving mental wellness. In Teck Ghee, the existing murals beautifying the Ang Mo Kio town centre will be refreshed.

Artworks in Kebun Baru are based on themes such as childhood games and old school items
to serve as wayfinders for residents with dementia [Credit: PA]

New housing developments in Ang Mo Kio

17 To meet the strong housing demand, HDB has been introducing new housing projects in Ang Mo Kio to enable young families to live closer to their parents, while also bringing new life into this estate.

18 Over the next few years², close to 1,800 new flats will be completed at Yio Chu Kang Beacon, Kebun Baru Edge and Central Weave @AMK. These housing developments will inject new commercial amenities as well as social and communal facilities for the enjoyment of all residents. They will also offer new and younger families the opportunity of living in Ang Mo Kio.

View of Central Weave @AMK from Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 [Credit: HDB]

Residents invited to give feedback on ROH proposals

19 When completed, the rejuvenation of Ang Mo Kio is set to benefit about 130,000 residents. Residents can look forward to the renewal plans in Ang Mo Kio being implemented within the next 5 to 10 years. The actual implementation timeframe for individual proposals will vary depending on the nature and complexity of the project.

20 The ROH proposals for Ang Mo Kio will be exhibited at AMK Hub B1 Atrium from 23 September to 8 October 2023, before roving to five Neighbourhood Centres in Ang Mo Kio. More information on the roving exhibitions can be found in Annex B.

21 Residents are invited to visit the exhibitions and give their feedback on the proposals. Alternatively, they may also view the exhibition on HDB InfoWEB (https://assets.hdb.gov.sg/about-us/hdb_roh4/ang-mo-kio.html), and share with us their feedback online.

22 With the feedback gathered, HDB will refine the proposals together with the relevant government agencies such that the eventual rejuvenation of the town will benefit as many residents as possible.

1 Plans for the Town Centre’s upgrading were first announced by PM Lee at the Teck Ghee National Day Celebration Dinner 2022.
2 Public housing developments Yio Chu Kang Beacon, Kebun Baru Edge and Central Weave @AMK will be completed by 2024, 2025 and 2028 respectively.

Upgraded Town Centre and New ‘Garden Loop’ Linking Green Spaces in rejuvenated Ang Mo Kio