''This article is about the
urban planning area in
Singapore. For the more general discussion, see
Downtown.''

The Downtown Core is one of the urban planning areas making up Singapore's
Central Area, which is highlighted red.
The 'Downtown Core' is a 266-
hectare urban planning area in the south of the
city-state of
Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the
mouth of the
Singapore River and southeastern portion of its
watershed, and is part of the
Central Area, Singapore's
central business district. It is one of the most dense areas in
Singapore, even more than other divisions in the Central Area, to the extent that much of it is filled with
skyscrapers. As it name implies, it forms the economic core of Singapore, including key districts such as
Raffles Place and key
administrative buildings such as the
Parliament House, the
Supreme Court and
City Hall as well as numerous
commercial buildings and cultural
landmarks.
History

The northern part of the Downtown Core includes the Civic and Bugis areas. The
City Hall and the
Padang can be seen in the foreground.
The mouth of the Singapore River contained the old harbour for the
Port of Singapore, so naturally, the city grew up around it. Even as a fledgling colony, the area which is now known as the Downtown Core was the
financial, administrative and commercial centre of the colony. In
1823, Singapore was reorganised according to the
Raffles Plan of Singapore by
Sir Stamford Raffles, and specified elements like the ''Commercial Square'' (now Raffles Place) and the ''European Town'' as well as various other commercial and administrative entities located between the two areas. This would later become the Downtown Core.
References
★
Downtown Core Planning Report 1995
External links
★
Draft Master Plan 2003 - Central Region
★
Some snapshots from downtown Singapore