Overview
The Singapore River planning area follows the river inland from Boat Quay past Clarke Quay to Robertson Quay. It is small, at 0.96 square kilometres, and it sits in URA's Central Region between the Downtown Core, Outram, River Valley, Museum and Tanglin. SingStat recorded 4,770 residents in June 2026.
Living here means riverside apartments with restaurants, bars and offices as neighbours. Estate facilities in the usual sense, such as schools, hawker centres and polyclinics, are found in the surrounding planning areas.
Who lives here
The age mix is young. In June 2026, children under 15 made up 18.4% of residents, about 880 children, while people aged 65 or above were only 9.6%. The national shares were 13.3% and 19.5%. Because the population is small, these shares can shift noticeably from one year to the next.
Homes
Condominiums and other apartments housed 4,650 residents, 97% of the total. The remaining 120 lived in other types of dwelling. There are no HDB flats or landed homes inside the boundary on SingStat's count, and therefore no HDB median for the area.
Residents by type of dwelling, June 2026 (SingStat). Shares are our arithmetic; “–” means nil or negligible.
| Type of dwelling | Residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| HDB 1- and 2-room flats | – | – |
| HDB 3-room flats | – | – |
| HDB 4-room flats | – | – |
| HDB 5-room and executive flats | – | – |
| Condominiums and other apartments | 4,650 | 97.5% |
| Landed properties | – | – |
| Others | 120 | 2.5% |
| All residents | 4,770 | 100% |
Getting around
Three stations have exits inside the planning area.
| Station | Code | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Clarke Quay | NE5 | North East Line |
| Fort Canning | DT20 | Downtown Line |
| Great World | TE15 | Thomson-East Coast Line |
Clarke Quay, on the North East Line, is the main station, with six exits in the area. It runs to Outram Park and HarbourFront in one direction and to Dhoby Ghaut, Serangoon and Punggol in the other. Fort Canning, on the Downtown Line, has one exit here, and Great World, on the Thomson-East Coast Line, has exits on both sides of the boundary with River Valley. Raffles Place, the business district's main interchange, is in the neighbouring Downtown Core.
Schools and childcare
MOE lists no school inside the planning area. Primary schools nearby include River Valley Primary in the neighbouring River Valley area; the distance from the home sets Primary 1 priority, as our registration guide explains. ECDA's June 2024 list places seven pre-schools here, and its 2026 list includes one kindergarten.
Food
There is no hawker centre on NEA's register inside the Singapore River area. Hong Lim Food Centre and Chinatown Complex are just across the boundary in Outram, and Amoy Street and Maxwell food centres are in the Downtown Core.
Parks and open space
NParks lists Hong Lim Park inside the boundary. The riverside promenade runs through the whole area, and Fort Canning Park is next door in the Museum planning area.
Healthcare
There is no polyclinic inside the boundary. Outram Polyclinic and Singapore General Hospital are on the hospital campus in neighbouring Bukit Merah. MOH's June 2024 CHAS list places four clinics inside the planning area.
Community facilities
The People's Association's June 2024 list includes imPAct@Hong Lim Green, a People's Association space at Hong Lim Park. There is no public library or SportSG facility inside the boundary.
How the Singapore River area compares
The 4,770 residents give the area about 5,000 people per square kilometre (our arithmetic), similar to Newton. It ranks 34th of the 55 planning areas by population, just behind the Downtown Core. Its share of children, 18.4%, is high for a city district and higher than in most HDB towns; only a handful of areas, among them Tengah, Punggol and Changi, record a larger share.
New launches by the river
The Robertson Opus
A residential project at 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 Unity Street: 348 homes, 999-year leasehold, vacant possession 30 June 2030.
Union Square Residences
A residential project at 28 Havelock Road: 366 homes, 99-year leasehold, vacant possession 15 March 2031.
Nearby planning areas
Next to Singapore River on URA's map: Tanglin, Bukit Merah (full guide), Museum, Downtown Core (full guide), Outram, River Valley.
Every planning area has a page on our neighbourhoods index.
Sources
- URA, Master Plan 2025 Planning Area Boundary (No Sea), data.gov.sg (updated 27 February 2026)
- LTA, MRT Station Exit (GEOJSON), data.gov.sg (updated 18 October 2026)
- LTA, Train Station Chinese Names (station codes and lines), data.gov.sg; LTA rail system map
- People's Association, Community Clubs, data.gov.sg (list dated June 2024)
- NParks, Parks, data.gov.sg (updated 14 November 2026)
- MOH, CHAS Clinics, data.gov.sg (list dated June 2024)
- SingStat, Resident Population by Planning Area/Subzone, Age Group and Type of Dwelling, June 2026 (released 25 September 2026), singstat.gov.sg
- SLA, OneMap search (venue addresses and locations)
- ECDA, Pre-Schools Location (list dated June 2024) and Kindergartens (updated April 2026), data.gov.sg
Facts checked on 15 November 2026. See our editorial policy.
Last updated