Chinatown: The Heritage Quarter Next to Union Square Residences

Chinatown begins at the far side of Upper Cross Street. For residents of Union Square Residences, that puts one of Singapore’s oldest neighbourhoods, its food centres and its temples within an easy walk.

Shophouse Streets Near Union Square Residences

South of New Bridge Road, the streets of Chinatown keep their rows of two- and three-storey shophouses: Pagoda, Temple, Smith and Trengganu Streets, with the Chinatown Heritage Centre about 530 metres from the site telling the story of the families who lived in them. Further on stand the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, two of the area’s best-known landmarks.

The Union Square precinct has its own history. The developer notes the Omar Kampong Melaka Mosque, founded in the 1820s, the Kampong Melaka settlement of the 1850s and the Tan Si Chong Su temple of the 1870s, now a national monument, all close to the site.

Hawker Food Around Union Square Residences

Chinatown is where many Singaporeans go to eat. Hong Lim Food Centre on Upper Cross Street is about 440 metres from Union Square Residences, Chinatown Complex, with its wet market and hawker centre, about 660 metres, and Maxwell Food Centre about 890 metres. People’s Park Complex, about 460 metres away, adds a food centre and a market of its own.

Shopping and Daily Needs Near Union Square Residences

Chinatown Point, about 400 metres away beside Chinatown MRT station, carries a supermarket, restaurants and services, and People’s Park Complex and People’s Park Centre fill in the rest, from pharmacies to remittance counters. Within Union Square itself, the retail and dining spaces of the new and conserved buildings will add more at the doorstep.

Measured on OneMap (SLA) from the site pin; walking routes are longer.

Hong Lim Park and the Civic Edge by Union Square Residences

Hong Lim Park, about 420 metres away across Upper Cross Street, is home to Speakers’ Corner and a quiet lawn among the office towers. Beyond it lie the courts and civic buildings of the old colonial district. The river guide and the parks guide cover the rest of the neighbourhood around Union Square Residences.