Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost — and for those who grew up wandering the ancient nooks and crannies of old Woodlands Town Centre, nostalgic memories of time spent at the once bustling border town will remain long after its demise this week.
Now a bare-boned shadow of its past, Woodlands Town Centre was once a mandatory pit stop for transit to and from Singapore and Johor Bahru — a lively spot in the ’70s and ‘80s for shopping at the Oriental Emporium or catching a movie at a Shaw Brothers cinema.
Alas, the rustic quarter will be closed off to the public to make way for total demolition, and from the rubble, a brand new regional center that’ll serve as “Singapore’s Northern Gateway” will arise. It’s all part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)’s plan to spruce up the area with new commercial spaces, industrial clusters, and the upcoming Woodlands North MRT station.
Shuanne Chern is one of the many folks with fond memories of the sleepy town and, like many before her, she chose to commemorate its final days through film. Watch her drone-aided tribute to the (mostly) vacated Woodlands Town Centre, captured in all its broken, beautiful decay.
