Over time, other governmental organisations have also adopted the five regions in their administrative work, as for example the Department of Statistics in the census of 2000.

Prior to 1991, urban planners in Singapore preferred to have a strong commercial zone in the centre of the metropolitan area.

[4][5] However, as the land mass of Singapore is small, the term, regional centre, takes on a localised meaning: a functional node that is designed to serve as a smaller-scale downtown area between town centres in new residential towns and the main central business district in the Central Area.

These centres are planned to offer a variety of commercial, retail, entertainment, and other amenities to residents in the surrounding areas.

[5] These regional centres are aimed to decentralised the amenities that's previously concentrated in the city's core.