Although Bukit Timah today is associated with the rich and famous, many are not aware that it has a rural past and that it evolved into an industrial hub after World War II as part of British efforts in rebuilding the economy. This continued till the last decade when land use zoning changed the area into prime real estate for luxury homes in the 1990s. Still, Chinese villages, Malay kampongs and Indian cowherds continue to remain in the hearts of residents in the area. Local communities in Bukit Timah.