THE MAKING OF A GARDEN INDUSTRIAL TOWN : HISTORY, TRANSFORMATIONS, MEMORIES AND IDENTITY OF JURONG

Abstract

The different layers of history of a place are important in understanding the genius loci (sense of place) of a place. Concomitantly, the lack of knowledge and appreciation of the history of a place will eventually lead to a plausible loss of the sense of place. This could be an observable effect in many parts of Singapore and Jurong is one of the instances. Besides being one of the largest satellite town/regional centres now, Jurong was also the first industrial town of its kind developed in the 1970s. The industrialization of Jurong constituted an important part of Singapore’s history and hence the significance of its position as an industrial town. Surely, there are much to be discussed and discovered on its built environment, its history, transformations, memories and identity from the perspectives of planners, literary works and the everyday. The hypotheses that frame the discussion in the research paper constitute several aspects. Jurong was first planned as a garden industrial town that adopted the “Garden-City” model. The “ternary” element of worklive- play and the “garden” image which the town is conceived from shaped the built environment and landscape of Jurong till today. Secondly, these layers of history formed over time would create the identity and ‘heritage’ for Jurong through the narrative of the built environment. The growth and development of Jurong Town should not lead to the erosion of memories and identities for the people living in Jurong. The present imageability and identity of Jurong have evolved and renewed but still bear resemblance to how it started off originally. What is the imageability of a neighbourhood, a district and a town? What is important in the minds of the people living in them instead of the developers? The Jurong Lake District Plan will also be used as a discussion platform towards the end to emanate the fact that everyday spaces has memories and meanings attached to them (through survey findings) and should be duly considered in the face of built environment’s rejuvenation and renewal.