HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE INTO AN URBAN CORE: A CASE STUDY OF JURONG

Abstract

Jurong was town with lowly beginnings but had great ambitions. This paper investigates Jurong’s process of development from purely an industrial estate to a major commercial centre over a period of 5 decades from 1960s to 2015, analysing the morphological transformation in each decade. With an overview of the process, and pattern, of development, it is possible to better understand the various shifts in planning decisions in Jurong. This dissertation aims to understand the development of Jurong, the underlying relationships of how it is developed. Mapping the change of the district from its start to its current developments, a knowledge of how this area was planned can be obtained. This is vital to the study as Jurong was viewed as a remote place to live and work (in the past). The hypothesis that frames the dissertation builds upon the implication that Jurong is a place of high importance to the nation and that it is gradually overtaking the Central Business District of Singapore at its core. Jurong, basking in its rich experience as the leader of the industrial estates, has an aim to evolve into the modern Singapore, a city-state. By mapping its historical path, one can start to analyse how this new urban core will hold its fight against the old core.