Reflection

Previously, I have talked about place identity, a sense of belonging to a certain area but what about our national identity? I think that our national identity is the bond that holds all Singaporeans, regardless of race, language and religion, close together in our multiracial community. It is what keeps us here in Singapore. However, in the recent years, more and more of the younger population have started to lose this sense of national identity, leading to the increase of number of people migrating overseas. The interviews I conducted further support this as many of the youngsters interviewed had commented that they do not feel any emotional attachment to the area they live in. They feel that it is just a place they happen to be living in and that everywhere else is about the same. This is a severe and challenging problem. Think about it, if the young people were to leave the country, Singapore would be left with older citizens and immigrants. Immigrants who have spend most of their lives in their home country would not be able to adopt Singapore’s multiracial identity overnight. Thus, with less and less people supporting the identity, Singapore’s world-renowned multiracial national identity would start to crumble and erode. 

So what did the government do and what more can the government do to prevent the erosion of Singapore’s nation identity?

Firstly, Singapore’s multiracial identity is can be spotted in Jurong Regional Central area. Take for example, the variety of banks in the area, which ranges from the State of India Bank to the China Bank. The variety of banks reflects the government’s consideration to the different races of people in Singapore. Secondly, Singapore’s inclusive society further enhances the citizens’ sense of national identity. The government has always held the integration of races as top priority, always making it a point to ensure that there are enough common grounds available to the citizens. One of the suggestions that I had made before was for the government to broaden the area of common space available. I think that common space is the key factor that influences our sense of community since it is where everyone can come together, to interact and to learn from one another without any discrimination hence, it's the best platform supporting our national identity as a multiracial country. I believe that by broadening the area of common space available in Jurong, the amount of interaction among citizens living in the same community will greatly increase, thus further enhancing their national identity as they develop a better understanding of the other races living in Singapore.   

My other suggestion was for the government to focus more on conserving Jurong rather than redeveloping it. The government’s current plan is to completely transform Jurong, from a residential area to a commercial hub. I think that they may be overdoing it with their plans. Some of the locals have noted that there are too many shopping malls sprouting in the area, including the new JCube. These talks were, however, dismissed by the government, who are convinced that the locals only say so due to their under-supplement in terms of retail space per person. I admit, it is true that Jurong is not as prosperous as the East side of Singapore. However, not everyone is unsatisfied with the condition Jurong was in before. In fact, some greatly preferred the previous version of Jurong. I think that the government should take into consideration the feelings of these locals. Instead of building new malls, drowning Jurong with eternal constructions, I believe that it is more effective for the government to put the funds used for building new malls into renovating the old shop houses. For example, they can repaint the buildings, giving the area a more refreshing look or they can enlarge the area and shop houses. This way, the government can better cater to all locals living in Jurong.

Suggestions

I think that currently, there are no severe problems that particularly threaten the sense of community and identity of the people living in Jurong East. However, I would not be as confident to say the same a few years down the road. The government has been planning to turn Jurong into one of the nation’s biggest commercial and business hub. However, even with the new JCube, some citizens are voicing their uncertainty regarding the development project. Some of the problems I can foresee in the future involve Jurong becoming over commercialized, thus causing the locals to lose sense of identity due their inability to adapt to the new changes. I think that the government can try to focus more on conserving the area with basic renovation, instead of aiming to commercialise Jurong. Another aspect that can be developed on is the availability of common space. I believe that by broadening the area of common space available to citizens, their sense of identity can be further enhanced. 

Place Identity

What is place identity? Place identity is the sense of belonging, an emotional attachment to a certain area. It is formed by people and enhanced by the physical characteristics of the area. So what is Jurong East’s identity? From the interviews conducted, I understand that the locals in the area feel that the former Jurong East before the developments and constructions, the old, nostalgic, cozy and homey Jurong East is what shapes their identity. I also found out that that it is generally the older generation of citizens who feel this emotional attachment, who feels that the place they live in helps build on their identity. Their deeply rooted place identity may be the main reason why they feel dissatisfied with the government redeveloping Jurong. In a sense, I guess they feel that these new developments are eroding and destroying Jurong’s identity and their sense of belonging to Jurong. When discussing about JCube, many of them have commented that JCube is more mainstream and modern, more suited for the taste of younger people rather than people their age. Quoting from one interviewee, "I am old now. I’m less adaptable to changes unlike youngsters these days. I rather sit around here than walk around in the mall, which doesn't really interest me.” Some have also voiced their opinions regarding the noise brought about by the constructions in the area, further degrading their already negative opinion about the ongoing developments. 

However, not all the locals feel this way. It is generally the younger population of locals who feels that the changes brought to Jurong East, such as the new JCube, in fact, further enhances their sense of identity and emotional attachment to the area, since JCube provides more common ground, such as the new skating rink and IMAX theatre, for teenagers and young adults to freely interact with one another. I feel that being young and more adaptable; the younger population tends to welcome changes, an effort to spice up their lives, unlike the older generation, who were already satisfied with what they had before. Another reason why young people welcome changes with open arms may be due to the modern competitive mindset, causing the younger people to have this tendency to want to be the best. They do not want to lose out to the East in terms of development. For example, places like Tampines, Bedok are generally known by people nation wide. However, there are still people who had never even heard of Jurong before. The mindset to want to be the best and turn everything we do into a competition may be another factor that fuels the younger population to support change. 

Common space

A common ground or common space is an area where people to come together and interact with one another, enhancing a sense of community among people living in the area. For example, hawker centers around Jurong Regional Central are popular gathering spots, where people from different language, race and religion come together to eat. The easy going and relaxing atmosphere at the hawker center also allow people to relax and become more outgoing and friendly, enhancing interaction among the people.

JCube may seem more commercialise and mainstream, but it does not mean that JCube doesn’t have any common ground for citizens to interact. For example, the new Olympic sized ice skating rink. I believe that the ice skating rink can be considered a common ground as citizens from all race, language and religion can come together in one rink to skate and enjoy. The people can better interact with one another since they are all engaged in a common activity. Not only that, the price for the admission fee into the rink is reasonable and affordable, allowing families of all income to experience the joy of ice skating, thus burying the income disparity fault line. JCube's top floor consists of a landscaped garden for visitors, which can hold activities and exhibitions. This is another example of common space in the mall. People from all over Singapore, not just limited to the Jurong area, can come together, attracted due to their similar interest. With a common topic and common interest, conversations can be quickly struck up, enhancing the people’s sense of community and building up their sense of identity. 

Government's efforts

On many online forums, people have voiced out their displeasure about how the west is underdeveloped as compared to the East. While the east have Tampinies One & Tampinies Mall, Century Square, WHitesands, all situated beside MRTs, the West has limited choices, with only Jurong Point and IMM near MRTs. The government, having realized the difference in development in the East and the West, has since then undertaken actions to give Jurong a complete “makeover”.

Starting with the transportation, the Jurong East modification project was put in place by the government to provide commuters with a shorter waiting time for trains. Previously, trains travelling to and from the Jurong East and Bukit Batok stations have to take turns arriving and departing from the shared middle platform at Jurong East station. This slows down the trains running through Jurong East interchange station and increases the waiting time of commuters up to 5 minutes. Now, with the new track alignment and platform built for the North-South Mrt lines, the waiting time for trains for commuters has been brought down to around 2 minutes as more trains can be put through to Jurong East Station. Predicting the increase of passengers with the introduction of the new track, SMRT has also started running additional train trips, boosting the passenger carrying capacity of trains by 15%, to further shorten waiting time and reducing crowding on trains.

With the new MRT transportation system, more people have been attracted to the west, seeing that it is now more convenient than before. With more people visiting the area, more business opportunities would be brought about to the area. In order to support the possible business boom in the area, the government has made use of the land use policy to rejuvenate the town centre. Beginning with URA’s master plan for the Jurong District, the new Jurong Regional Centre, or the “Jurong Gateway”, is set to be built as the largest commercial hub outside the city centre. An integrated healthcare hub comprising of 2 hospitals, are also slated for completion soon.The rejuvenation plans will further extend from the Regional Centre all the way to the surrounding HDB heartlands, where a new pedestrian mall between Jurong East Town Centre and the newly opened JCube mall will be built, connecting residents and visitors seamlessly between Jurong East MRT station to Lakeside.

JCube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsffy51V3Ok

Formerly known as the Jurong Entertainment Centre, JCube is twice the size of the old Jurong Entertainment Centre with about 26,000 sqm of commercial space

Located in the heart of Jurong East industrial and business hub, next to Jurong East MRT Station and bus interchange, it contains five levels of retail, two basement levels of car park and a rooftop landscaped plaza. This long awaited new all is home to numerous new brands, ranging from entertainment to dining, making their debut in Singapore. It also houses Singapore's first Olympic-sized ice rink, accompanied by 460-seat gallery. Located at the top floor is first IMAX theatre in the suburbs. Finally, Jcube’s extended-hours dining options, appealing to both the old and the young, would not fail to attract more people for sure. 

Chosen Area: Jurong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zFgYceHGo

In the early 1900s, Jurong was uncharted territory, mainly dominated by swamps with low hills covered by shrubs and a thick jungle. Jurong remained a sleepy rural area until 1959, when Singapore became a self-governing colony. Jurong was then developed as an industrial town in the early 1960s and played a key role in Singapore’s early industrialisation efforts. Now, Jurong has grown into a modern and bustling town.

Let’s zoom into one particular area in Jurong, Jurong east. Jurong East, ranging over an area of 3.84 km², houses about 48,477 units with a population of around 29,000