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.