Jurong East
Jurong East is a planning area and residential town situated in the West Region of Singapore. It borders Jurong West and Boon Lay to the west, Clementi to the east, Tengah and Bukit Batok to the north and Selat Jurong to the south. First developed in the 1970s, it is located approximately 15 km (9.3 miles) west of the Downtown Core district. Jurong East is the 7th most populated planning area in the West Region. Jurong East, along with the entire Jurong area in general, is envisioned to be the country's second central business district (CBD) as part of the Jurong Lake District project. HistoryThe development of Jurong started in the 1970s when estates such as Boon Lay, Taman Jurong, Bukit Batok, Bukit Gombak, Hong Kah, Teban Gardens and Yuhua were built, mostly due to the resettlement of Hong Kah (present-day Tengah) and surrounding villages. Yuhua, Teban Gardens, Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak formed Jurong East. SubzonesThere are 10 subzones in Jurong East.[5]
PoliticsThe Northern section is under Jurong GRC and Southern section under West Coast GRC. After the electoral boundaries were redrawn for the 2011 Singaporean general election, a portion of the Jurong GRC was carved out to form the Yuhua SMC. EducationThere are three primary schools and three secondary schools in Jurong East.
Jurong East is also home to the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability, an Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) established by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). It was opened in 2014 and provides workforce training programs to workers and employers.[6] RecreationSports
Leisure
Tourist attractionsThere are 4 tourist attractions in Jurong East – TransportRoadsJurong East is connected to the rest of Singapore with the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) and the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).
Public transportMass Rapid Transit (MRT)Jurong East is currently served by two MRT stations across two lines, the East West Line and the North South Line, namely:
Extensive rail expansion is ongoing in Jurong East with five new MRT stations undergoing construction as part of the Jurong Region MRT line and Cross Island MRT line, scheduled to be completed in 2028[7] and 2032[8] respectively. Jurong East MRT station will also contain an additional interchange station for the Jurong Region Line. The future stations in Jurong East are:
BusJurong East Bus Interchange started operations in 1985. It later moved to its first temporary site on 17 December 2011.[9] All the bus services, except 51, 52, 105, 160, 197 & 506 were handed over to Tower Transit Singapore on 12 June 2016.[10][11] On 6 December 2020, the former temporary bus interchange was relocated to facilitate the construction of the Jurong Region Line and the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub.[12] The new relocated interchange was located opposite the current interchange, along Jurong Gateway Road between the junctions of Jurong Gateway Road/Jurong East Street 12 and Jurong Gateway Road/Jurong East Central 1. [13] All bus services with the exception of service 78, 79, CW3 and CW4 were relocated there.[14] On 3 November 2023, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced more inclusive public transport facilities with the opening of the new Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange (JTHBI) on Sunday, 26 November 2023. Located along Venture Drive, JTHBI complements Jurong East MRT station and Jurong East Bus Interchange, and will provide added bus capacity to cater to future developments in the area.[15] DemographicsPopulation History
Age profileThe data below is from the population report published by the Singapore Department of Statistics in June 2024.[20]
The population distribution of Jurong East in 2024 demonstrates an ageing population structure. There is a higher population concentration among middle-aged and older groups, with males and females both peaking at the 65-69 age range at 3.97% and 4.27% respectively. Younger age groups (below 20) show smaller proportions, indicating a declining younger demographic and an ageing population. HouseholdAs of 2024, there were 67,400 people living in HDB flats, representing 90.4% of the population. This is significantly higher than the national proportion of HDB dwellers (76.3%),[20] reflecting a greater prevalence of public housing in the area. Among the population, 24,800 residents, or 33.3% of the population, live in 5-Room and Executive Flats, making it the most common type of dwelling. 6,380 residents (8.56%) live in condominiums and other apartments. No residents reside in landed properties. The average household size in Jurong East is 3.09. Among the 27,213 households in Jurong East, the most common household size is two persons, representing 24.4% of total households.[21] EthnicityConsistent with the rest of Singapore, Jurong East has an ethnically diverse population. As of 2020, Chinese, Malay and Indian residents constitute 70.53%, 16.16% and 10.95% of the population respectively, while the remaining 2.35% are classified under 'Others' in the census data. ReligionConsistent with the rest of Singapore, the largest religion in Jurong East is Buddhism, with 21,756 practising residents (31.5% of the population). The second most common group consists of residents with no religion (12,575 residents, 18.2%). Islam is also prominent in Jurong East, with 12,743 Muslims (18.47%). Christianity is practised by 9,431 residents (13.67%), with 2,879 Catholics (4.17%). Other religious affiliations include Taoism and other Chinese religions (7,343 residents, 10.6%), Hinduism (4,832 residents, 7.0%), and Sikhism (183 residents, 0.27%). Compared to the national average of 18.92%, there is substantially lower proportion of practising Christians in Jurong East.[21] EducationAs of 2020, 96.6% of the population aged above 15 is literate, ranking the 8th lowest among all planning areas in Singapore. 62.7% of residents are literate in two languages, with the most common language pair being English and Chinese (40.5%). 6.5% of Jurong East residents are literate in three or more languages.[21] 16,602 residents (26.5% of the population) in Jurong East have attained a university qualification. This ranks the fourth lowest of all planning areas in Singapore. In contrast, 8,293 residents, or 13.2% of the population, have no educational qualifications, ranking the 6th highest in Singapore.[21] LanguageIn Jurong East, the proportion of residents using English as the most frequently spoken language (37.9%) is lower than the national average of 48.3%, ranking the third lowest among all subzones in Singapore. Additionally, there are 2,961 Tamil speakers, representing 84.5% of the 3,485 Indian language speakers in Jurong East.[21] Employment and incomeAccording to the 2020 Census of Population, 41,926 of residents aged 15 years and over in Jurong East are employed, out of the 44,698 in the labour force. This equates to an employment rate of 93.8%, slightly lower than the national employment rate of 94.2%. The remaining 24,310 residents aged above 15 in Jurong East are outside the labour force.[21] Among the employed residents in Jurong East aged 15 years and over, most earn a gross monthly income of between S$1,000 and S$1,999, with 15.3% being in that category. 6.7% earn less than S$1,000 per month, while 4.8% earn above S$15,000 per month.[21] According to the 2020 Census of Population, most resident households in Jurong East have no employed person, constituting 15.6% of all households. The second highest category for monthly household income is S$20,000 and over, encompassing 9.6% of all households.[21] EconomyAt Jurong Port, Jurong River, Penjuru Crescent, and parts of Toh Guan and Teban Gardens, there is land allocated for business activities. Jurong Lake DistrictThe 'Jurong Lake District Project' was unveiled in 2008 and set to be completed in 2040 as part of the plan by Urban Redevelopment Authority to provide more job and recreational options in the heartlands. There will be about 200,000 jobs created and 20,000 homes built in the 360-hectare Jurong Lake District. [22] Consisting of Jurong Lake, Jurong Gateway, International Business Park and the southern section of Toh Guan, the Jurong Lake District will be a prime regional centre serving as an commercial hub for business developments remote from the Central Area, to meet the various demands of businesses and provide employment opportunities closer to people staying in the West Region of Singapore. International Business ParkThe International Business Park (IBP) is also located in Jurong East. Major companies and corporations present in the business park include Creative Technology, Sony, TYLin, Acer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson and JTC Corporation.[citation needed] Commercial
Shopping mallsWithin the boundaries of Jurong Gateway and Toh Guan, there are 3 shopping malls: Town CentreThe Town Centre of Jurong East is located at Jurong Regional Centre, presently known as Jurong Gateway subzone.[23]
HealthcarePolyclinicJurong East houses one polyclinic, Jurong Polyclinic, located in the Yuhua precinct. Built in 1988, it was upgraded in 2007.[24] By 2025, the polyclinic will be relocated to a new site 150 metres from its current premises, with a 2.5 times larger capacity and include elderly-friendly features. A 700-bed nursing home will also be built on the new site to cater to the Jurong East's rapidly ageing population.[25] HospitalsThere are two hospitals in Jurong East, namely Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (a 700-bed hospital) and Jurong Community Hospital (a 400-bed hospital), located within a single integrated healthcare development. Plans for a new hospital in Jurong East were announced in the Singapore Master Plan 2003. Named Jurong General Hospital, the proposed hospital was to be located within walking distance from the Jurong East MRT station, and built by 2006 to replace the existing Alexandra Hospital. It was to have 650 beds for inpatients and 90 specialist clinics for outpatients. However, in 2004, these plans were scrapped in favour of a new 500-bed hospital in Yishun to be called Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, planned for completion by 28 March 2009.[26][27] Under the Singapore Master Plan 2008, the plan for Jurong General Hospital was revived.[28] The hospital was renamed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital and construction was completed in 2015.[29] References
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