Landscape modernisation : land use change in the Jurong Industrial Area

Abstract

This thesis examines how economic development has moulded the landscape of Singapore, with particular reference to the Jurong Industrial Area where land (re)development since 1960 is a direct result of economic policy decisions made by the People's Action Party government. The PAP, formed by a strategic alliance of middle-class English-educated professionals with a group of leftist activists, was elected into government in 1959. However a divergence in political and economic philosophy led to a breakdown of the alliance in the early 1960s. The PAP's pro-capitalist approach prevailed and paved the way for an export-led economy.