The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) today, inviting multi-disciplinary teams to develop master plan proposals for Singapore’s Jurong Lake District. This signals the first step of the District’s transformation into ‘A District of the Future’, and the city-state’s second Central Business District (CBD).

Progress of Jurong Lake District today

Jurong Lake District is a regional centre in the west, planned as part of URA’s decentralisation efforts to create new commercial activities, more quality jobs, amenities, and recreational options closer to homes. The blueprint of the District was first unveiled in the URA Master Plan 2008 and comprised a commercial hub, Jurong Gateway; and a leisure precinct, Lakeside.

Jurong Gateway has been shaping up well, with several projects completed in recent years. The development of Lakeside is also underway with the Jurong Lake Gardens – Singapore’s new national gardens in the heartlands, and plans for a new Science Centre. The grounds of the Gardens and new Science Centre will be sensitively integrated with Jurong Lake and its surroundings, creating an inspiring environment for Singaporeans and visitors where the spirit of community gardening, discovery, and learning take centre stage.


Jurong Gateway has been shaping up well, with several projects completed in recent years, and more expected to come.

Lakeside will be an outstanding leisure destination with the new Jurong Lake Gardens and Science Centre

In 2015, the Singapore Government announced that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) terminus will be sited in Jurong Lake District. Hailed as a game-changer for both countries, it dovetails with the plans to comprehensively redevelop the area surrounding the future HSR terminus, and is an excellent opportunity to link up the terminus with surrounding developments, existing and new MRT lines¹, a new Integrated Transport Hub next to Jurong East MRT station, and pedestrian connections throughout the District.

Envisioning transformation in the west: A future-ready second CBD

URA and the Jurong Lake District Steering Committee² have studied the plans and opportunities for the District and its surrounding areas, and reviewed its vision and goals.

Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development and Chairman of the Steering Committee, said, “We have an exceptional opportunity to transform Jurong Lake District into ‘A District of the Future’ and our second CBD, which will redefine the way we live, work and play. As a CBD in our heartlands, the District will drive Singapore’s growth in the future economy, and cater to the diverse needs of businesses, residents, visitors, and Singaporeans from all walks of life. It will be a distinctive new gateway to Singapore, distinguished by its high connectivity, accessibility and environmentally-friendly features, where smart and green mobility options are the choice modes of commute. The District will be a hub for smart innovations, and home to sustainable urban infrastructure that will boost productivity and manpower efficiency. Most of all, Jurong Lake District will stand out as a delightful and inclusive destination for the community, defined by its greenery, extensive water bodies, built heritage, and vibrant public spaces. This is only the start of a very exciting transformation. We look forward to working closely with professionals and the public to shape an outstanding plan, and will engage extensively to realise the vision for the District.”

URA and the Steering Committee have also developed a set of goals to guide the master planning of Jurong Lake District as ‘A District of the Future’ and Singapore’s second CBD. See Annex A [PDF, 131kb] for this set of goals.

Request for Proposal for a Jurong Lake District Master Plan

URA is looking for multi-disciplinary teams to develop proposals for a Jurong Lake District Master Plan. A key focus of this master planning exercise involves developing proposals for Lakeside Gateway, a new mixed-use business precinct and home to the future HSR terminus, which will anchor Jurong Lake District as ‘A District of the Future’ and Singapore’s second CBD. See Annex B [PDF, 134kb] for more details on the potential of Lakeside Gateway, and Annex C [PDF, 321kb] for a map that illustrates Jurong Lake District and its three precincts.


Lakeside Gateway will be a distinctive mixed-use business precinct home to the HSR terminus. It will anchor Jurong Lake District as Singapore’s second CBD.

Participating teams will be developing proposals for the following components of the Jurong Lake District Master Plan:

1. Detailed master plan for Lakeside Gateway, including strategies to seamlessly integrate the new precinct with Jurong Gateway, Lakeside, as well as the Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens area to the south;
2. Strategies to shape a distinctive identity for Jurong Lake District;
3. Possible revisions to land uses of surrounding areas that will strengthen the position of Jurong Lake District as Singapore’s second CBD. Examples of these areas are Jurong West to the west, and Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens to the south;
4. Car-lite and connectivity plans for Jurong Lake District and its surroundings. Examples include a comprehensive network of infrastructure and facilities catering to active mobility options (e.g. walking, cycling and Personal Mobility Devices) that links up to existing and future developments throughout the District;
5. Urban design guidelines, landscaping and public space strategies, and plans to create, improve, and integrate green and blue spaces;
6. Plans for the possible adaptive reuse of the former Jurong Town Hall and current Science Centre buildings, to strengthen the heritage memories of Jurong;
7. Plans for possible district-level infrastructure, utilities and urban systems. Examples include a district cooling system, common services tunnel, pneumatic refuse conveyance system, and urban logistics;
8. An underground space plan catering to different uses throughout the District. The objective is to optimise overall land use and improve pedestrian experience in underground spaces; and
9. Environmental sustainability strategies to mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect and improve energy efficiency, resource usage, and overall thermal comfort throughout the District.

Request for Proposal process

The RFP comprises two stages. Interested teams are first required to submit their interest to participate in the RFP. Up to five shortlisted teams will then develop their Concept Master Plans for Jurong Lake District.

The team with the best Concept Master Plan will be appointed in February 2017, and work with URA and partner agencies to draw up the Draft Master Plan for the District. There will be a public exhibition of the Jurong Lake District Draft Master Plan around 3Q2017. Thereafter, the appointed team will work with URA to refine the plans. See Annex D [PDF, 187kb] for more details on the RFP process.

A people’s district

An important factor that contributes to the future success of Jurong Lake District is to ensure that the plans are inclusive and relevant to the needs of the community.

Hence, the public will be invited to give their feedback on the District’s Draft Master Plan during the exhibition period. At the same time, URA will engage the relevant stakeholders, partner agencies, and the Jurong Lake District Steering Committee to gather their input on the plans. Following that, URA will work closely with the appointed team to refine the Draft Master Plan, based on the feedback received.

The implementation of the Jurong Lake District Master Plan will then be studied carefully, taking into consideration various factors including the broader plans of surrounding areas, development of other projects in the District, and the needs of the community.

¹ Jurong Lake District is currently served by the North-South and East-West MRT lines. In future, it will also be served by the Jurong Region and Cross Island lines, expected to be completed around 2025 and 2030 respectively.
² The Jurong Lake District Steering Committee is a dedicated committee set up in October 2014 to oversee developments in Jurong Lake District, and study the plans for the areas in and around the District. Led by Minister of National Development Mr Lawrence Wong, the Committee comprises individuals with diverse backgrounds ranging from urban planning, real estate and design, natural heritage, science and technology, as well as the local community.