Home Sweet HDB Homes
A BRIEF LOOK AT PUBLIC HOUSING IN SINGAPORE - THEN AND NOW
Modern-day Singapore’s public housing programmes, planned and managed by the government since the country’s independence, can be considered to be one of the few achievements which is uniquely Singaporean. The British colonial administration only began to tackle seriously the housing crisis in the 1930s with the setting up of the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the predecessor of the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Today, more than 80 percent of the Singapore population lives in government housing flats. How has this been made possible and what were some of the difficulties and challenges faced in the journey towards making Singapore a place we can truly call “home sweet home”?
ITS BEGINNINGS
Even before World War Two erupted, Singapore had experienced an unforeseen massive immigration of people from China and India. New migrants, as well as those already in the colony, were forced to live in dire conditions – with up to five families forced to squeeze into a shophouse meant for a single family!
This problem gave rise to the early housing programme, known as the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), developed by the British colonial government in 1924 to review the living conditions in the central area of Singapore. While the efforts were well received, 35 years later, the SIT was only able to provide housing to 8.8 percent of Singapore’s 1.6 million people then. By the time Singapore attained self-government in 1959, the rapidly expanding population had further worsened the housing condition and the shortfall had reached alarming proportions. Public housing for lowerincome groups was thus given top priority and the HDB was set up in February 1960 to replace the
SIT, marking the beginning of largeachieved scale public housing development in Singapore. Compared to the cramped and unhygienic living conditions in shophouses and squatter areas, flats built by the
HDB seemed luxurious - they were spacious and equipped with basic services such as electricity, flush toilets and piped water. By 31 March 1976, the HDB one of its most significant milestones by providing housing to more than 50% of the population.
CHANGING DEMANDS, CHANGING HOMES
To cater to the demands of an ever-changing Singapore population, HDB schemes are being updated on a regular basis. With their mission to provide Singapore with high quality, environmentally sustainable homes at affordable prices and to promote an active and cohesive community, it has become one of the most successful government housing agencies in the world. The majority of public housing estates are self-contained communities with not only the essential facilities to meet the residents’ basic needs but also various community amenities such as schools and recreational facilities.
Singapore’s first new town, Queenstown, or fondly called “Princess Margaret Estate” by some, began construction in mid-1952 and was later considered as the model of future town planning. The HDB continued to build the second new town, Toa Payoh. Under the leadership of a dedicated leader, Lim Kim San, the HDB became a huge success in providing affordable and comfortable homes for Singaporeans. Today, there are more than 20 new towns and the three largest by population size are Jurong West, Tampines and Woodlands.
There are eight main categories of public housing: oneroom flats, two-room flats, three-room flats, four-room flats, five-room flats, executive flats (including executive apartments and maisonettes), studio apartments and HUDC flats. The standard designs for new flats have been updated over the years to cater to the changing expectations and preferences of buyers. For example, three-room flats did not have a bathroom attached to the master bedroom until the 1970s, and executive flats were launched in the 1980s in response to the desire for bigger flats while the elderly-friendly studio apartments were introduced in 1997.
Such continual changes reflect the
broader shift in the focus of public housing programmes from quantity to quality.
The emphasis on quality also extends beyond the design of the flats to the surrounding living environment as evidenced by efforts to improve the landscape architecture and enhance the visual identity of housing estates. Upgrading works are also regularly conducted under various estate renewal programmes to prevent physical decay and obsolescence and to enhance the residents’ living environment. Family-friendly social and recreational facilities are built in close proximity to provide residents a well-rounded living environment. These include supermarkets, hawker centres, clinics, schools, sports complexes, playgrounds, parks and gardens.
As a result of the government’s conscious effort to build a nation of homeowners in the belief that home ownership would promote a sense of nationalism by giving Singaporeans a bigger stake in their country, at the end of March 2008, 95% of public flats were owner-occupied, with the rest being rental flats. The government encourages ownership of public flats by providing concessionary home loans and housing grants and by allowing Central Provident Fund savings to be used to finance home purchases, subject to conditions. Through the application of eligibility conditions, public housing has also been used to support certain government policies such as racial integration and religious harmony.
Town councils were formed in 1989 to empower locally elected representatives and its residents to manage their own estates. They are in charge of maintaining and developing the common areas of the estates. Town councils are managed by Members of Parliament (MPS) representing their respective constituencies. The council is led by the Chairman and selected town councilors. The Chairman is either the MP or someone appointed by the MP of the town.
Even with various housing projects and initiatives to make public housing a more attractive option, the issue of affordability is still a main concern for many Singaporeans.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT?
The recent furore over the skyrocketing home prices and the lack of availability of new ones has led many Singaporeans to question the purpose of public housing which should primarily be to make housing in Singapore affordable. Unlike the private property market, many had hoped that public housing prices would not be at the mercy of investor speculations and related market forces.
The influx of cash rich foreigners who have transacted to buy and sell HDB resale flats with relative ease in recent years ©think cink has led to the steep rising prices of HDB apartments. It is after all a case of demand and supply with the free market forces at play. However, this has created unhappiness, especially among those Singaporeans who are unable to afford resale flats. To them, waiting for “brand new” flats to become available has become a long-drawn affair. Other implications include delayed marriages amongst younger couples as many prefer to wait for the successful application for an
HDB flat prior to tying the knot.
SINGAPORE PUBLIC HOUSING VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD
With multiple schemes, developments and policies in place, the public housing programmes in Singapore have truly provided other countries a benchmark for providing affordable but quality government housing for their people.
Similar to Singapore, Hong Kong had started accelerating its public housing programmes in the early 1960s. Today, nearly half of its population lives in government housing projects. The Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society manage the construction of such flats, which could either be rented or sold under various government subsidy programmes.
While public housing programmes in Singapore may trump those of most other countries in terms of population management and quality, our prices are still one of the highest. With most of Singaporeans having to take up a long-term loan to finance the purchase of their flats, it is imperative that public housing prices are well-managed and kept affordable for all so that Singapore can truly be a place we can call “home sweet home”.