Birth of 1 Public Housing Introduction

Chapter Authors: Er. Lau Joo Ming Mr Ng Chun Tat Mr Eng Boon Kai Birth of 1 Public Housing Introduction

Formation of Housing and Development Board (HDB)

Creating a Full Home-Owning Society

Building a Vibrant Community through Comprehensive Town Planning

Rejuvenation of Older Estates

Achieving Excellence in Public Housing 1. Introduction

Figure 1: Squatter settlement. magine having a large proportion of the population living in squalid Idwellings concentrated in the Central City Area, buildings of a hundred years old crudely built by the squatters, lacking in proper sanitation and the absence of maintenance. Many of these building were due for demolition. Modicum of comfort and modern conveniences was beyond the reach of the majority of the population. Occurrences of fire were common. Roads planned at that time were unable to cope with the present type and volume of traffic. This was the magnitude of the housing •• 2 problem, which confronted the Government in 1959. A Housing Committee Report published in 1947 showed that 72% of the population of 938,000 then was living 2. Formation of Housing and within the 80 km2 Central City Area where Development Board (HDB) urban slums proliferated, breeding disease and crime and posing fire hazards as shown in Figures 1 and 2. By the time the o solve the housing crisis of the day, HDB population inflated to 1,579,000 in 1959, was formed in 1960, replacing the former an estimated quarter million people were TSingapore Improvement Trust set up by the already living in badly degenerated slums British Colonial Government in 1927. The and another third of a million in squatter priorities of HDB’s public housing programme settlements. The population was growing was to build as many low-cost housing units at a rate of 4.3% per annum – a very high within the shortest possible time for the people figure by any standard for this meant that in the lower-income groups whose housing needs some 60,000 citizens were being added were not adequately catered for by private housing to the community each year. The number or even by public housing of the time. The of houses needed both to house these new emphasis then was on quantity. citizens and to replace the old structures In the process, urban renewal in the nation that were slowly falling into pieces was started with a desperate beginning to bring relief estimated to be at least 15,000 each to the people. More new towns were established year. away from our city centre and massive It was a challenging task then to provide redevelopment of the dilapidated urban areas decent homes to rehouse the population. heavily occupied by squatters. To solve the housing crisis of the day, HDB was

formed in 1960, replacing the former

Singapore Improvement Trust set up by the

British Colonial Government in 1927.

•• Other economic concerns were also served 3 by selling the flats instead of renting them, as it avoid the pitfalls of public rental housing which draws heavily on state subsidy and which leads to the entrenchment of the lower income groups in public housing estates. As housing consumption was tied to the individual household’s ability to pay, buying an HDB flat has become one of the major life goals for all Singaporeans to work and strive for.

Figure 2: These slums are breeding grounds for diseases When the Home Ownership Scheme was and pests. augmented by the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Approved Housing Scheme (AHS) in 3. Creating a Full Home-Owning 1968, more Singaporeans opted to buy their Society HDB flat. Being able to use part or all of their CPF savings and monthly contributions as payments for the purchase of HDB flats, either n 1964, four years into HDB’s existence, the in one lump sum or in monthly instalments, Government introduced the Home Ownership most families were able to afford a flat, without for the People Scheme to enable Singaporeans I suffering any reduction in their monthly to own their homes. By allowing citizens to own disposable income. Not surprisingly home a stake in the country through ownership of HDB ownership took off following the introduction flats, it is hoped that a greater sense of national of this scheme. identity could be fostered, contributing to the overall political, economic and social stability of the country. To ensure that HDB flats remained affordable, the development costs of public housing continued to be diligently managed. Costs were kept stable through optimisation of land use, cost-effective building design and construction efficiency. Cost were further reduced through innovations in building technology. For Example, the benefits of prefabrication technology since 1980 to help increase site productivity and ensure better quality construction. ••4

HDB flats were sold at subsidised prices so that they remained affordable to the majority of the population. They are priced such that 90% of Singaporean households could afford to own at least a 3-room flat, and 70% at least a 4-room flat. HDB also provided housing loans at concessionary interest rates to homebuyers. Purchasers were able to make use of the low- interest mortgage loan for the purchase of their first flat, either from HDB or from the open market. They may also make use of these loans to upgrade to a bigger flat in later years. All these measures contributed to the phenomenal growth in home ownership among Singaporean households. The percentage of resident population in public housing rose from 35% in 1970 to 86% in Year 2000. The percentage of those who own their HDB flats grew from 26% to 93% over the same period. 4. Building a Vibrant Community through Comprehensive Town Planning

rom basic shelter to sky-rise homes, the physical improvement in HDB housing was a planned Foutcome and the result of sustained efforts to create a vibrant living environment in HDB towns as shown in Figure 3. Town planning strategies adopted by HDB had gone through various periods of development, guided by the 1960’s planning rationale of developing self-sufficient towns. The earlier phase was to build economically with emphasis on orientation of the buildings, as can be seen from the planning of Queenstown. Social, communal and recreational facilities were also introduced to achieve self-sufficiency and to provide a basis for community living. In the 1970s, a prototype ••5••5 new town model was developed. The hierarchy and distribution of activities such as town centre, designated to help decentralise neighbourhoods and sub-centres were clearly services to the rest of the town. In Toa Payoh, the industrial component was also brought into the town to provide residents with job opportunities close to home, and to relieve the city centre from population and traffic congestion. This planning concept was taken up in the development of subsequent HDB towns. In the 1980s, the idea of using precincts as the basic planning unit for social development evolved. The design of the precinct was largely sociological and physical in intent. It is conceived to be at a scale that the residents can identify with and of a Figure 3: Typical beautiful verdent gardens in clearly defined cluster to foster HDB housing estates. stronger community spirit. The idea of a precinct as the basic community- planning concept was first introduced in Tampines. 5.1 Upgrading of older estates

Upgrading Programme (UP), as the name implies, is an initiative carried out by HDB to transform the older housing precincts into quality estates of better living environment that is comparable to the latest ones. The strategy effectively replaces the Repairs & Redecoration Scheme to spruce up the common properties of old blocks of flats after a period of time. The key feature of UP is to bring the standards to the current ones so that residents need not be uprooted from their homes, thereby keeping existing communities intact. At the same time, upgraded flats enjoy a considerable appreciation in terms of property value, thus making the upgrading programme an effective way to share the nation’s success with HDB residents. There are basically 3 types of UPs, namely the ••6 5. Rejuvenation of Older Main Upgrading Programme (MUP), the Interim Estates Upgrading Programme (IUP) and the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP), with varying levels of improvement works. Upgrading changes the ith rapid urbanisation, there residents’ lifestyle, the appearance and functions was always the danger of Wfocusing on the present and future building programmes and, as a result, neglecting existing buildings that were already built. Buildings and its physical environment needed to be regularly and properly maintained to prevent them from decay and being obsolete. A strong emphasis on preserving the community is also necessary to ensure that the nation stays integrated and strongly bonded as the standard of living improves. To this end, HDB had implemented 2 significant estate renewal strategies, namely the Upgrading Programme (UP) and the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). within blocks. It also re-organises, inserts and enhances housing elements, components and the environment. Of the three mentioned, the MUP is the most comprehensive improvement scheme. Recognising the space constraints in the smaller flats and to improve the functionality for older flats, residents are offered the option of having an additional ••7 space of about 6m2, attached to their individual In August 1993, the Interim Upgrading units. At the precinct level, new amenities will Programme (IUP) was started in order to be introduced and older facilities replaced. During bring the benefits of upgrading to more upgrading, the multi-storey car park (MSCP) is estates. While the MUP is meant for sometimes built to replace the existing surface precincts 18 years or older and covers car parks. With this provision, there will be improvements to the flat, apartment block opportunity to create more outdoor space for and the precinct, the IUP is for precincts greenery and recreation, on the ground level as between 10 to 17 years old and well as the roof deck of the MSCP. This concept improvements are concentrated only on is further made possible with the use of precast the apartment blocks and precinct. The IUP technology. Precast technology allows the is fully funded by the government and residents to stay in their home while the precinct carried out by town councils. undergoes upgrading. Construction works, as a result, will be completed faster and noise and For those blocks that were not scheduled dust will be kept within tolerable range. for MUP or IUP, and there is no direct lift access, HDB launched the Lift Upgrading Often, the MUP is coupled with LUP to provide Programme in 2001 to add new lift shafts barrier free access to all flats, either by upgrading and landings, wherever feasible. In May the lifts to stop on every storey (where technically 2005, the Government accelerated LUP, feasible) or adding new lifts. This mainly applies aiming to complete the programme in 10 to blocks built before 1989 when privacy years time. New lift systems like machine predominates over accessibility. Although this room-less lifts which are more cost effective improvement reduces the opportunity for and easier to build are adopted for the interaction at the lift lobbies and corridors, it is low-rise HDB blocks. This greatly benefited part of the Government’s effort to make the HDB those residents staying at the blocks which flats accessible and suitable for the ageing are previously found not economical for population in Singapore. the programme. 5.2 Redevelopment of older estates 6. Achieving Excellence in In Aug 1995, the government announced Public Housing the SERS Programme. Under this scheme, old HDB blocks with redevelopment potential DB mission is to build affordable and deemed as under-utilised by today’s quality housing, create and rejuvenate planning standards are identified, demolished our towns and promote the building and newer blocks are built in replacement. H of communities. These had been achieved The newer blocks are often taller and of higher through investment in technology, research density for better utilisation of land. and development and promotion of an With the financial benefits and allocation innovative culture within the organization. of priorities given to the affected residents, residents in older estates can take this opportunity to upgrade to newer flats nearby. They can enjoy all the new facilities and features of a modern living environment, without moving out from their familiar and comfortable environment. More importantly, they can retain and strengthen the close ••8 community ties and rapport built over the years. Apart from preserving the strong community ties, the Government is hoping to attract young families to live in the matured estates, through the SERS programme, this will help bring new lives to the older estates.

The introduction of prefabrication technology, mechanization of construction process, implementation of quality control management system, and R&D at Prefabrication Technology Centre (PTC) had all contributed significantly to helping HDB achieve its mission. HDB had also placed great emphasis on Safety. The safety factors considered during the design and construction stages, improvement programmes introduced during the buildings’ life cycle have helped improve the overall safety standards in HDB estates. The following few chapters will elaborate the success story of Singapore’s public housing programme, sharing learning points and setting future challenges.

BluePrints for Successful Public Housing Development