The Housing and Development Board (HDB) was established in 1960 to solve Singapore’s acute housing shortage after the People’s Action Party (PAP) Government came to power. In its first five-year program from 1960 to 1965, its priority was to construct flats quickly and cheaply, with an emphasis on building one-room emergency-type units. After four decades as Singapore’s biggest housing provider, the HDB has built more than 800,000 flats to house about 85% of Singapore’s population. HDB’s new towns are planned to be self-sufficient with commercial, recreational, institutional and other facilities to cater to the daily needs of the multi-ethnic population. Public housing governance is now focused on the decentralization of HDB functions with the introduction of town councils. First mooted in 1984, town councils were set up as a way to give residents a greater say in the running of their estates. With the onset of the greying population, the HDB has now launched public housing for the elderly. Recently, the HDB has embarked on an experimental housing project by building the first super-high-rise flats to house future citizens. Last but the least, the mission of the HDB, which started with providing affordable homes, has evolved to include the wider aim of promoting the building of communities. This paper examines these current governance issues and new challenges.

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