Advisory Center for Affordable Settlements & Housing

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Document Type General
Publish Date 08/10/2010
Author Er. Louis Tay Heng Hock
Published By Er. Louis Tay Heng Hock
Edited By Ayesha
Uncategorized

Sustainable Affordable Housing for a Nation The Singapore Success Story

Sustainable Affordable Housing for a Nation The Singapore Success Story:

About Surbana:

• Formerly the Technical Consultancy Division of the Housing & Development Board ( HDB ) of Singapore

• Unique International Multidisciplinary Building Consultancy Outfit

• Expertise grounded & perfected in practice for over half a century

• Housing for Singaporeans – 27 World Class Townships – 1,000,000 homes

• Key Player in Singapore’s Success Story

• To date, projects in 27 countries & 95 cities

• We plan, Design & Implement Livable Futures

• We pride ourselves with providing 1st mover solutions that help transforming communities globally

Uncontrolled Urban Sprawl

• High Unemployment

 Sustainable Affordable Housing Shortage:

• Aging Strained Infrastructure

• Increasing Crime Rate

• Pollution

• Traffic Congestion

• Lack of Economic Sustainability

• Energy & Water Security

Government Commitment:

1. Land Banking:

• In 1967, the government legislated the Land Acquisition Act which empowered it to acquire land at low cost for public use.

• Today, 90% of land is owned by the state as opposed to 49% in 1965.

• This Act, together with sensitive resettlement policies, enabled HDB to clear squatters and slum areas smoothly and, and in their place, build new and a HDB flats.

2. Establishing an Institution to Focus only on Sustainable Affordable Housing:

• The Housing & Development Act (1960) gave the Housing and Development Board (HDB) legal authority on public housing matters.

3. Establishing of the Central Provident Fund ( CPF ):

Key Principles

• Self Reliance

• Strong Work Ethics

• Family Support

4. Government – the Banker of Public Housing:

• Cheaper Financing for the Poor

• Land Cost not factored into the Sale Price of Apartment

5. Leveraging off the Social Engineering Dimension of Public Housing:

• Ethnic Integration Policy

• Economic Integration Policy

• Designing Total Living Environments

• Policies to encourage family units to stay together

• Building a more cohesive society

Conclusion:

• Undisputed control of land use made possible through extensive Land Banking at the start of Nation Building

• Land Cost is not injected into the sale price of public housing

• Sustainable Affordable Housing Financing through the Compulsory National Savings instrument CPF – providing Singaporeans with the means to pay for their public housing

• Development & Implementation of standardized housing types and investment in manpower upgrading and building technology from the sole provider of Public Housing ( HDB ) – key to speeding up housing building programme without compromise in quality.

• Establishment of strict rules regarding the purchase and sales of public housing together with a well implemented estates maintenance strategy have helped enhance asset values of citizens through an established secondary market for social housing.

sustainable affordable housing

ALSO READ: Price Expectations and the U.S. Housing Boom

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