Housing and Development Board
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History
Shortly after independence, Singapore faced a serious problem of housing shortages. In response, the government passed the Housing and Development Act of 1960 which replaced the existing Singapore Improvement Trust with the Housing and Development Board.
Led by Lim Kim San, its first priority during formation was to build as many low-cost housing as possible, and Five-Year Plans were introduced. Housing initially built was mostly meant for rental by the low income group. 54,430 housing units were built between 1960 and 1965 by the HDB. Due to land constraints, high-rise and high-density flats were chosen.
The policies of the HDB were largely in line of the manifesto set out by the Singapore government; The government was promoting social cohesion and patriotism within the country. In 1968, citizens were allowed to use their pension fund (Central Provident Fund) to purchase and own the homes they were renting to give them a stake of the country and as an incentive to work hard. In 1980, a quota was introduced to ensure that no particular racial group concentrated together to prevent racial polarisation. To prevent social stratification that may lead to social conflict, the housing of different income groups are mixed together in estates and new towns
In the 1990s, the HDB concentrated on the upgrading of existing older flats, installing new facilities such as lifts that stop on every floor. Studio apartments were built specially to suit the needs of senior citizens in Singapore's growing aging society. 86% of Singapore's population are currently living in HDB flats.
Upgrading programmes
- Main Upgrading Programme (MUP), launched in March 1992
- Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP), launched in August 1993
- Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), launched in August 1995
- Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP), launched 2001
Headquarters
HDB's headquarters was previously located at Bukit Merah, and recently has moved to its new premises HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.
HDB Towns
- Ang Mo Kio New Town
- Bedok New Town
- Bishan New Town
- Bukit Batok New Town
- Bukit Merah
- Bukit Panjang New Town
- Choa Chu Kang New Town
- Clementi New Town
- Geylang
- Hougang New Town
- Jurong East New Town
- Jurong West New Town
- Kallang/Whampoa
- Pasir Ris New Town
- Punggol New Town
- Queenstown
- Sembawang New Town
- Serangoon New Town
- Sengkang New Town
- Simei New Town
- Tampines New Town
- Toa Payoh New Town
- Woodlands New Town
- Yishun New Town
HDB Estates
- Ayer Rajah Estate
- Braddell Heights Estate
- Brickworks Estate
- Bukit Ho Swee Estate
- Bukit Timah Estate
- Changi Village
- Marine Parade Estate
- Telok Blangah Estate
- Tiong Bahru Estate
External links
- HDB Website (http://www.hdb.gov.sg)
- Guide to Housing & Accommodation in Singapore (http://dly.free.fr/site/article.php3?id_article=12)
- HDB Buy v. Rent Calculator (http://www.asinah.org/travel-guides/singapore-hdb-calculator.html)