This picture attempts to put the incredible magnitude of a single housing estate in perspective.
Public Housing
Singapore has one of the most successful public housing programs in the world. Today, 86% of the population lives in housing provided by the government.
The first public housing was implemented in the 1930's, but the revolutionary program as we know it today did not begin until the 1960's. By that time the living conditions in the city were so deplorable that something major had to be done.
Public housing in Singapore is characterized by high density high rise buildings designed to take up as little of the precious land resources as possible. In the typical European or North American city residential uses take up 40-50% of the land, but in Singapore the amount as hovered around 13% since the 1960's (Perry 157).
1960's
This was the first decade of public housing. Because of the severe housing shortages in the city at this time, the first priority was to build as many units in as little time as possible to get people out of the slums and squatter settlements of the area. Most of the apartments were 1-3 room utilitarian flats built to house low income families.
1970's
With the slums and squatter settlements reduced in size the government could afford to target a more middle class audience. The new housing estates were built farther away from the core area as transportation improved. A new central bus terminal was built and new roads and expressways linked the new estates to the city center. An added improvement was that the enormous housing estates were divided into smaller groups known as neighborhoods (each composed of 1000-5000 families). Each neighborhood had amenities such as shops, clinics, and playgrounds. This was done to help reduce the feeling of living in an institution and to improve community relations.
1980's
During this time the emphasis was on creating character in the design of the housing and promoting a greater sense of community among the residents. Architects worked to create buildings that had both a homey feeling and were more pleasing to the eye. Ideas that were implemented include varying building height to break up the monotony of the skyline (picture on the right), pitched roofs, overhanging eaves, and tall windows. To improve community cohesiveness the neighborhoods were broken down into pedestrian precincts of 600-1000 families. Each precinct featured a central area designed for community activities (picture on the left).
The reason public housing has remained successful is the consistent upkeep and remodeling that is done. This keeps the population distribution in the old and new estates equal. As of the 1990's an apartment resident would have to pay only 8%-21% of the cost of remodeling, depending on the size of the flat (Perry 240).
In the governments continuing effort to engineer the 'perfect living environment' they have even created laws dictating the racial composition of housing. During the 1980's officials became concerned about the racial segregation within the housing developments, so in 1989 they passed a low establishing quotas for different ethnicities designed to reflect the proportions of races within Singaporean society. Home owners of majority races are not forced to leave their apartments, but when the apartment goes on the market it must be sold to a member of an under represented group.
Despite the government's careful planning to create complete living environments out of the core area, many of Singapore's housing estates today resemble the suburbs and bedroom communities of the United States. "Public transportation made the journey to the CBD short enough that many residents preferred to shop and dine there rather than at the more limited establishments in their housing estates. Thus, as in other countries that have attempted to build new towns, Singapore's new towns and housing estates have served largely as suburban residences and commuter settlements, the center of life only for the very young and the very old" (LePoer 77).