A sense of place in public housing: A case study of Pasir Ris, Singapore

Abstract

This paper examines the sense of place in a high-rise, high-density urban environment. In the past, most of the public housing estates in Singapore had a uniform, monotonous appearance. This is rapidly changing. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is using highly visible designs to add variety to the skyline of the estates and to the facades of blocks. Motifs, dormers and colours help to make each estate unique, so that residents have a sense of identity. Precincts, which comprise approximately 750 flats each, have their own focus of activities. Facilities such as courtyards, walkways and pavilions are meant as areas for interaction. This way, the residents have opportunities to get to know each other better and to develop a sense of bonding and belonging. While these planning principles have been more successful in creating a distinct identity for Pasir Ris, the new-generation estate surveyed in this study, the sense of belonging is not very evident. Is it because HDB has taken an ‘outsider's’ view of a sense of place? Have the residents been asked what they want to help them bond with each other and with the locality? It may be necessary to go beyond rational planning principles such as cost and efficiency to examine how emotional affective bonds develop in a public housing estate.