Singapore's New Town prototype: a textbook prescription?

Abstract

Singapore has been extremely successful in implementing a public housing policy which has not only solved the acute housing crisis that was inherited at the time of self-government, but has also been fundamental in achieving a range of other developmental objectives. Of particular significance is the extent to which the policy has led to a radical redistribution of population, ensuring a more appropriate locational arrangement for land-use activities and thereby facilitating the broader based economic strategy. This paper focuses on the role of new towns in this development process and describes how the Singapore new town prototype, although apparently mirroring western textbook prescriptions, has in fact evolved through time as a pragmatic response to local requirements and conditions.