Public Housing In Singapore Research Articles

Asset Value Enhancement of Singapore’s Public Housing Main Upgrading Programme (MUP) Policy: A Real Option Analysis Approach

The main upgrading programme (MUP) is a major policy implemented by the Singapore Housing Development Board (HDB) since the 1990s. This heavily subsidised policy is highly targeted in order to enhance the social and economic value of public housing in Singapore. It benefits HDB households residing in the older HDB housing estates in terms of both an enhanced asset value of the household’s flat and a quality living environment. An HDB flat owner whose precinct is selected for upgrading under the MUP policy is envisaged to be holding a call option to upgrade his flat, as this option to upgrade is valuable and it has an opportunity to command a higher price in the HDB resale market. This paper estimates the option premiums for upgrading by utilising the intuitive and explicit numerical method solution of the binomial real option pricing model and the Samuelson—McKean closed-form solution. The embedded real option premiums under the MUP policy are estimated at S$10 300 and S$2 000 for the popular three-room HDB flat and four-room HDB flat respectively. It is also found that government subsidies have a significant impact on the option premiums.

Productivism, Developmentalism and the Shaping of Urban Order: Integrating Public Housing and Social Security in Singapore

Singapore's socio-economic success has often been treated as an exception in East Asia, and therefore is of little value for generalisation. However, recent interest in the meanings of productivism and developmentalism in East Asia has reconnected and highlighted the theoretical potential of the Singaporean model. What makes more balanced socio-economic development possible in Singapore, other than the well-known growth factor? This paper argues that this partly lies in the practice of developmentalism through successful institutional integration of selected social policy sectors, manifested in the role of public housing and its amalgamation with social security and economic development. Additionally, since the Singapore government decides to lead in the housing and real estate sector, its policy shapes the urban form, minimising uneven urban development and its effect experienced by many other East Asian economies.

Housing Affordability in Singapore: Can We Move from Public to Private Housing?

With 84 per cent of the Singapore resident population housed in public housing, the ultimate dream for many is to move into private housing, which is generally considered to offer better quality and more exclusive living. This article is concerned with the enabling factors of affordability in housing mobility. It examines the Singapore public housing homeowners' affordability of private housing, suggesting a measure of that affordability. The survey findings indicate that only a small percentage of public homeowners can afford to move to median-priced private apartments. The number is even smaller for the relatively more expensive landed housing with own garden. On a theoretical level, the study demonstrates that the use of multiple methods to measure housing affordability is beneficial as more affordability determinants are included in the measurement.

High-rise Living in Singapore Public Housing

In recent years, amid the debates of sustainable development and urban compactness, there has been a widening interest to reintroduce high-rise living in cities. Several European cities including London and Manchester are once again building high-rise housing as part of their urban housing strategy. Elsewhere, in Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore are distinguished by their high-rise public housing developments. With nearly half of the world's population living in urban areas, the unfolding trend is towards a more urban-style development with taller buildings included as an inevitable housing solution. Drawing on findings from a study of Singapore public housing residents' living experience, this paper aims to look at the increasingly important question of the liveability of high-rise living by discussing the occupants' appreciation and concerns of high-rise.

Maintenance of Plastered and Painted Facades for Singapore Public Housing: A Predictive Life Cycle Cost-Based Approach

A major component of building maintenance costs is spent on the maintenance and repair of building façades. With maintenance budgets escalating day by day, in order to reduce the overall building maintenance expenditure, it has become necessary to minimise the total maintenance cost incurred during the lifetime of the façade while adhering to the specified performance requirements at the same time. This paper describes the framework for the development of a life cycle cost based model for maintenance of plastered and painted facades in the public high-rise residential sector in Singapore. A two-pronged approach is presented whereby: a. the onset and extent of spread of different defects in the paint and plaster layers is predicted and b. the optimum timing and the corresponding minimum maintenance/repair costs that would be incurred to rectify these defects are determined in order to satisfy prescribed maintenance standards. The envisaged life cycle cost model would serve as a valuable tool for property and building managers by providing a cost effective maintenance programme for plastered and painted facades.

A Constant-quality Price Index for Resale Public Housing Flats in Singapore

Largely because of the significant societal and economic aspects of public housing in Singapore, the current resale price index is published regularly by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Based on average transaction prices, this HDB index does not control for a shift in the mix of public housing resale flats transacted. This paper looks into the usefulness of the current HDB resale price index that is reflective of pure price appreciation across time. Adopting the varying parameter technique, a constant-quality HDB resale price index is constructed instead for the period between January 1997 and June 2000. The usefulness of a constant-quality resale price index is evaluated using three assessment criteria. First, through a series of comparative studies between a constant-quality HDB resale price index and other resale price indices, it is found that the constant-quality resale price index provides a better indication of pure price appreciation. Secondly, the parameters of price determinants are found to be unstable across distinct phases of the market cycle. During market recovery, greater premiums are generally attainable for better-quality flats due to positive market sentiment and improved economic conditions. Nevertheless, greater discounts are also generally attainable for lower-quality flats due to greater expectation attributable to rising resale prices. This implies that owners of better-quality flats would probably be better motivated to put up their units for sale during a market recovery. Thirdly, the difference in the values of price determinants during different phases of the market cycle suggests that the varying parameter techniques should be appropriate for the construction of a constant-quality HDB resale price index.

Enhancement of natural ventilation in high-rise residential buildings using stack system

This paper describes the feasibility study on the application of passive and active stack systems to enhance natural ventilation in public housing in Singapore. About 86% of the population is staying in high-rise public housing, known as Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, which is designed for natural ventilation. The primary objective of this work is to assess the status of natural ventilation in a typical four-room HDB flat using scaled model in the wind tunnel, and to develop an effective passive or active stack system to enhance natural ventilation in the flat. Four numbers of stacks with different sizes were tested at two locations in the flat. The study shows that the passive stack, incorporating the principle of airflow due to buoyancy, does not enhance air velocity in the flat. However, the active stack which operates based on the suction effect induced by a fan fixed at the top of the stack leads to substantial increase in the air velocity at the room and thus meeting the human’s thermal comfort condition. It was noted that the velocities increase along with the increase in the stack size.

Public housing and ethnic integration in Singapore

Prior to 1960, various immigrant ethnic groups were concentrated in different parts of Singapore, forming enclaves. The immigrant population was thus spatially segregated, with different ethnic concentrations in different parts of the island. Since 1960, the Singapore Government has used public housing as a policy instrument to integrate the multi-ethnic population spatially. This paper examines the implementation of this policy over the past four decades and evaluates its success. Using geographic information system technology, the ethnic composition of public housing estates can be traced on maps. The spatial distribution of the main races is shown at constituency level (i.e., division) but discussion includes the individual block level. The findings show that public housing has succeeded in reducing the intensity of the ethnic enclaves while increasing social integration.

Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) for Town Council Management in Singapore

The authors examine the relevance of public participation geographic information systems (PPGISs) to housing-estate management in Singapore. Formal interviews were conducted with five key informants to collect data. A mock-up PPGIS was developed and evaluated. Informal interviews with property managers and secondary data also contributed to the discussions. Findings suggest that the current level of information technology applications and the mandate to build a ‘People's Town’ in Singapore's public housing estate have laid a solid base for introducing PPGIS to housing-estate management. The existing channels of public participation in town council management also pointed to a collective form, based on the Residents' Committees, for accessing and using the PPGIS. It is hoped that this study contributes to PPGIS research by extending explorations to a new cultural context and to a new application area.

Adaptive behaviour and thermal comfort in Singapore's naturally ventilated housing

A comprehensive evaluation of thermal comfort for naturally ventilated (NV) public housing in Singapore was undertaken. The findings show that people are more thermally comfortable compared with the current predicted mean vote (PMV). From the statistical analysis, some discrepancies were observed amongst responses for thermal comfort, preference, and acceptability. Under hot and humid tropical climate, a cooler environment was found to be preferable as compared with what the neutral temperature indicated. The survey also studied the occupant's adaptive control preferences when they need to modify their living environment to make it more thermally comfortable. On a entrepris à Singapour une évaluation détaillée du confort thermique des logements publics ventilés naturellement. Il ressort de cette étude que les habitants se sentent plus à l'aise, sur le plan thermique, que ce que laissaient prévoir les votes moyens prévisibles (PMV). L'analyse statistique fait apparaâtre quelques écarts entre les réponses concernant le confort thermique, la préférence et l'acceptabilité. Dans les climats tropicaux chauds et humides, un environnement plus frais, comparé à ce que la température neutre indique, semble préférable. Cette étude a également porté sur les préférences des occupants en ce qui concerne un contrôle auto-adaptatif lorsqu'ils souhaitent modifier leur ambiance pour la rendre plus confortable sur le plan thermique.

Prepayment Risk of Public Housing Mortgages

Executive Summary. This paper examines the determinants of prepayment risk of mortgages for Singapore public housing, which are adjustable rate mortgages. An understanding of the prepayment risk of mortgages is important because prepayments affect investor return from investing in mortgage-backed securities. The findings show that prepayment is positively related to market sentiments and the interest rate of public mortgages. Conversely, it is negatively related to income growth and the relative difference between private and public housing prices. The findings further imply that the prepayment rate of public mortgages is directly affected by any policies that enhance the affordability of residents of public housing to move to private housing.

A model for decentralised grey wastewater treatment system in Singapore public housing

Global concerns over the sustainable use of natural resources provided the impetus for research into water reclamation from wastewater within the Singapore context. The objective of the research is to study and develop a water infrastructure system as an integral element of architecture and the urbanscape, thereby reducing the need for the large area requirements associated with centralised treatment plants. The decentralised plants were considered so as to break up the large contiguous plot of land otherwise needed, into smaller integrated fragments, which can be incorporated within the housing scheme. This liberated more usable space on the ground plane of the urban housing master plan, enabling water-edge and waterscape relationships within both the private and public domains of varying scale.

The Interpretation of Segregation Indices in Context: The Case of P in Singapore

The article argues that the interpretation of segregation indices has been deeply conditioned by U.S. and U.K. studies. Using an empirical example of the P index on data pertaining to Singapore's public housing residents, the article investigates the “exposure” dimension of segregation for Singapore's three main ethnic groups: Chinese, Malay, and Indians/Others. While the figures yielded are low in comparison to those in Western studies, the article demonstrates that low index values are nonetheless sociologically significant. The figures generated for Malay isolation in higher–quality public housing were argued to be qualitatively different from those for Indian isolation in lower–quality public housing. The former demands an appreciation of household structure and kinship ties, while the latter involves atomized individuals in a highly urbanized setting. Blind application and interpretation of indices run the risk of coming to erroneous conclusions. A contextual approach is needed for a better appreciation of the diverse ways in which segregation is manifested and experienced.

Thermal comfort evaluation of naturally ventilated public housing in Singapore

Field survey was conducted to evaluate thermal comfort perception of the occupants in naturally ventilated public housing in Singapore. Thermal acceptability assessment was performed to find out whether the naturally ventilated indoor environment meets the ASHRAE Standard-55's 80% acceptability criteria. The study investigated whether thermal perception was influenced by different sessions of the day, building height, and flat types. Comparative analysis of thermal sensation and thermal comfort votes revealed that a high proportion of people experiencing sensations of +2,+3 still found the conditions to be comfortable. The survey also examined the adaptive behavior of the occupants in the usage of climatic control such as windows, fans and air-conditioning to modify the indoor environment.

Ideologies of `Upgrading' in Singapore Public Housing: Post-modern Style, Globalisation and Class Construction in the Built Environment

Studies of Singapore public housing have tended to emphasise the ways in which urban planning and housing policies have contributed to rapid infrastructural development in the 1970s and 1980s while maintaining racial harmony and providing affordable housing to the majority of the population. In the 1990s, a series of `upgrading' exercises in many Singapore Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates have signalled a change in the status and function of public housing within Singapore's project to position itself as a global city. These transformations in the built environment are part of a larger process of social transformation not merely in terms of housing policy, but also in terms of issues of governance, class and social mobility, community and value systems. The centrality of public housing in Singapore's built environment, together with the sensitivity of its relationship to social indicators of upward mobility, make it a key indicator of the issues facing Singapore as it attempts to position itself as a global city. In particular, the move from a 'modern' to 'post-modern' architectural style signals the government's attempt at the same time to mark Singapore's arrival as a global city, to anticipate and manage social and economic divides and to construct a possible space for increasing public input and expression.

Ideologies of 'Upgrading' in Singapore Public Housing: Post-modern Style, Globalisation and Class Construction in the Built Environment

Studies of Singapore public housing have tended to emphasise the ways in which urban planning and housing policies have contributed to rapid infrastructural development in the 1970s and 1980s while maintaining racial harmony and providing affordable housing to the majority of the population. In the 1990s, a series of `upgrading' exercises in many Singapore Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates have signalled a change in the status and function of public housing within Singapore's project to position itself as a global city. These transformations in the built environment are part of a larger process of social transformation not merely in terms of housing policy, but also in terms of issues of governance, class and social mobility, community and value systems. The centrality of public housing in Singapore's built environment, together with the sensitivity of its relationship to social indicators of upward mobility, make it a key indicator of the issues facing Singapore as it attempts to position itself as a global city. In particular, the move from a 'modern' to 'post-modern' architectural style signals the government's attempt at the same time to mark Singapore's arrival as a global city, to anticipate and manage social and economic divides and to construct a possible space for increasing public input and expression.

Housing and the elderly in Singapore - financial and quality of life implications of ageing in place

In spite of the unprecedented success of publichousing in Singapore, the rapid rate at whichthe population is greying is causing housingstress in the matured Housing and DevelopmentBoard (HDB) estates. Although new housingoptions such as studio apartments are beingprovided by the public sector while a recentlyformed housing cooperative is developing aretirement village, the majority of the elderlyin Singapore prefer to age in place,notwithstanding the imbalance between thedemands of their homes and the functioninglevel of the elderly persons' physical andbiological systems. This implies that homemodification, rather than new-built elderlyhousing, may be a more pragmatic solution tothe elderly Singaporeans' housing problems thatcould also improve their quality of life. Since85% of the population of Singapore live inpublic housing, this paper examines the typesof home modifications that could be carried outto the existing stock of public housing so asto create a suitable living environment for theelderly. In addition, the paper considers thehousing finance predicaments of the elderlySingaporean and explores possible financinginstruments that could be implemented tosupport home modifications for Singapore'sgreying population. The paper concludes thatsince home modification(s) could improve thequality of life of the elderly persons morethan specialised housing, public funds shouldbe diverted from building new specialisedhousing to home modification(s) for elderlyhome owners.

Public Homeownership, Housing Finance and Socioeconomic Development in Singapore

This paper first presents an analytic review of Singapore public homeownership policy developments over the past 35 years. The analysis will then focus on the two main reasons contributing to the success of Singapore public homeownership: the country’s model of public housing finance; and the significant role public homeownership has played in its economic development. Finally, the paper concludes that the Singapore public housing system is not a ready package that can be applied anywhere, but that it does offer experiences that could be useful for other countries.

Everyday negotiations: women's spaces and the public housing landscape in Singapore

Focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary women in Singapore, this paper attempts to demonstrate the nexus between space and society in the local context. It is primarily concerned with the interaction between Singapore's public housing landscape and gender identities through women's daily routines. Toward this end, it first explores how Singapore's public housing landscape reflects and legitimises existing gender roles and relations. Through a critical interpretation of public housing allocation policies, this paper argues that the state's assumptions of ‘appropriate’ gender roles and relations that are far from equal are powerfully engraved on, and legitimised in, the public housing landscape. The paper also examines how women as active agents negotiate understandings and meanings of gender identities through their everyday activities. It reveals that while gender inequalities are reflected in, and reinforced by, women's everyday lives, which revolve predominantly around the timing and spacing of the activities of home‐centred and community‐centred settings, it is also through their everyday lives that women undertake various strategies to negotiate these inequalities. Overall, the paper demonstrates that although women are fully capable of making a difference in their everyday lives temporally and spatially, they remain constrained by an overarching social system which renders uncollected and scattered resistances in everyday life incapable of upsetting existing unequal gender roles and relations.

Aging like fine wine: a Singapore public housing story

This paper examines the unique context of the public housing resale market in Singapore over a 29-year period (1990 to 2018). We find that, on average, there is a price premium for housing units with a longer-term lease. This premium effect is significant and nonlinear after controlling for size, floor level, macroeconomic conditions, as well as year and location fixed effects. Specifically, the town and street fixed effects address the concern that older (but established) districts are characterized by more reputable schools and infrastructure such as health care offerings and shopping malls, while developing districts have innovative facilities with a fresh contemporary outlook as that of modern satellite towns. We document a different lease premium in mature towns as compared to that of the new towns, which captures the different concerns of buyers in combination with location and other characteristics of the houses.