CITY GROWTH AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE 1819-1970

Abstract

The period of the S.I.T.'s existence witnessed steady growth and expansion in trade, commerce and industrialisation but in a much lesser degree than today. Superimposed on this image was the lums and obsolete tenements that the march of progress left behind. Singapore, a modern city compared to its contemporaries in other parts of Asia, was sliding back into the twilight of natural physical decay and overcrowding. The S.I.T.'s inability to deal with the housing problem as well as the overall planning of Singapore was mainly due to several reasons, In the early years of its existence, the Trust was all too concerned with the enforcement of backlanes to old, insanitary houses. Practically no progress was made in other duties like provision of more and better drainage and sewerage schemes. Public housing only became significant with the rapid increase in population and the fast deteriorating central area, particularly in the post-war years. And when the public house, programme was single-mindedly pursued, all other activities again tended to be neglected. Thus, the public amenities were seriously lacking. Roads had not vastly improved. Housing estates did not have the greenery and playgrounds as is common today. Much of the suburbs and areas away from the Municipal Limits were under agriculture with attap huts and isolated structures as dwellings. The picture of the town in the 1950's, though better than in the 1940's, was not as satisfactory as it should be.