THE PROMISE OF THE GATE: EXECUTIVE CONDOMINIUMS AND THEIR MIDDLE-CLASS RESIDENTS

Abstract

The Executive Condominium (EC) Scheme is a hybrid housing scheme in Singapore that was introduced by the government to cater to middle class aspirations. It was tailored towards providing housing opportunities for the sandwich class, a phenomena in Singapore that describes Singaporeans who’s household income is too high to be eligible for subsidised public housing but could not afford private housing. Yet, a defining feature of the EC scheme is that it is the entry point for Singaporeans to buy into a gated community. I unpack the aspirations of these middle class residents and uncover what these aspirations are. How has their housing environment in their growing up years, amongst other fields, shaped their habitus in wanting to turn to the EC as a solution? What sort of power does the gate have on fostering deeper friendships and creating what I call the EC class identity? And despite ECs being built amongst other public housing projects, how is the gate impeding social mixing? I find ways in which community building organisations serve as a means to nudge EC residents into building stronger bonds within the estate and to allow them to venture and interact with the larger community that they are situated in. This thesis thus argues that the EC scheme creates the conditions that accelerate middle class identity by facilitating social interaction within the gate and comes at the cost of social mixing within the larger community.