PROPERTY MANAGEMENT IN THE URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Abstract

The Urban Redevelopment Authority was bestowed with the responsibility for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Central Area. Land acquisition, slum clearance, resettlement and sale of sites thus came to be its main activities. But property management soon came to be recognised on, vital to the continuing creation and existence of our built environment. It was upon this realisation that this dissertation was written - to study the concept of property management in the URA. The analysis encompasses both the theoretical, and practical, discussions pertaining to property management. Case studies allow not only the evaluation of standards but also permit comparison with theoretical principles of property management. The study reveals that property management is given scant attention in URA as compared to its other roles in transportation, planning, rehabilitation, conservation and sale of sites. This attitude prevails because of the large number of resettlement cases, coupled with the restriction of functional bureaucracy limiting the scope for dynamic innovations and initiative. But tenants, resettlement cases included, are not satisfied with anything less than a well managed building. This expectation must be met for there can be no other justification for the existence of URA except for fulfilling the needs of the people.