HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD AND RESIDENTS' COMMITTEE SCHEME

Abstract

The task of providing adequate housing and a healthy living environment for the population in Singapore has been assigned to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) by the government since 1960. In the past two decades, large scale public housing programmes have made a tremendous impact in changing the physical environment of Singapore. Estate Management represents one of the major challenges for the HDB. The Residents' Committee Scheme serve to complement and assist the HDB in the estate management of public housing estates. Residents' Committees (RCs) provide a channel of communication between the housing authority and the residents. In order to ensure proper execution of this function, co-operation and understanding among the Area Office (AO), Residents' Committee Group Secretariat (RCGS) and the Residents' Committee is imperative. Friction that arises from the close working relationships among these three parties should be resolved. This dissertation undertakes an exploratory study of the need for RCs in public housing estates, an evaluation of the RC Scheme and an examination of the tripartite relationship. Possible recommendations are proposed.