SELECTION CRITERIA OF OCCUPIERS IN LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING (CASE STUDY: JURONG EAST HOUSING ESTATE)

Abstract

The establishment of Housing and Development Board (HDB) was to take over the functions of Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) to attend to the housing problem arising in the earlier days. With higher standard of living and increase in the affluence of people, preferences for dwellings have changed over time. Therefore, HDB must be able to identify these changing preferences in order to better perform its role as a housing authority. This dissertation attempts to study the differences in the selection criteria of low and middle income housing occupiers. The study covers three aspects of selection criteria : locational, physical and cost factors. In general, the three most important factors considered by the respondents were floor level, proximity to work place and serenity. Factors that had significant differences in responses between low and middle income housing occupiers were : 1. Proximity to work place 2. Proximity to schools/educational institutions 3. Proximity to relatives 4. Proximity to recreational/leisure facilities 5. Serenity 6. View This study highlights the factors which influence the location decision of the two classes of occupiers and is useful for the planning and design of future public housing estate.