EFFECTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING ON LANDED PROPERTY

Abstract

The massive building programme carried out by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has resulted in the springing up of many HDB new towns in Singapore. In fact, 85 per cent of the population of Singapore is housed within these flats. This is significant in comparison with the minority that is occupying private residential units. These public housing developments would have an impact on private housing developments. Thus the objective of the project was to determine the effects -- positive or negative — of public housing on private houses. To establish the effects on private residential owners, the viewpoints of the private residents were obtained in a survey conducted at three private residential areas Mayflower Gardens, Thomson Garden Estate and Lorong Ah Soo / Charlton area. The survey found that public housing does affect private housing negatively and positively. However, with the exception of a few, most of the private residents have accepted the presence of the flats as a common phenomenon in land-scarce Singapore. It was also found that flats for the middle-income group were more accepted by private residents. Despite any negativity of the HDB flats, the benefits to the community as a whole justifies their existence, even within a private residential area, and any inconveniences caused would have to be tolerated for the sake of achieving a home-owning society.