CHARACTER AND IDENTITY OF HDB NEW TOWNS : DEVELOPER AND RESIDENTS' VIEWPOINTS

Abstract

In the 1960s, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) sought to provide basic shelter and amenities in its building programmes. Throughout the 1970s, the second-generation new towns that were built reflected the rising affluence of Singapore in having better quality flats and service provision. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, rising demand necessitated the rapid construction of the third-generation new towns in quick succession. To solve the problem of uniformity and monotony among new towns due to similar planning principles, the HDB has since embarked on a concerted programme to provide character and identity to the new towns. According to studies on place, the character and identity of a place can be achieved through distinctive physical elements/objects as well as the meaning that is attached to a place, acquired through interaction between people and place over time. To provide character and identity to the new towns, the HDB has adopted various planning and design elements which aim to give both distinctiveness and meaning. These planning and design elements include variations in flat and block design, the precinct, neighbourhood and town centres, parks/gardens, skyline and landmark buildings. The varied use of colour, choice of materials, overall design and architectural details have enhanced the distinctiveness of the planning and design elements. A study is made of two third-generation new towns: Bukit Batok and Bishan. The study aims to investigate the developer and residents' viewpoints on the planning and design elements adopted to provide character and identity to the new towns. It also examines whether the socioeconomic variables of age, sex, income and room-type have an influence on residents' views. The findings suggest that: a) The HDB's efforts in providing character and identity through the planning and design elements have been successful. b) The HDB adopts a comprehensive approach at all levels of planning and design towns. Nonetheless, in giving character to the new a discernible priority is accorded to the planning and design elements, working from the 'higher' scale of skyline to the human-scale of precinct, block and flat. c) Respondents, on the other hand, place emphasis on the human-scale. They viewed the existing flat design and the precinct as least important in providing character. If they were to assume the role of developer, respondents ranked flat design as most important in providing character while the precinct was still ranked the lowest. However, since little has been done to the precincts in the two study areas, the precinct has remained only a planning concept which respondents have not identified with as yet. d) Each new town may have its own distinctive elements which respondents view as providing character. Hence while Bukit Batok respondents viewed their new town's 'Little Guilin' Park as the most important element, Bishan respondents considered their block designs as most important. e) The relationship between socio-economic variables and the rankings of the planning and design elements does not yield any concrete generalizations or show valid statistical correlations. Some salient points were however, noted. Policy implications arising from the findings are also outlined in this study, emphasizing the concern for more resident/user participation. The 1990s and beyond can be considered to usher in the 'identity phase' in public housing. The HDB's future directions which include the massive upgrading programme, flexi-flat projects, calling for private sector involvement and exploring new forms and designs will no doubt facilitate the evolution of character and identity of the new towns in Singapore.