ESTATE RENEWAL STRATEGY

Abstract

The last thirty years have seen great changes in the HDB in providing public housing for the eighty-six per cent for the population of Singapore. HDB has been exploring ways to provide variety and choice in the design of housing to meet the demand of the public's changing preferences and expectations. The recent development to meet this need of the nation is the Estate Renewal STrategy(ERS). The renewal strategy started its programmes with the four older housing estates, namely, Toa Payoh, Mountbatten, Ang Mo Kio and Bedok Towns. This dissertation examines the rationale and need for the implementation of the ERS and attempts to discuss the likely impact that the ERS will have on the housing market. The study observed that the older public housing estates in Singapore face building obsolescence, in the form of economic and functional obsolescence. Some of these buildings are run-down or in a poor state of physical condition and much smaller in sizes and equipped with only basic services. These older housing estates are inferior and incomparable to the newer estates. Thus the ERS attempts to correct these existing problems and rejuvenate the older housing estates. The study concluded that the ERS has positive impact on the government and increase the investment potential of these revitalised estates.