FLAT CHOICE DECISIONS OF HDB FLAT APPLICANTS

Abstract

For the past thirty-five years, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has played an important role in providing quality public housing to many Singaporeans. Today, HDB flat buyers are becoming more sophisticated and demanding. Hence the role of physical planning and designing of public housing is crucial in the development of public housing in meeting the rising expectations of HDB flat applicants. This dissertation attempts to examine the various factors that influence flat choice decisions of HDB flat buyers and their expectations of public housing design. It is based on the analysis of primary data obtained through a survey conducted by personal interviews with HDB applicants. Normal flats, design-and-build flats and design plus flats are the three flat choices made available to HDB applicants (and thus to all the respondents for this research). Design and Build Scheme and Design Plus Flats are programmes launched by HDB in the 1990s to inject variety and create new expression in public housing. It is found that households in the public housing market will make their flat choice decisions based on the level of importance they place on the design and layout of flats, design and layout of blocks, aesthetic appearance of the finishes, proximity to schools and purchase price of flats. It is hoped that this research can provide HDB with more information and thus a deeper understanding on the type of flats that can be provided to HDB applicants.