SINGAPORE'S FUTURE HOUSING FRAMEWORK: VERTICAL VILLAGES

Abstract

The 1960s in Singapore brought about a reform in housing conditions, where residents were relocated to flats in order to alleviate the housing crisis. However, along with the demolishment of the kampongs, the sense of community, namely the “Kampong Spirit” greatly diminished as well, as residents felt more isolated from one another. Today, most of the Singapore residents are already living in high-rise buildings. However, in light of the growing population, there is a need to further increase the density with regards to the built-up land area. This would suggest a need for taller residential buildings, in order to house the growing population, as well as high density neighbourhoods. Hence, not only is there a need to intensify the density of housing in Singapore, there is also a need for the integration of the sense of community back into the society.

This paper explores the idea of the “Vertical Village”, where smaller communities or neighbourhoods are spread vertically upwards instead of horizontally across. Three local and one foreign case studies are analysed and cross evaluated in this paper. The objective would be generate a future high-density housing framework with highly interconnected and culturally diverse communities.