STUDY OF THE COMMUNITY : RENTAL AND OWNER BLOCKS - DISCUSSION ON HOW THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS COMMUNITY BONDING AMONG RENTAL BLOCKS RESIDENTS

Abstract

Unlike other countries where public housing is usually seen as housing provided by the government for the poor, Singapore’s public housing is regarded as affordable housing catered for the masses, from low-income to upper middle-income groups. Despite being affordable, some of the lower income families are still unable to own a house of their own. Thus the Housing and Development Board (HDB) came up with rental housing under the Public Rental Scheme (PRS) that is specifically targeted at helping the needy. In March 2006, the government vowed not to provide large number of rental flats but changed their decision in 2011, where they decided to ramp up the construction of rental flats as soon as possible. (Khaw, 2011). On a site visit with a student volunteer at Casa Clementi, it was revealed that there is tension between the two social classes. As the two social classes are staying closer than ever, such tension may result in weaker bonding with the community and when not handled properly, may cause social segregation among the people. This paper aims to investigate the design approach for the low cost housing, comparing some of the layouts of these rental flats and the effectiveness and the level of community bonding with respect to these different typologies. The paper shall also focus on the elements that contribute to building a strong community bond as well as the evaluation of any current elements on site that may contribute to community bonding. Comparative studies will be made together with interviews and site observations will be conducted at the selected sites.