Negotiating Neighbourliness: Understanding Inconsiderate Social Practices through Data Mining and Culture Probes in Singapore Public Housing Neighbourhoods

Abstract

Over 80% of Singaporeans live in high-density, high-rise public housing neighbourhoods planned, built and operated by the Housing and Development Board, the so-called HDBs. While living in high-density condition has numerous advantages (e.g., convenient access to recreational, educational, commercial, and other facilities), it also creates challenges generated from inconsiderate behaviour and social practices, such as littering, smoking, noisemaking, or animal feeding (HDB, 2021). Such antisocial behaviour may result in neighbourhood dis-amenities and decreased liveability, neighbourhood satisfaction and social well-being.

To gain initial understanding of and reasons behind neighbourhood dis-amenities, we employed data mining analysis of the residents’ feedback made through official apps and platforms (over 300,000 data points), and the views expressed through social media (over 5,000 data points from Facebook and Reddit) between April 2018 and March 2021. We asked the following questions: What types of dis-amenities do residents feedback about and why? Where and when do they occur? How (in)tolerant are they of these dis-amenities? What are the effects of COVID-19 on dis-amenities and feedback behaviour? What are the solutions proposed by the residents? Are there differences between feedbacks lodged with government agency platforms and complaints made on social media? Machine learning techniques, NLP (Natural Language Processing) tools, and spatial mapping for analysing textual data (with reference to geo-location data) were employed for processing and analysing both datasets at two scales – across Singapore and in Toa Payoh neighbourhood. Moreover, culture probe methodology was employed with seven Toa Payoh residents to gain in-depth understanding of their encounters with dis-amenities, their personal thoughts about inconsiderate social practices and how these could be solved or prevented, which were not possible to observe on site by researchers.

Overall findings at both scales revealed that the issues of general littering, neighbourly noise, smoking-at-home and pigeon feeding pose the most concerns to residents. Higher reporting of inconsiderate neighbourhood behaviour occurred during the lockdown period due to COVID-19 pandemic, when vast majority of residents worked from home. Concerns relating to health, sanitation, and disturbance were key motivating factors that led to the high volume of feedback received. While the findings from official feedbacks and social media were largely similar, posts on social media showed greater intolerance for all dis-amenities. However, culture probe findings revealed different types of dis-amenities that residents were most affected by (e.g., spitting, cat feeding, dripping of laundry, or incense burning), which do not match the aggregate level top dis-amenities. Residents suggested an array of possible solutions, including exclusively governmental measures, individual or communal measures, and their combinations. However, resolving dis-amenities proved to be a challenging task as residents were split on their views towards the best way forward. This prompted a series of participatory activities (focus group discussions and design workshops) and a Dragon Heart Community Platform to bring residents together and support co-creation of ground-up interventions and solutions that matter to them the most.

References HDB. (2021). Public Housing in Singapore: Social Well-Being of HDB Communities and Well-Being of the Elderly. Housing and Development Board. https://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/-/media/HDBContent/Images/CDG/Library/Library/SHS-2018-Monograph-2---23-Apr-2021_RED.ashx?la=en&hash=F9BC908E331E92A8C15452E06647061096E34C6A

Keywords Inconsiderate social practices; Neighbourhood dis-amenities; Singapore public housing; Data mining; Culture probe