{"id":15066,"date":"2018-05-11T23:14:23","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T15:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/blog\/singapore\/?p=15066"},"modified":"2022-07-01T04:52:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T20:52:42","slug":"hdb-affordable-quality-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

One of the world\u2019s worst slums\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201c(A) disgrace to a civilised community\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>These are just some phrases used to describe Singapore back in 1940.<\/p>\n

Looking around at the sleek, cosmopolitan city filled with public housing that Singapore is today, we wouldn\u2019t blame you for thinking they needed their prescriptions checked. But the fact is that a mere 60 years ago, almost a third of Singapore\u2019s population were either squatting in makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses – all without access to proper ventilation, lighting, or sanitation.<\/p>\n

\"million<\/p>\n

So how was Singapore able to progress from that, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed:<\/p>\n

1932-1959: SINGAPORE INVESTMENT TRUST (SIT) FLATS<\/b><\/h3>\n

Back in 1932, while Singapore was still under British rule, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) was tasked with building public housing to address the shortage on the tiny island.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>By the end of 1959, SIT had built about 23,000 low-rise apartments around Singapore.The majority of them were\u00a0 <\/span>10 stories high, with between 2 – 4 rooms per apartment.<\/p>\n

Aesthetics-wise, one of the most distinguishing features that set SIT-constructed flats apart from\u00a0 <\/span>HDB flats we are more familiar with today, was the Art-Deco style known as \u2018Streamline Moderne\u2019. A style popular in Britain at the time,\u00a0 <\/span>designs were simple, echoing the smooth silhouettes of ships, airplanes and automobiles, accented with little flourishes like spiral outdoor staircases and round \u2018porthole-like\u2019 windows at stairwells.<\/p>\n

No doubt, it\u2019s these little trimmings that account for the higher resale prices these SIT-era flats command in the market today.<\/p>\n

While most of SIT\u2019s developments have since been demolished to make way for newer (and taller!) developments, you can still find a few remaining estates in Tiong Bahru and Dakota Crescent (though take note, the latter is slated to be demolished by the end of 2016).<\/p>\n

1960: HDB FLATS<\/b><\/h3>\n

Singapore attained self-governance from the British in 1959, which meant it finally had complete control over its internal policies – including housing. Dissatisfied with SIT\u2019s slow rate of construction and facing a housing crisis, the newly-elected People\u2019s Action Party (PAP) promptly replaced SIT with the Housing Development Board (HDB) in 1960<\/p>\n

HDB\u2019s main directive was to fulfill one of the campaign promises the PAP had made: that every citizen would have a proper roof over their head; a place they could call home. What resulted is the quintessentially Singaporean HDB blocks we see today.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They may not have been the most stylish of flats, but they were cheap and of good quality.<\/p>\n

To date, HDB has completed more than 1 million flats, and houses more than 80 percent of Singapore\u2019s population!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>A HDB flat is also the most common form of housing first time home buyers purchase through the Built-to-Order (BTO) system, implemented in 2001.Under this system, it requires potential buyers to first register their interest and construction of the flats only starts if more than 70 percent of the flats are \u2018booked\u2019. Any unbooked, or excess flats are then opened to the remaining public who can register under the Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) scheme.<\/p>\n

Successful bidders wait an average of 3 years from booking to the date of completion of their BTO flats.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>JURONG TOWN COUNCIL (JTC) FLATS<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>In the early 1950s, Jurong was earmarked to be one of the first industrial estates of Singapore. At the time it was uninhabitable, made up of marshlands and mangrove swamps, but was soon transformed by the Jurong Town Council (JTC) into a thriving industrial park.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>However, its remote location from the rest of Singapore made it difficult to attract workers, who found it too lengthy a commute. To remedy this, JTC set about building its first housing estate in Jurong itself, aptly named Taman Jurong (which translates to Jurong Park).<\/p>\n

After Taman Jurong came other estates like Boon Lay Gardens, Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens, until 1982 when JTC officially handed the reigns over to HDB.<\/p>\n

Since then, most JTC flats have been demolished to make way for newer developments.<\/p>\n

HUDC FLATS<\/b><\/h3>\n

While HDB was focused on the lower-income groups, there was a growing middle class in Singapore who could afford more than the basic facilities provided by HDB, but for whom private housing was still out of reach.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Consequently the Housing and Urban Development Company (HUDC), a joint venture between the HDB and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), was set up in 1974 to build housing targeted for this demographic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The HUDC flats were much larger than the HDB flats being built at the time (exceeding 100m2<\/sup>\u00a0 <\/span>in size compared to HDB\u2019s 60 \u2013 75 m2<\/sup>), were built in more exclusive areas, and had amenities comparable to private properties such as covered car parks, landscaped grounds, and even park views; all at a fraction of the cost of private properties. HUDC flats also often had large grounds, for example, the Farrer Court estate comprised 838,488 sq ft of land (that\u2019s about 2 \u00bd times the size of the Padang) for its mere 618 units!<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0 <\/span>demand for HUDC flats began to wane in the 80s, perhaps in part because of the loss of its exclusivity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>It was officially scrapped in 1987, with a total of 18 estates, or 7,731 units, having been built throughout its run.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The story didn\u2019t end there though. In 1995, the government announced that HUDC estates could be privatised as long as 75 percent of the residents agreed to it, and with the payment of a privatisation fee – an option the homeowners took up quite eagerly. Since 1995, all the HUDC estates have been privatised, the last of which was Braddell View back in 2014.<\/p>\n

A few of these HUDC estates have since been bought up by developers via en-bloc sales, with the largest bid so far being for Farrer Court, which went for $1.34 billion.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>1995: EXECUTIVE CONDOMINIUMS (EC)<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Executive
Executive condo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span>With the dissolution of the HUDC the needs of the burgeoning middle class, , who earned too much to qualify for HDB flats but still could not afford the hefty cost of private property in Singapore, reared its head once more.<\/p>\n

To that end, the government introduced the Executive Condominium (EC) scheme in 1995.<\/p>\n

ECs are touted as a type of public-private hybrid housing \u2013 they look like private condominiums, and have similar facilities, but are still subject to the eligibility and resale restrictions of the usual HDB property.\u00a0 <\/span>The resale restrictions expire however at the end of 10 years, and owners may then sell their flats like any other private property.<\/p>\n

While ECs are built by private developers, they\u2019re sold at far lower prices (about 20-25 percent lower) than the usual private condominiums. The purchase price may be further lowered using CPF Housing grants(should they qualify), which isn\u2019t possible when buying private properties in the open market.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Since then, ECs have proven to be a massive hit amongst Singaporeans. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2005-2011: DESIGN, BUILD AND SALE SCHEME (DBSS) FLATS<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>In a bid to diversify the property market and provide lower income households with access to more elegant, condominium-style housing, the Design, Build and Sale Scheme (DBSS) was introduced in 2005.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The DBSS flat was pitched as a\u00a0 <\/span>midpoint between an HDB flat and an EC. While DBSS flats looked like private condominiums, with the higher end fittings and finishings, they lacked the extra amenities of ECs like swimming pools or gyms.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Under the scheme, developers are given sole discretion over the design and price of the flats. Once completed, the development site is handed back to HDB for lease administration, and the maintenance of common areas is administered by the Town Council. This is unlike ECs and private condominiums where such matters are managed by the residents themselves.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Unfortunately the DBSS flats haven\u2019t succeeded in winning the hearts of Singaporeans. There was public outcry when one of the developments was offered at the outrageous price (by public housing standards) of $800,000 for a 5-room unit. Although the price was eventually reduced due to the severe public backlash, it took some of the shine off the scheme. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The DBSS scheme was ultimately suspended in 2011, and there\u2019s no word yet on whether it\u2019ll resume any time soon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you found this article helpful, 99.co recommends\u00a0Housing hopes and dreams: what 20-somethings aspire to own<\/a> and\u00a0HDB terrace flats \u2013 what are they and where can I find them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Find the home of your dreams today at Singapore\u2019s largest <\/span>property portal 99.co<\/span><\/a>! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the world\u2019s worst slums\u201d \u201c(A) disgrace to a civilised community\u201d \u00a0These are just some phrases used to describe Singapore back in 1940. Looking around at the sleek, cosmopolitan city filled with public housing that Singapore is today, we wouldn\u2019t blame you for thinking they needed their prescriptions checked. But the fact is that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":55121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53631,53632,53589,57131],"tags":[53605,53707,53636,54769,54770,54301],"persona":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post","17":"entry","18":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHDB: from slums to high-rise affordable quality housing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How was Singapore able to progress from makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How was Singapore able to progress from makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/99dotco\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-11T15:14:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-06-30T20:52:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"703\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"411\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"99.co\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@99dotco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@99dotco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"99.co\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"99.co\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/person\/0058658f1a1cdadf5f7d957b386c348b\"},\"headline\":\"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-11T15:14:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-30T20:52:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\"},\"wordCount\":1408,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"condominium\",\"EC\",\"hdb\",\"hudc\",\"jtc\",\"public housing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"HDB\",\"HDB Stories & Insights\",\"Home & Living\",\"Property News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\",\"name\":\"HDB: from slums to high-rise affordable quality housing\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-11T15:14:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-30T20:52:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"How was Singapore able to progress from makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg\",\"width\":703,\"height\":411},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HDB\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"HDB Stories & Insights\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb\/hdb-stories-insights\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization\",\"name\":\"99.co\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/nnco_logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/nnco_logo.webp\",\"width\":192,\"height\":72,\"caption\":\"99.co\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/99dotco\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/99dotco\",\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/99.co\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/3625176\",\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/99dotco\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCTFNrxXF9L1XZUlZNq07VKA\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/person\/0058658f1a1cdadf5f7d957b386c348b\",\"name\":\"99.co\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f6649f4d3298536e8085a4a4d924b6ec5ceff99798f55c6641e187bfb7e4bb1?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f6649f4d3298536e8085a4a4d924b6ec5ceff99798f55c6641e187bfb7e4bb1?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"99.co\"},\"description\":\"We are a property search engine with the overarching goal of building a more transparent and efficient property market. We are working towards that future by empowering people with the tools and information needed to find a place to live in the best way possible.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/author\/99-co\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"HDB: from slums to high-rise affordable quality housing","description":"How was Singapore able to progress from makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing","og_description":"How was Singapore able to progress from makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/99dotco\/","article_published_time":"2018-05-11T15:14:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-06-30T20:52:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":703,"height":411,"url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"99.co","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@99dotco","twitter_site":"@99dotco","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"99.co","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/"},"author":{"name":"99.co","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/person\/0058658f1a1cdadf5f7d957b386c348b"},"headline":"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing","datePublished":"2018-05-11T15:14:23+00:00","dateModified":"2022-06-30T20:52:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/"},"wordCount":1408,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg","keywords":["condominium","EC","hdb","hudc","jtc","public housing"],"articleSection":["HDB","HDB Stories & Insights","Home & Living","Property News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/","url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/","name":"HDB: from slums to high-rise affordable quality housing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-11T15:14:23+00:00","dateModified":"2022-06-30T20:52:42+00:00","description":"How was Singapore able to progress from makeshift open-air shelters, or cramped in torrid, overcrowded shophouses, into the clean, slum-free, metropolitan city we see today? We chart the journey of public housing to bring you full up to speed.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/waterway_ridges_punggol.jpg","width":703,"height":411},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb-affordable-quality-housing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HDB","item":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"HDB Stories & Insights","item":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/hdb\/hdb-stories-insights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"HDB: From slums to high-rise affordable Public Housing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/","name":"","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#organization","name":"99.co","url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/nnco_logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/nnco_logo.webp","width":192,"height":72,"caption":"99.co"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/99dotco\/","https:\/\/x.com\/99dotco","http:\/\/instagram.com\/99.co","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/3625176","http:\/\/pinterest.com\/99dotco\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCTFNrxXF9L1XZUlZNq07VKA"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/person\/0058658f1a1cdadf5f7d957b386c348b","name":"99.co","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f6649f4d3298536e8085a4a4d924b6ec5ceff99798f55c6641e187bfb7e4bb1?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f6649f4d3298536e8085a4a4d924b6ec5ceff99798f55c6641e187bfb7e4bb1?s=96&r=g","caption":"99.co"},"description":"We are a property search engine with the overarching goal of building a more transparent and efficient property market. We are working towards that future by empowering people with the tools and information needed to find a place to live in the best way possible.","url":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/author\/99-co\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Amanda Tan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15066"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}