Housing

TopicsHousing shortage: • Lack of safe shelter• Insufficient basic services• Elements of inclusive housing• Affordable housing• Facilities and amenities for all ages• Strong sense of place and belonging

What causes housing shortages?

• Rapid population growth• Migration (rural-urban migration), international migration etc..• High Birth Rates in cities, compared to the average for the country• Limited land in cities• Competing land use

Thus housing supply cannot match the demand.So many will stay in slum areas /squatters http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/world_manila_slum_life/html/1.stm

About one billion people live in slums and the highest concentration of them can be found in

Asia.. where about 20 million people live in slums in the Philippines

Look through the images on slum areas, list some of the characteristics of those areas

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/world_manila_slum_life/html/2.stm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ_ogmgFDfg

http://madmenonthemove.com/2014/07/27/i-escaped-death-in-the-slums-manila-philippines-2/

Walkthrough of slums in Manila:

http://www.justonewayticket.com/2014/05/11/smokey-mountain-a-walk-through-the-slums-of-manila-philippines/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwo5rjiIEsQ

Watch the following links on the housing and other related issues. What do you think we could do to improve the

situation?

There are series of documentaries on Manila Slums. Watch and understand some of the conditions faced by the slum

dwellers..

https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=OIGA0xDDagQ&list=PLzGHKb8i9vTzzdepVrNsOATf9u44nfIXH&index=7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltBIHXyKi0I&index=4&list=PLzGHKb8i9vTzzdepVrNsOATf9u44nfIXH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO9ccX36Ua4

Common traits of slums around the world

• Lack of basic services or amenities such as access to clean water, basic sewage facilities, waste disposal

• Also no or limited supply of electricity, lack of accessibility/transport.

• Often built on marginal lands: along the river (flood prone), along railway tracks, on the city fringe, built on steep slopes (prone to landslides), wasteland or old mining sites etc..

• Houses/shelters are arranged haphazardly, no proper planning of the areas.

• Houses are built of materials such as cardboards, plastic sheets, or materials salvaged by the occupants, which do not provide a safe shelter

• Squatters often built on land without the permission from the government

Changes in Housing in Spore

Pre and post independence

http://www.slideshare.net/ideasandrew/images-of-singapore-in-60s-70s

Singapore in the 1960’s and 1970’s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngGwguIE724

Singapore in the 1960’s and 1970’s footage

https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2009/09/ walking through memory lane

http://remembersingapore.org/2012/05/11/from-villages-to-flats-part-2/

Chinatown

Central Business District (Raffles Place)

Identify some of the changes in the architecture as shown in the picture (Eg: Chinatown vs the CBD)

According to official data, the median Singaporean worker experienced real wage growth of 5.2 per cent (including employer CPF) from 2009 to last year. The prices of new and resale HDB flats have gone up by 12 per cent and 45

per cent respectively during the same period.

Middle-income families could well be bearing the brunt of the increase in housing prices, as the low-income families receive a lot more aid from the

State.

The Government has realised the problem and acted on it quickly. During this year’s Budget speech, a slew of measures was announced to meet the diverse

housing needs of those who were previously sidelined. First-timer singles, expectant mums, parents with young children and Singaporean with foreign

spouses all had their fair shares of the pie after recent tweaks in housing policies.

Towards greater inclusiveness

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/housing-policy-moves-towards-greater-inclusiveness

Discuss why there’s an urgent need to have greater inclusiveness in providing public

housing in Spore?

More information on Spore property and rental http://www.aboutsingaporeproperty.com/category/hdb/page/11/

http://www.aboutsingaporeproperty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/BT-23-Sep-10-HDB-supply.jpg

Describe the trend shown in the graphs above.

Explain the trend you have identified..

Why is the price for property (esp HDBs) skyrocketed in the recent years?

Are the PRs to be blamed in this case?

• https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/property-blog/prs-blame-high-hdb-resale-flat-prices-022348690.html

Refer to the following link to understand more on the situation..

What can be done/has been done to solve the problems of housing shortages in Spore?

• List and suggest the steps taken by Spore government in tackling the housing problems in S’pore.

• Discuss the effectiveness of such measures.

• Write your answer on foolscap paper and share your findings

Property cooling measures (Visit the following link..)• http://www.srx.com.sg/cooling-measures

Readings/Resources:

• Online resources• URA Website:http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/

• NEA: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/3hnowcast.aspx

• Walkthrough of slums in Manila: http://www.justonewayticket.com/2014/05/11/smokey-mountain-a-walk-through-the-slums-of-manila-philippines/

• Slums in India: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/65-million-people-live-in-slums-in-india-says-census-data/article5188234.ece

• Hong Kong Housing Problems:http://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1410730/hong-kong-ranks-worlds-no-1-most-unaffordable-housing?page=all