Summary of How Singapore Fixed Its Housing Problem

00:00:00 - 00:00:00

In 1959, Singapore was having a severe housing crisis and its first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew set up the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to build rental units for the poor. Amid increasing racial tension, the HDB had a hard time convincing people to leave their informal settlements for new high-rises. Then came the still unexplained fire which broke out in the squatter settlement of Bukit Ho Swee on May 25, 1961. The government successfully rehoused all of the fire victims within a year and built new housing on the site of the disaster in the next five years. Today HDB has planned, designed and built over 1 million apartments spreading over the city-state.

• 00:00:00 In 1959, when Singapore obtained self-governance from the British, the city was having a severe housing crisis, struggling to accommodate its growing population. In 1960, Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his government set up the Housing and Development Board, or HDB, a public housing agency with a mission to build rental units for the poor. At the time, many immigrants including those from Malaysia were living in unhygienic slums. Amid increasing racial tension between Chinese and Malays, the HDB had a hard time convincing them to leave their informal settlements for new high-rises. Then came the still unexplained fire which broke out in the squatter settlement of Bukit Ho Swee on May 25, 1961. An area of 400,000 square meters was razed. Four people were killed and around 16,000 left homeless. The government successfully rehoused all of the fire victims within a year and built new housing on the site of the disaster in the next five years. Its speedy reaction won over the people and paved the way for future public housing projects. Today HDB has planned, designed and built over 1 million apartments spreading over the city-state. The percentage of people living in public housing has grown from 9%