Hong Kong Star A Tale of Two Cities. 3｜The fate of "small land and many people" - Hong Kong is difficult to live in a big house in Singapore

Compared with the changes in the political environment, the harsh living environment in Hong Kong is even more suffocating. For example, property prices have been the highest in the world for 12 consecutive years, and the ubiquitous subdivided housing has become a modern slum that the world pays attention to; The "HDB" system with low price, large area and good environment is proud of the world - it not only provides a safe place for more than 80% of the local residents, but also successfully eliminates the differences between different classes and maintains a high degree of social stability.

Interestingly, Singapore's HDB policy is borrowed from Hong Kong's public housing system, but what is puzzling is that Xinggang is also facing the dilemma of less land and more people. Why can people live in big houses here? Is it a difficult one to live in?

Sin Chew: Affordable housing supports high quality of life

The "Livability Framework" is a governance principle summed up by the Singapore Urban Livability Center from the development experience of the past 50 years. It is based on a semi-floating and semi-submerged triangle. The water surface is the key achievement of three livable cities, including A competitive economy, a sustainable environment, a high quality of life; and beneath the surface are the systems that deliver results - integrated planning and development systems and dynamic urban governance.

The current "high quality of life" in Singapore requires affordable HDB flats.

In the late British colonial period, Singapore established an autonomous government in 1959, and immediately launched two five-year economic policies, trying to get rid of the single economic structure that relied too much on entrepot trade during the British rule, hoping to embark on the road of industrialization.

With economic development, the population also grew rapidly, from 1 million in the early 1950s to 1.64 million in 1960, and then to 1.89 million at the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1965.

However, housing supply has clearly not kept pace with economic development and population boom. For example, in the early 1960s, the urban area had only 40,000 housing units and could only accommodate up to 300,000 people.

Aware of the importance and urgency of the housing issue, the People's Action Party (PAP), led by Lee Kuan Yew, had pledged to provide low-cost housing for the grassroots during its campaign for self-government...

For details, please read the 330th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Electronic Weekly Newsletter (August 15, 2022) "

Hong Kong Star A Tale of Two Cities.

1｜A Tale of Two Cities of Hong Kong Star of "Moving Out of the City" and "Moving in the City".

2｜Superstitious market VS dynamic governance The development of the industry is the story of "The Twin Cities of Hong Kong Stars".

3｜The fate of "small land and many people" - Hong Kong is difficult to live in a big house in Singapore

The Singapore government amended the Central Provident Fund Act in 1968 to enable citizens to afford housing.

The picture shows the lottery ceremony for the HDB sale of HDB flats in 1965.

(National Archives of Singapore)

Singapore's "Conceptual Plan 1971" established a circular development with a combination of transportation and land as the leading role, forming a development layout of a circular and belt-shaped urban corridor.

(Urban Development Authority)

It took 21 years before and after the Hung Shui Qiao New Development Area plan to complete the consultation and urban planning procedures, far exceeding the 12 to 13 years originally planned for the plan, and the actual completion time is still far away. How can we say "effective implementation".

(file picture)

Qiu Yong worries that the Li Jiachao government will give up the quality of life of citizens in order to catch up with the "numbers".

(provided by respondents)