Singapore's HDB Flats (Part 1)

Singapore's housing keeps the country together. While expatriates pay relatively high rates for living spaces, Singaporean citizens can access one of the world's best deals: a relatively low-interest mortgage in an HDB  flat/apartment guaranteed to increase in value. Yet, the genius of Singapore is not that it solved housing issues in one of the world's smallest countries--it's that its leaders used housing to improve social cohesion. 

When Singapore's founders experienced racial riots and saw Ceylon dissolve, they vowed their country would be different. When each citizen is assigned a flat/apartment within a housing estate, the overall estate must be racially diverse. Though mixed marriages have made racial designations more complex--some even go so far as to use the word, "useless"--PM Lawrence Wong recently re-affirmed the diversity quotas, which also guarantee non-segregated schools. Considering how successful Singapore's housing policies have been, I'm surprised more photos of HDB flats are not available. This week, I took a walk around two estates. I hope you enjoy the photos. 

All content © Matthew Mehdi Rafat (October 2023)