national education

Hey kids, most of us live in HDB flats these days. But did you know what life was like before the HDB came into being? Read on to find out more.

Living In Singapore (The Past)

More than 40 years ago, most Singaporeans lived in unhygienic slums and crowded squatter settlements packed in city centres. The bad living conditions were a potential fire hazard and also posed health problems for the citizens. Housing shortages was a serious problem as Singapore grew and thrived and more immigrants settled down here.

 

The Birth of HDB

In 1960, the Housing Development Board (HDB) was set up to address these problems. Led by Mr Lim Kim San, its mission was to solve Singapore 's housing crisis by building as many low-cost housing units as possible. Due to the lack of space in Singapore, high-rise buildings which could house many people in the same block were erected.

 

Living In Singapore (The Present)

Today, 84 per cent of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. These flats provide hygienic living conditions, are relatively affordable and are pleasing to the eyes in terms of design. It is a far cry from the slums and squatter settlements that dotted the Singapore landscape in the past. HDB's housing strategy was a huge success. But, it was not all a bed of roses at the beginning.

 

Moving the People

The biggest problem that the HDB faced at the beginning was getting people to move into the newly-built flats. The housing units built at the start were mostly meant for rental for the low-income group. However, in 1964, the government introduced the Home Ownership for the People Scheme. Under this scheme, Singaporeans could buy and own their own flats. The government wanted to give Singaporeans a sense of belonging and an asset in the country. Also, it wanted to encourage people to move into the flats. But this still could not convince the people to move from their squatters into flats. It was not until the Bukit Ho Swee fire that people were willing to move into flats.

 

The Bukit Ho Swee Fire

On 25 May, 1961 , at 3.20 pm , a fire broke out in the squatter settlement of Bukit Ho Swee. Four people died, 85 were injured and 16,000 people were made homeless. 2,200 attap houses were also destroyed. The fire was thought to be caused by the flammability of the squatter settlements, cramped conditions and lack of hygiene. Up to this day, no one knows if the fire was caused by arson or an accident. Whatever the case might be, the fire promoted a shift of people into the HDB-built housing.

After the fire, HDB was quick to act, resettling the victims of the fire into recently built flats in the Queenstown and St Michael's areas. They also acquired the land at Bukit Ho Swee and began constructing houses for the victims. They built 768 flats in just nine months. Over the next four years, 8,000 flats were built and those who lost their homes were able to return.

Another Fire

However, the squatter settlement at Bukit Ho Swee started again after the fire. It was not until another fire on 24 November, 1968 that made 3,000 people homeless that people began moving into flats.