Communal Housing

These well-maintained complexes ensure that there is housing for all in this densely populated area.

In the early 1950s, Singapore's leaders governed one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The number of inhabitants had increased by 70% between 1931 and 1947, and was continuing to grow. By the end of the 1950s, one-third of the island's 1.5 million inhabitants lived in cramped and squalid conditions in the city center or shanty towns. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) was created in February 1960 to find quick solutions to resolve the island's housing crisis, as well as to plan and develop new urban areas. In two years, the HDB built more than 21,000 apartments, while in 1965, more than 54,000 new dwellings were constructed. By the end of the 1960s, the worst of the housing crisis was over. Over the next several decades, the HDB pursued its operations and became the island’s main property developer. The HDB houses nearly 80% of the 5.5 million Singaporeans today, and 90% of Singaporeans have bought their apartments on 99-year leasehold agreements.