In Singapore, the island city-state that has been able to make a huge transformation in its economy, infrastructure, and the quality of life of its residents over the past decades, there is also a huge urban renaissance that has accompanied that economic transformation and its clear effects in most areas. In this photo we see a tree-shaded corridor near a high-rise residential building containing dozens of units of varying sizes, from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Singapore’s public housing system has been very successful and has become a major factor in economic growth.
Six decades ago, Singapore was one of the poorest cities in Southeast Asia, with three-quarters of its population living in slums. Today it is a wealthy, modern city, with half of its 6 million people living in well-built high-rise apartments. These subsidized apartments are usually bright and airy, defying most perceptions of traditional housing projects, and most of them are owned by their occupants. Over the past 15 years, housing prices in Singapore have risen by 80%, with some apartment prices reaching US$1 million. To confront a potential housing crisis, the government has over the years offered hundreds of thousands of apartments in housing projects, in the form of “new cities” that are self-contained neighborhoods that include restaurants, shops, and schools. The center of the neighborhood usually contains a clinic, a bus stop, a subway station, or a mall. These neighborhoods or “new cities” also include a variety of apartments, to suit the needs and capabilities of different Singaporean families.
(Image from the New York Times service)
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