1. Housing Topics Housing shortage: Lack of safe shelter Insufficient basic services Elements of inclusive housing Affordable housing Facilities and amenities for all ages Strong sense of place and belonging

2. What causes housing shortages? Rapid population growth Migration (rural-urban migration), international migration etc.. High Birth Rates in cities, compared to the average for the country Limited land in cities Competing land use Thus housing supply cannot match the demand. So many will stay in slum areas /squatters http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/world_manila_slum_life/html/1.stm About one billion people live in slums and the highest concentration of them can be found in Asia.. where about 20 million people live in slums in the Philippines

3. Look through the images on slum areas, list some of the characteristics of those areas http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/world_manila_slum_life/html/2.stm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ_ogmgFDfg

4. http://madmenonthemove.com/2014/07/27/i-escaped-death-in-the-slums-manila-philippines-2/

5. Walkthrough of slums in Manila: http://www.justonewayticket.c om/2014/05/11/smokey- mountain-a-walk-through-the- slums-of-manila-philippines/

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwo5rjiIEsQ Watch the following links on the housing and other related issues. What do you think we could do to improve the situation? There are series of documentaries on Manila Slums. Watch and understand some of the conditions faced by the slum dwellers.. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=OIGA0xDDagQ&list=PLzGHKb8i9vTzzdepVrNsOATf9u44nfIXH&index=7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltBIHXyKi0I&index=4&list=PLzGHKb8i9vTzzdepVrNsOATf9u44nfIXH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO9ccX36Ua4

7. Common traits of slums around the world Lack of basic services or amenities such as access to clean water, basic sewage facilities, waste disposal Also no or limited supply of electricity, lack of accessibility/transport. Often built on marginal lands: along the river (flood prone), along railway tracks, on the city fringe, built on steep slopes (prone to landslides), wasteland or old mining sites etc.. Houses/shelters are arranged haphazardly, no proper planning of the areas. Houses are built of materials such as cardboards, plastic sheets, or materials salvaged by the occupants, which do not provide a safe shelter Squatters often built on land without the permission from the government

8. Changes in Housing in Spore Pre and post independence

9. http://www.slideshare.net/ideasandrew/images-of-singapore-in- 60s-70s http://www.slideshare.net/ideasandrew/images-of-singapore-in- 60s-70s Singapore in the 1960’s and 1970’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngGwguIE724 Singapore in the 1960’s and 1970’s footage https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2009/09/https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2009/09/ walking through memory lane http://remembersingapore.org/2012/05/11/from-villages-to-flats-part-2/

10. Chinatown Central Business District (Raffles Place) Identify some of the changes in the architecture as shown in the picture (Eg: Chinatown vs the CBD)

11. According to official data, the median Singaporean worker experienced real wage growth of 5.2 per cent (including employer CPF) from 2009 to last year. The prices of new and resale HDB flats have gone up by 12 per cent and 45 per cent respectively during the same period. Middle-income families could well be bearing the brunt of the increase in housing prices, as the low-income families receive a lot more aid from the State. The Government has realised the problem and acted on it quickly. During this year’s Budget speech, a slew of measures was announced to meet the diverse housing needs of those who were previously sidelined. First-timer singles, expectant mums, parents with young children and Singaporean with foreign spouses all had their fair shares of the pie after recent tweaks in housing policies. Towards greater inclusiveness http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/housing-policy-moves-towards-greater-inclusiveness

12. Discuss why there’s an urgent need to have greater inclusiveness in providing public housing in Spore? More information on Spore property and rental http://www.aboutsingaporeproperty.com/category/hdb/page/11/

13. http://www.aboutsingaporeproperty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/BT-23-Sep-10-HDB-supply.jpg Describe the trend shown in the graphs above. Explain the trend you have identified..

14. Why is the price for property (esp HDBs) skyrocketed in the recent years? Are the PRs to be blamed in this case? https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/property-blog/prs-blame-high-hdb-resale-flat- prices-022348690.html https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/property-blog/prs-blame-high-hdb-resale-flat- prices-022348690.html Refer to the following link to understand more on the situation..

15. What can be done/has been done to solve the problems of housing shortages in Spore? List and suggest the steps taken by Spore government in tackling the housing problems in S’pore. Discuss the effectiveness of such measures. Write your answer on foolscap paper and share your findings

16. Property cooling measures (Visit the following link..) http://www.srx.com.sg/cooling-measures

17. Readings/Resources: Online resources URA Website: http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/ NEA: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/3hnowcast.aspx Walkthrough of slums in Manila: http://www.justonewayticket.com/2014/05/11/smokey-mountain-a-walk-through-the-slums-of-manila- philippines/ Slums in India: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/65-million-people-live-in-slums-in-india- says-census-data/article5188234.ece Hong Kong Housing Problems: http://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1410730/hong-kong-ranks-worlds-no-1-most- unaffordable-housing?page=all