An opportunity to fundamentally rethink public housing system

The prospect of new HDB flats in the planned Greater Southern Waterfront region has reignited debate over whether the public housing rules create an unfair lottery that benefits applicants on the basis of luck much more than merit.

The trouble with many of the debates over the issue is that they accept the status quo as a given, especially in terms of how the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the sale of new homes work. Better and more innovative solutions may be found if there is a willingness to challenge and change deep-seated norms.

The most cited examples of the housing lottery are the flats at Pinnacle@Duxton on the western edge of the financial district. Launched in 2004, high-floor five-room flats in that development that were sold for between S$345,100 and S$439,400 at launch are now easily worth at least S$1 million.