HDB changes rightly emphasise homes are for living, but don’t snuff out wealth creation

SINGAPORE’S public housing is the envy of many countries. Around nine in 10 Singaporeans are homeowners, and about eight in 10 Singaporeans live in Housing and Development Board (HDB) homes.

Constant refinements to the public housing model over the years have helped the HDB meet changing aspirations. At this year’s National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled a new public housing framework to keep homeownership affordable for all income groups, maintain a good social mix in every town and region, and keep the system fair for all.

Starting in the second half of 2024, HDB will classify build-to-order (BTO) projects as Standard, Plus or Prime, according to locational attributes. HDB will do away with its current classification by mature and non-mature estates.