Public housing a public good, but long-term concerns need review

Parliament’s debate on HDB flats has cleared the air on affordability. Now it’s time to tackle the lease decay monster and the conundrum around asset price appreciation.

Public housing policies in Singapore are an undeniable public good, housing nearly 90 per cent of Singaporeans for at least two generations. PHOTO: ST FILE
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Do public housing policies in Singapore need a reset, or even major rethink, as the opposition claims? Or have they delivered generally affordable, accessible, inclusive housing for the masses, in a way that is sustainable across generations, as the Government maintains?

After a two-day Parliament debate on this issue, as someone who has written about housing policies for many years, my honest answer to this is: Both.

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