The fact that over 80 per cent of Singaporeans live in public housing and 90 per cent of those residents own their homes is an oft-quoted and much-lauded statistic. This achievement is no mean feat, given that the United Nations estimates as many as 100 million people worldwide are homeless and some 1.6 billion lack adequate housing. The Housing Board's success has, ironically, led to new issues, one of the most hotly discussed being the resale value of HDB flats in prime districts. The increasingly common million-dollar price tags for coveted HDB flats in good locations are early red flags. Such prices may be welcome indicators of asset appreciation for their owners, but there is a real worry that escalating prices could push homes out of reach for some people. The recent report by the Ministry of National Development, on the results of its public consultations, showed that most Singaporeans are aware of these issues.

People agreed that public housing in prime areas must be kept accessible and affordable. They supported ideas to ensure this equal access, such as removing priority schemes and limiting those who can buy prime HDB resale flats on the open market. Such endorsement is critical in ensuring that public housing remains "public". The raison d'etre of the HDB has always been to supply citizens with adequate housing and its core mission remains unchanged even as policies have to evolve to keep up with the times. With social divisions developing as another possible fault line in society, plans to include two-room flexi units as well as rental flats in upcoming prime developments are welcome ways to enhance integration and interaction. Just as housing policies from the Ethnic Integration Policy to the Married Child Priority Scheme have been important tools for social cohesion, regular adjustments can help further strengthen the foundations of society here.