Two new housing concepts mark milestones for the HDB, which has transformed Singapore's landscape for over 60 years. The Community Care Apartments in Bukit Batok will be the first assisted-living public housing here, featuring not just flats designed with senior-friendly fittings, but also soft services such as a 24-hour emergency monitoring and response service, basic health checks and activities at communal spaces. Over in Punggol, residents at Northshore Residences I and II will be the first to enjoy homes equipped with smart power sockets and high-tech distribution boards allowing them to track energy usage and install commercial smart-home solutions.

Such offerings reflect how the HDB has evolved to meet the changing needs of Singaporeans. Community Care Apartments, to be built by 2024, are a timely and critical product, given the projection that one in four Singaporeans will be 65 and older by 2030. Smart homes equipped for the Internet of Things are the way of the future. Most importantly, both housing schemes meet the core purpose of the HDB: affordable housing for Singaporeans. The HDB was formed in 1960 to address a severe housing shortage. In its first five years, it built some 54,430 units. As of 2019, 78.6 per cent of the population live in HDB flats. From jumbo flats for bigger families to granny flats for multi-generational living to Build-To-Order apartments for young couples, the range of public housing has expanded with changing demographics and consumer expectations. There will be more challenges ahead, as recent discussions about keeping HDB flats in prime locations affordable and expiring leases show. But Singaporeans have come to expect that the HDB will consistently provide quality, affordable homes at each stage of their lives. So it is heartening to see the HDB striving to meet these changing needs.