The average Singaporean today wants to have more than just a roof over his head. In his search for a home, he wants quality and varied choices. Therefore, notwithstanding our dense living environment, a key planning challenge is to cater to this aspiration. Singaporeans today live in a wide variety of low, medium and high-density homes, primarily in suburban new towns. And in the future, other forms of housing along waterfronts and even on idyllic offshore islands like Sentosa will be in the offing.
People buying public housing can thus choose the flat-type to suit their lifestyle and budget.
At the same time, housing costs must also be kept affordable. In a recent issue of Asiaweek magazine, the Japanese city of Fukuoka was named as 1999 s best Asian city to live in. According to Asiaweek s scoring, affordability made the difference. Residents in both cities have comparable income levels. But the average price of housing in Tokyo is 10 times that of the average annual income, whereas in Fukuoka it is only 7.6 times.