- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 33,627
- Points
- 0
[h=2]A citizen disagrees with HDB CEO that citizens deserve only small and tiny flats[/h]
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC111112-0000034/Less-room,-hence-smaller-families?
Less room, hence smaller families?
Letter from Rick Lim Say Kiong 04:45 AM Nov 12, 2011
IT IS difficult to agree with Housing and Development Board (HDB) chief executive Cheong Koon Hean's assertion that "Smaller flats doesn't mean lower quality of living" (Nov 10), for the building of smaller flats has had its own inadvertent consequences.
Firstly, Dr Cheong observes a posteriori that families nowadays are smaller and thus smaller flats will suffice to meet these familial needs.
However, might not building such flats have contributed to the rise of smaller families?
Over the last 20 or so years, Singaporeans have seen land becoming scarcer and HDB flats becoming smaller, and adjusted their expectations of family size accordingly. This makes sense as we are a pragmatic lot.
One may argue that the correlation between HDB flat size and family size does not establish a causal relationship - other extenuating factors, such as work stress, overcrowding of public facilities, changes in social norms and modernisation, do play a role. In this instance, however, I am simply extrapolating from Dr Cheong's inference.
Secondly, Dr Cheong did not identify what exactly is a lower quality of living.
Compared to the days of yore, Singaporeans these days are paying much more for smaller HDB flats. To many, this might be considered a lower quality of life.
For example, a new five-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio Central cost S$40,000 in the 1980s.
Now, a similar flat in the same vicinity costs up to 10 times that price (under the Sale of Balance Flats scheme). I doubt our average salaries have increased at the same rate.
The Government has been encouraging Singaporeans to procreate and have more children in its bid to raise the total fertility rate.
The provision of smaller and more expensive flats by HDB seems to run counter to that national initiative and could have inured us to raising smaller families instead.
Less room, hence smaller families?
Letter from Rick Lim Say Kiong 04:45 AM Nov 12, 2011
IT IS difficult to agree with Housing and Development Board (HDB) chief executive Cheong Koon Hean's assertion that "Smaller flats doesn't mean lower quality of living" (Nov 10), for the building of smaller flats has had its own inadvertent consequences.
Firstly, Dr Cheong observes a posteriori that families nowadays are smaller and thus smaller flats will suffice to meet these familial needs.
However, might not building such flats have contributed to the rise of smaller families?
Over the last 20 or so years, Singaporeans have seen land becoming scarcer and HDB flats becoming smaller, and adjusted their expectations of family size accordingly. This makes sense as we are a pragmatic lot.
One may argue that the correlation between HDB flat size and family size does not establish a causal relationship - other extenuating factors, such as work stress, overcrowding of public facilities, changes in social norms and modernisation, do play a role. In this instance, however, I am simply extrapolating from Dr Cheong's inference.
Secondly, Dr Cheong did not identify what exactly is a lower quality of living.
Compared to the days of yore, Singaporeans these days are paying much more for smaller HDB flats. To many, this might be considered a lower quality of life.
For example, a new five-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio Central cost S$40,000 in the 1980s.
Now, a similar flat in the same vicinity costs up to 10 times that price (under the Sale of Balance Flats scheme). I doubt our average salaries have increased at the same rate.
The Government has been encouraging Singaporeans to procreate and have more children in its bid to raise the total fertility rate.
The provision of smaller and more expensive flats by HDB seems to run counter to that national initiative and could have inured us to raising smaller families instead.
