China Puts Money Behind Singapore Model in Major Housing Shift

  • ‘Big Project’ push has top political backing and funding
  • Plan could remake housing market, but large obstacles remain

Singapore is renowned for a residential market that’s dominated by public housing. 

Photographer: Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

China plans to take a page from Singapore’s social housing model to help end a multi-year property slump that’s hammered the nation’s consumer confidence and weighed on economic growth.

Beijing has in recent weeks named two “big projects” as the center of its housing policy: building social housing and renovating run-down inner city districts. The projects have top-level political backing and could soon have 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) or more of central government support behind them.