Singapore to Introduce New Open-Plan Public Housing Layout
Also today: How Paris cleaned up the Seine, and Airbnb hosts want guests to come to them directly.
Housing & Development Board
Singapore’s public housing system has long delivered affordable, standardized apartments to the majority of citizens, giving the island-nation one of highest rates of homeownership in the world. But rising affluence and changing social trends means today's homebuyers want more options in flat designs, including larger living rooms and fewer bedrooms.
The Housing and Development Board will pilot a new open-plan layout with contiguous living and bedroom space and no internal partition walls. The new design may come at a higher cost, but it could give Singapore more flexibility in responding to future shifts in demand, reports Krystal Chia. Today on CityLab: Singapore’s Public Housing Gets Open-Plan Makeover as Design Tastes Shift