Public housing and ethnic integration in Singapore

Prior to 1960, various immigrant ethnic groups were concentrated in different parts of Singapore, forming enclaves. The immigrant population was thus spatially segregated, with different ethnic concentrations in different parts of the island. Since 1960, the Singapore Government has used public hous...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Habitat international 2003-06, Vol.27 (2), p.293-307
Main Authors: Sim, Loo Lee, Yu, Shi Ming, Han, Sun Sheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental studies
Ethnic integration
Human geography
Interethnic relations
Public housing
Singapore
Social control
Social housing
Social integration
Social policy
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Summary:Prior to 1960, various immigrant ethnic groups were concentrated in different parts of Singapore, forming enclaves. The immigrant population was thus spatially segregated, with different ethnic concentrations in different parts of the island. Since 1960, the Singapore Government has used public housing as a policy instrument to integrate the multi-ethnic population spatially. This paper examines the implementation of this policy over the past four decades and evaluates its success. Using geographic information system technology, the ethnic composition of public housing estates can be traced on maps. The spatial distribution of the main races is shown at constituency level (i.e., division) but discussion includes the individual block level. The findings show that public housing has succeeded in reducing the intensity of the ethnic enclaves while increasing social integration.
ISSN:0197-3975
1873-5428
DOI:10.1016/S0197-3975(02)00050-4