Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Where public housing is getting a design makeover

Also today: How Paris cleaned up the Seine, and Airbnb hosts want guests to come to them directly.

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

— Curtis Heinzl

More on CityLab

How Paris Cleaned Up the Seine, and Where to Swim
The host of the 2024 Olympics has marked a selection of safe swimming spots. But rainstorms could still unleash sewer sludge into the urban river.

New York Channels $500 Million From Battery Park City to Housing
The surplus funds will aid New York City's $3 billion affordable housing plan during the city's worst crunch in half a century.

Airbnb Hosts Want Guests to Come to Them Directly
A dip in profits and a shift to longer rentals have property managers looking for ways around the ubiquitous rental marketplace.

What we're reading

  • Five things to know about Kamala Harris' criminal justice record (Marshall Project)
  • Silicon Valley-backed voter plan for a new California city won't be on the November ballot after all (Associated Press)
  • The rent is too damn AI: Peskin seeks ban on price-hike software (San Francisco Standard)
  • People are still being swallowed by storm drains. One US agency is pushing for safety measures. (ProPublica)
  • Toronto turns to pigeon birth control to rein in the bird's population (Globe and Mail)

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