Missed out on other MND news over the past couple of months? Here’s a sampling of some of the more significant developments.
HDB continues efforts in upgrading homes
In April, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng announced at the “Storeys of Our Homes” exhibition that the Government would spend $1 billion to upgrade 85,000 households in eight towns. The exhibition formed part of the Housing & Development Board’s (HDB) 50th anniversary celebrations. HDB has come a long way, from providing basic housing for the people to building different types of quality flats to satisfy the increasing public expectations, Mr Wong said.
In an earlier related development, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan had announced that around 12,000 HDB households in older estates would be selected this year for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP), and a similar number of flats, or up to 14 precincts, would be chosen each year. He was speaking at the completion ceremony in March of the first HIP precinct in Yishun Street 21, which covered nine blocks and 729 households.
The HIP was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at his National Day Rally speech three years ago, and since then, some 27 precincts have been selected. Under HIP, repairs will cover spalling concrete, leaky ceilings and the replacement of waste pipes, with the costs to be fully borne by the Government. Optional improvements, such as the upgrading of toilets, are heavily subsidised.
Stronger family and community ties in HDB estates, survey found
More married couples are choosing to live near, or with, their parents within HDB estates, according to HDB’s latest Sample Household Survey. The proportion increased from 29.3 percent in 1998 to 35.5 percent in 2008. Last year, 90.7 percent of married couples said that they visited their parents at least once a month, up from 87.8 percent in 1998. The HDB concluded that these results, among others, showed that family ties in HDB estates are strong. In comments reported in My Paper on 30 March 2010, Associate Professor Paulin Straughan of the NUS sociology department said that married couples could be choosing to live near or with their parents because they need social support from their parents. The “ideal caregivers” in most couples’ minds are the grandparents, she explained. More married couples could also be opting for such living arrangements because they would have a higher chance of balloting successfully for an HDB flat by doing so, she added.
Figures from the survey also found that more people feel at home in the heartlands and are interacting with neighbours and joining community activities. The survey of 8,000 households found that 98.6 percent of the residents feel they belong to their estate, up from 90 percent of residents in 2003. However, only 11.7 percent said they would help look after their neighbour’s children – down from 14 percent previously.
Introducing The Helix
About 2,000 people turned up at Marina Bay on 24 April 2010 to witness the opening of The Helix bridge and the parallel Bayfront Bridge. They were treated to a two-minute display of fireworks from the two bridges while taking in the panoramic view of the new downtown. Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, declared the bridges open, and described the launch of the two architectures as a milestone in the development of Marina Bay. The Helix is part of the 3.5 km continuous waterfront promenade around Marina Bay, and serves as a direct connection between the Marina Centre and the Bayfront area.
$15 Million Sustainable Construction Capability Development Fund
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) unveiled a new $15 million Sustainable Construction Capability Development Fund during the opening ceremony of Samwoh's Eco-Green Park on 22 March 2010. The fund was launched by Senior Minister of State for National Development Ms Grace Fu, and is part of the efforts to encourage industry players to adopt sustainable construction practices and technologies. It also aims to steer the industry towards self-sustenance in the demand and supply of sustainable construction materials in Singapore. BCA hopes the fund would lead to industry players integrating sustainable construction in designs, building processes and business operations.
Love Green: Just Bin It!
For the first time, the National Parks Board (NParks) is tapping on the video-sharing platform YouTube to engage the public on its anti-littering message through a video competition that targets the young and “wired” adults – the group of people who litter the most, said NParks. Over 8,300 littering fines were issued in parks last year, with the largest groups of offenders aged between 17 and 29 (40 percent), as well as from 30 to 40 (28 percent). The video competition is part of the Love Green: Just Bin It! Programme organised to encourage users to keep Singapore’s parks and nature reserves clean.