Ministry of National Development

The Minister for National Development (Mr Lawrence Wong): MND seeks to build an inclusive and endearing home, nurture cohesive communities and develop Singapore into a sustainable and thriving City in a Garden.

Homeownership is a key tenet of our social compact. We will ensure that our housing policies continue to help young couples start a family, uplift the lower-income and vulnerable to a better future and facilitate our seniors to age gracefully.

We remain committed to help Singaporeans own their homes and keep housing affordable for future generations. We have addressed the demand-supply imbalance in the housing market, which is on track for a soft landing. We have helped first-timer families own their first HDB home and increased the quota for second-time flat buyers where possible. We will help families live closer together so that they can better care for their parents and young children. We will provide a range of choices so that there is a home for every budget and need.

We will press on with efforts to ensure that our housing programme remains inclusive. The Fresh Start Housing Scheme will help second-timer public rental families, who are committed to improving their situation, own a home again. We will work closely with social agencies to support these families in a holistic manner; including helping them to find employment and keeping their children in school to ensure that they can sustain progress and homeownership. For others who have fallen on hard times and need shelter while they get back on their feet, we will build more public rental flats and integrate them within larger HDB estates. We will also look into ways to support other vulnerable groups, including divorcees and low-income singles.

We will help our seniors to age gracefully and with peace of mind in their retirement years. We have enhanced the Lease Buyback Scheme to enable more seniors to age-in-place and unlock some value from their flats. We have also implemented the 2-Room Flexi Scheme to provide choice and flexibility for seniors looking to right-size to a smaller home. We will continue to build on such options to meet the housing and retirement needs of our seniors. Our estates will continue to be accessible to all, including our seniors. New smart-enabled homes will empower residents to adopt solutions, such as the Smart Elderly Monitoring and Alert System, in their homes, so that seniors live in a safer and more conducive environment.

We have made new flats available to singles since 2013 to respond to changes in our society. We have seen strong demand from singles and will continue to help singles own their homes.

Beyond individual homes, we aim to create more shared spaces to nurture a vibrant and cohesive community where neighbours come together to celebrate the Kampong Spirit. We will build more town plazas and neighbourhood centres with projects and activities to engage the community. Heartland shops will be revitalised into vibrant commercial nodes and social spaces for community bonding through the Revitalisation of Shops Scheme.

We will create spaces to meet community needs. Childcare centres, elder care centres and other social communal facilities will be provided in Build-To-Order (BTO) projects. We will also explore co-locating and integrating some of these to encourage inter-generation bonding among families and neighbours.

We will partner all Singaporeans to improve our communities. Through the Municipal Services Office's OneService Mobile App, residents can give feedback about municipal issues they face in their environment. We will continue to work with residents, grassroots organisations, civic groups and partner agencies to build an engaged community that cares and actively participates in improving our living environment.

Singaporeans can enjoy more lush greenery near their homes. We will make greenery more accessible to Singaporeans, with 90% of households living within 400 metres of a park or park connector by 2030. Communities in Singapore will also be connected by an expanded network of green corridors, which will grow from 300 kilometres to 400 kilometres. We will activate green spaces and intensify greenery horizontally and vertically and work with passionate Singaporeans to conserve our biodiversity and celebrate our built heritage.

We will develop a sustainable and thriving city, one that is highly productive with efficient use of resources and minimum wastage.

We will continue to help our construction industry improve productivity. We will spur the adoption of cleaner, quieter, highly productive construction methods, foster collaboration across the construction value chain and continue to upgrade and upskill the construction workforce. Industry clustering and development of shared facilities across all relevant sectors will be explored to reduce land demand and increase productivity.

We will press on with our efforts to revitalise our older estates. The Remaking Our Heartland programme will continue to inject new life into these towns through comprehensive makeovers. At the precinct and block level, our Neighbourhood Renewal Programme will enhance the living environment while ageing flats will be upgraded through the Home Improvement Programme. We will continue with our Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme in old estates where redevelopment is viable economically and where there are suitable sites to house residents together.

We will bring jobs closer to home, reducing travelling time to work. This will better support the needs of our families and our ageing population. We will also foster a safe and convenient environment for everyone to walk and cycle in our towns. Ang Mo Kio and Tampines will be piloted as model walking and cycling towns while new areas, such as Marina South and Kampong Bugis, will feature more walkable ground spaces with social and retail amenities and reduced road space and car usage.

We have made good progress in greening our new and existing buildings to be more energy-efficient. We will also make it easier for people to adopt greener practices in their buildings, for instance, through adopting smart systems that enable users to better manage their energy consumption.

In addition to diversifying our overseas food supply, we will look for new avenues to improve our local food supply. We must continue to develop technologies and innovate to increase productivity of our local farms. We must also optimise the use of agricultural land.

We will continue to build our future Singapore, with Singaporeans and for Singaporeans. Through the ongoing Future of Us Conversation, we invite Singaporeans to imagine the future and share their vision for our nation. Communities will be empowered to be more involved in enlivening public spaces and improving our greening efforts.

Singapore is our home, where we belong. Together, we can build an inclusive home and a sustainable future for all Singaporeans.