# data[].attributes.body
SIT under British colonial ruleEdit

By the 1920s, chronic housing conditions in downtown Singapore prompted the British colonial government to establish the Singapore Improvement Trust in 1927 to build affordable public housing for the common population of Singapore. The first forms of mass-built public housing thus appeared in Singapore. Still, the SIT managed to build only 23,000 housing units in its 32 years of existence, and was unable to resolve the worsening housing shortage problem

# data[].attributes.body
In the past, Tampines was covered by forests, swamp and sand quarries. Ironwood trees, or tempinis, grew abundantly here and thus gave the area its name. It was part of military training area until about 1987.

The name Tampines goes back to the Franklin and Jackson map of 1828. It is named after Sungei Tampenus, which in turn got its name from the tampines trees (Streblus elongatus) which were said to be growing there. The oldest street in the area, Tampines Road, dates to 1864, when it was a cart tract. At the turn of the 20th century, Tampines was a rubber plantation. Tampines is also home to the sand quarry for a long time. Among the plantations were Teo Tek Ho and Hun Yeang estates.

# data[].attributes.body
Before the war, many people lived in kampongs in suburban areas and shop houses where numbers of families would live in such confined spaces due to the lack of land available. The european families and richer locals would usually live in large estates and mansions. Due to the massive damage and destructions after the war, many people were forced to live in slums and squatters and it was known to be one of the worst slums and housing shortage still remainsd a problem up until 1959.

# data[].attributes.body
As of today, up to 80% of singaporeans live in hdb flats across 23 towns and 3 estates. There are up to 1 millikn flats in the entire nation and are currently building new generation housing and smart, sustainable towns, creating a better living environment t thrive as a community.

# data[].attributes.body
HDB's in 1960s

# data[].attributes.body
There are a large variety of flat types and layouts which cater to various housing budgets. HDB flats were built mainly to provide housing for the poor and their purchase could be financially aided. Due to changing demands, there were more up-market public housing developments in the recent years. The HDB estimated that from 1959-1969 , the average of 147000 housing units, 80000 current deficit, 20000 due to the redevelopment of Central Area, and 47000 due to population increase would need to be constructure, and average of 14000 each year

# data[].attributes.body
In 1918, the government set up a housing commission to review the living conditions in the central area of Singapore. The SIT was formed in 1924. However, the body was only constituted in 1927. Initially, SIT was not given the authority to build housing for the general populace, except for those left homeless by its improvement schemes. In 1932, SIT was given more powers to undertake building projects to accommodate the rapidly growing population. One of which was the Tiong Bahru housing estate, which is known as the first public housing estate of Singapore. However, SIT’s efforts were not enough to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population as the housing situation worsened, especially after World War II.

By the time Singapore had achieved self-government in 1959, the housing shortage and its related problems, such as overcrowding and squatter colonies, had reached alarming states. Public housing for the lower-income groups was then given top priority and HDB was set up in 1960 to replace SIT. Compared with the overcrowding and unhygienic living conditions in shophouses and squatter areas, flats built by HDB seemed luxurious – they were spacious and equipped with basic services such as electricity, flush toilets and piped water.⁶ By March 1976, more than half of the local population were living in HDB flats.⁷