Singapore : A Diverse And Young Country

Singapore is the nation of islands which is situated on the South of Malay Peninsula. Its area is only 704,0 square kilometers, and it is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Its anthem is Majulah Singapura

According to Sanneh, gentrification “at first referred to instances of new arrivals who were buying up (and building up) old housing stock, but then there was ‘new-build gentrification’. Especially in America, gentrification … white arrivals who were displacing non-white residents and taking over a ghetto” (Sanneh). As rent prices around the country continue to rise, more young people have been moving into historically, inner-city communities. Although this provides an affordable solution for incoming residents, it also leads to gentrification or the displacement of existing communities by wealthier

Housing affordability is the relationship between household income and burden of housing costs and is an issue when it prevents population groups from accessing appropriate or secure housing. (3, 4) Australia has seen a severe escalation in rent and house prices that have not been matched by growth of household income. This decline in housing affordability is a result of economic growth, tax incentives for owners and investors, more accessible finance and population growths, which consequently result in an increased demand for housing. (3, 5) Moreover, this is further compounded by land and development limitations that restrict increases in housing

Multiple reasons exist for the the lack of affordable housing. On the demand side these include population growth and increased migration to urban areas, easily accessible housing finance, tax incentives and a “strong cultural preference for owner-occupied detached houses”. On the supply side, affordability problems are exacerbated by inflexible and slow responses to the need for new housing stock, lack of infrastructure and generally inefficient planning processes and development assessment by local governments.

High Density is said to be the future of residential housing, although not everyone agrees to this way of thinking.

It is also easy for many other companies to set up headquarter in Singapore as their starting point in Asia to make it possible to reach to its market point. In addition, Singapore is unique in different lifestyles and culture. It is also known for its capability of attracting sizable foreign investment, pro-business environment and entrepreneurs. Singapore focuses more on a knowledge based economy which can be seen in its education sysem. Furthermore, Singapore is located in the heart of Asia and it plays an important role in international

My research will be based on Political, Economic, and Social Organization of Singapore—an industrialist city-state.  Even though Singapore 's history dates from the 11th century, the island was little known to the West until the 19th century. Singapore is one of the World 's largest ports, because the city of Singapore has become a major port, with trade exceeding that of Malaya 's, Malacca and Penang combined. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of steamships launched an era of prosperity for Singapore as transit trade expanded throughout Southeast Asia (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2010). Singapore is a very

The public housing authority, Housing Development Board (HBD) was a very important aspect to Singapore’s basic shelter needs. In 2007, basic shelter needs were used for 3.7 million of Singapore’s population. Singapore is considered a city-state in South East Asia where the government is heavily involved. As a non-profit organization, the local government is responsible for overseeing and administering certain decisions and responsibilities of Singapore’s public housing. The Housing Development Board was mainly involved in the pricing, marketing and sales of the public housing authority (Jick & Peiperl, 2011).

The lack of housing access was a serious problem, hence the government undertakes mulitple measures to tackle the massive housing shortage inherited from the colonial government to ensure that all of its citizens had access to affordable housing.[1]

The population in Singapore has increased and the visitors coming into Singapore has also increased. According to government statistics, the population of Singapore was 4.84 million in 2008, of whom 3.64 million were Singaporean citizens and permanent residents. Singapore has one of the world largest GDP growths, which means that the people in Singapore are growing richer with higher rate of success.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” These words by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. perfectly describe how my travel experience in Singapore this past summer has changed my life. Traveling to Singapore has been an item on my bucket list that I never thought I would ever be able to accomplish at such a young age. Through my travel, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture by living life as a local while visiting the major tourist spots that the country had to offer. I also had firsthand experience with the Singaporean lifestyle and I was so amazed by the beauty of the country. Because of this, my travel to Singapore has given me a new perspective on countries and has broadened my horizons in terms of travelling to a new place.

However, the development of Singapore’s society cannot be predicated on pure economics alone. Even though globalization has enabled Singapore to fare well in economic development, however, termed the perils of success, globalization has brought about undesirable

Singapore is an island that lies just off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Its strategic location on major sea lanes has provided the country with an economic importance in Southeast Asia. Singapore is often considered as a base for global enterprises looking to expand into Asia and Asian enterprises looking for global connectivity. Located at the heart of Asia, Singapore is sitting at the centre of business opportunities. Having the four key attributes - Trust, Knowledge, Connected and Life, Singapore is being positioned as an ideal city to Work, Live and Play. Singapore was ranked first in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey 2009.

The Republic of Singapore celebrated its 42 years of independence in year 2007. Situated at the southern tip of Malaysia, Singapore currently holds a population of 4.68 million as of June 2007. At 704.0km2, it is ranked 4th in the world for its population density. During the past four decades, the economy as measured by real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), multiplied by over 20 times (Ghesquiere, 2007, p.11). As a small and extremely open economy, Singapore long term survival is very much dependent on the ability to maintain its viable position and remain afloat in the sea of global competition (Mun Heng et al, 1998, p.14).

How might the Singapore society differ were it not for these technologies – would the society be more or less heavily regulated? Lee recommends analysing politics and society by addressing how power struggles and relations were played out in the pre-Internet era, namely the maintenance of political control via public support (2005: 74). Foucault defines ‘governmentality’ as the point of contact where the technologies of power interact with the governed. This spurs Lee to postulate that, in order to retain power in the Internet era, 'governments need to be actively involved in shaping the design as well as the societal, cultural and regulatory environment in which the Internet and other new media technologies operate' (2005: 75).