TB Chapter 3

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Edgefield Secondary School
Sec 2 Express/ Normal Academic Geography Notes Date: ________
Name: _________________________________ ( ) Class: S2_____
CHAPTER 3: HOUSING (Part 1)
GQ1 - What is housing shortage?
Housing shortage is
• when there is insufficient housing to accommodate the population in an area,
• when the supply of houses cannot meet the demand
Nature of housing shortage
Evidences such as presence of homeless people due to unaffordability, slums and
squatter settlements are indications of housing shortage.
Homelessness is present when people sleep in public areas like on the streets,
under bridges or at public car parks, or they may stay in the homes of relatives and
friends.
Slums and squatter settlements are also known as “shanty towns”. They are urban
areas which are heavily populated and the residents have poor quality housing and
poor access to basic services. They are called ‘favela’ in Brazil and ‘barong-barong’
in the Philippines.
Squatter settlements are developed on land with no permission from the relevant
authorities and therefore face issues such as lack of safe shelter and insufficient
basic services.
Lack of safe shelter
Not protected against the weather elements such as strong winds and cold
winters
• Not protected against collapse from weak foundations and fire due to use of
cheap construction materials such as zinc and flammable cardboard for walls
and roofs.
• Not protected against natural disasters as houses are usually built on
unsuitable sites such as low-lying areas or steep slopes. Such areas are
more prone to floods and landslides.
• The houses in a slum are built in a dense and disorderly manner with narrow
pathways and limited access for vehicles. During emergencies such as fire or
earthquakes, the residents may not be able to evacuate quickly and rescue
efforts are also hampered.
Insufficient basic services
• Lack of infrastructure such as power lines, water pipes, toilets and waste
management facilities
• Case Study of Kibera Slum, Nairobi, Kenya (TB:67)
One toilet is shared by up to 1300 residents.
Inconsistent water supply to slums due to diversion of piped water by
wealthier individual residents or private water companies.
Waste accumulates in streets and rivers because of lack of waste disposal
facilities.

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GQ2 – Which cities in the world experience housing shortage?
Why does housing shortage occur?
Location of cities that experience housing shortage
The extent of housing shortage is severe in cities of Less Developing Countries
(LDC) than the Developed Countries (DC). In these cities, a large proportion of the
residents live in slums.
The United Nations estimates that 33% of the urban population in LDC lived in slums
in 2012.
Asia's largest slum, Dharavi, lies on prime property right in the middle of India's
financial capital, Mumbai (Bombay). It is home to more than a million people. Many
are second-generation residents, whose parents moved in years ago. Today's
Dharavi bears no resemblance to the fishing village it once was. A city within a city, it
is one unending stretch of narrow dirty lanes, open sewers and cramped huts.
In the DC, the extent of housing shortage is seen in the number of homeless people
in the major cities. For example, in the USA, Los Angeles City has the highest
number of homeless people while the District of Columbia has the smallest number
of homeless people.
Where are slums commonly found?
• found at the edge of cities.
• found adjacent to industrial areas or near the city centre where there are job
opportunities.
• found along major transport routes so that residents can make use of
transport services conveniently.
GQ3 – Why does housing shortage occur?
Reasons for housing shortage
Rapid Population Growth
• Urbanization
o due to increase in the proportion of the world’s population living in
cities.
o Trends in urbanization
Figure 1

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Globally, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas. In 2007, for the
first time in history, the global urban population exceeded the global rural
population, and the world population has remained predominantly urban
thereafter (Figure 1).
In 1950, more than two thirds (70 per cent) of people worldwide lived in rural
settlements and less than one-third (30 per cent) in urban settlements. In
2014, 54 per cent of the world’s population is urban.
The urban population is expected to continue to grow, so that by 2050, the
world will be one third rural (34 per cent) and two-thirds urban (66 per cent).
In TB:77, Asia and Africa are projected to experience the largest increase of
14.3% and 12.4% respectively in the percentage of population residing in
urban areas. Oceania is projected to grow the slowest by only 3%.
Impact on housing shortage
Rapid population growth and the projected increase in urban population will
cause further pressure on the increased demand for housing, particularly in
the cities.
• Rural-urban migration
o Migration refers to the movement of people from one area to another
to take up residence for at least a year.
o Rural-urban migration refers to the movement of people from rural
areas into cities to live and work.
o Reasons for migration
 ‘Push’ factors are related to the undesirable qualities of a place
they wish to leave – lack of job opportunities, poor educational
facilities, lack of medical care, famine, war, etc.
 ‘Pull’ factors are related to the attractive qualities of the place
they would like to move to – more job opportunities, better
schools and further education opportunities, more hospitals
and doctors, political stability, exciting city life, etc.
 Named example – people in rural Brazil are attracted by work
opportunities in Sao Paulo. However, there may be insufficient
jobs to cater to the huge number of migrants. Migrants may
also lack the skills required for jobs available in the cities.
Hence, they have difficulty getting jobs and are not able to
afford housing.
Impact on housing shortage
In many countries, especially the LDCs, their cities are unable to build
sufficiently equipped houses quickly enough to house the huge number of
migrants. To survive, they may settle in slums and set up small businesses
to sell basic household items or provide services such as laundry services.
• High birth rates
o Birth rate refers to the number of live births for every 1000 people in
a year.
o Natural increase is the difference between the birth rate and death
rate in a year.
o Named example – According to the Office of National statistics (ONS),
London recorded rapid population growth of 104,000 in the years
2012 – 2013 due to high birth and migration rates. There were 86,000
more births than deaths during this period. ONS data also showed

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that babies born to foreign-born mothers accounted for a quarter of
the total births while births to UK-born mothers remained the same.
Impact on housing shortage
Birth rates in cities may be high as they tend to have a larger proportion of
people in their 20s and 30s who are likely to start families. This would lead to
higher natural increase in cities. To cater to the increase in population, cities
would need to allocate more resources to housing.
Competing land use
There are many uses for land, such as residential, commercial, industrial and
recreational use. Land is also needed for infrastructure such as roads, airports and
hospitals.
Named example – According to the Ministry of National Development, the Singapore
government has committed 17% of the land supply to housing need based on the
projected population growth in 2030. Based on this projection, competing land uses
such as the golf courses will be redeveloped for housing and other uses.
Please refer to Annex on ‘LAND USE PLAN TO SUPPORT SINGAPORE’S FUTURE
POPULATION’ for more information.
Impact on housing shortage
Land dedicated for one use will not be available for another. If a piece of land is
occupied by a huge industrial park, that plot of land will not be available for housing
development.
Limited land supply
• Presence of physical features such as seas, rivers and mountains limit the
amount of land that can be used to build housing.
• Preference for flat land because the cost of construction on steep slopes tend
to be high.
• Landslides may occur on slopes and cause damage.
• Named example – Singapore (716 sq km) and Hong Kong (1104 sq km) are
cities with very small land areas. There is a limit to how much land can be
reclaimed from the seas. Hence, insufficient land for housing.
Impact on housing shortage
More than half of the world’s urban population lives in cities with high population
densities in Asia. The large population sizes and limited land areas pose a great
challenge for the provision of adequate housing to house more people in a small
area.

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Annex
LAND USE PLAN TO SUPPORT SINGAPORE’S FUTURE POPULATION
by
Ministry of National Development
The Population White Paper: A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore
(Jan 2013) has projected that Singapore could have a population of between 6.5 and
6.9 million by 2030. This will require 76,600ha of land, an increase from the current
supply of 71,000ha.
To support this larger population, we need to (a) reclaim additional land; (b) develop
some of our reserve land; (c) intensify new developments; and (d) recycle land with
lower intensity uses such as old industrial areas and some golf courses to achieve
higher land productivity.
Land use and allocation in Singapore is governed by our Master Plan. The Master
Plan 2008 is being revised and updated to support the Population White Paper. By
2030, more than half of our land (58%) will be allocated to uses which enable us to
live, work and play in a high quality environment. These uses include housing,
services and manufacturing jobs, facilities and amenities, as well as green spaces
such as parks and nature reserves, essential services and utilities like water and
electricity. 19% of our land will support mobility within Singapore and connectivity to
the rest of the world. Another 19% of our land will be for our defence needs.
See the Table below which shows the proposed land uses and planned supply.

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Beyond 2030, we will still have room for growth through further land reclamation.
There will also be opportunities to further optimise and redevelop our land. For
example, we can look forward to the development of new growth corridors both in the
north (from Woodlands to Punggol) and in the south (from Tanjong Pagar to Pasir
Panjang Terminal). Over the long term, the way we live, work and play will continue
to evolve, and we will continue to exploit technology and implement innovative
solutions to further optimise our land uses.
The map below illustrates the likely profile of Singapore and possible land use
allocation beyond 2030. It shows the scope for additional land reclamation, if needed.
These reclaimed land parcels, including the land currently zoned as ‘reserve', could
be used for housing, industry and other uses. In addition, the map indicates how we
can potentially recycle our land for other uses in the future. We will refine these plans
as our population needs and land use requirements evolve.

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Adapted from:
http://www.mnd.gov.sg/landuseplan/