1

Chapter 9

SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
OF HOUSING
Guiding Questions
1. How does housing affect the natural
environment?
 2. How does access to housing affect people?

3. How can housing be sustainably

managed?

Learning Outcomes 3

Describe the impact that housing has on the environment

the impact that housing has on people

 the strategies taken to sustainably manage housing in
Singapore and other countries

the strategies taken to sustainably manage housing in

Singapore and other countries Evaluate

What is the relationship and the environment ► Use of

between natural resources (e.g.
housing and (i) the _____________) ► Environmental
environment (ii) people? pollution (e.g. land, water)
►Relationship between housing
►Relationship between housing
and people ► Provision of
___________ needs (e.g. shelter,
sanitation) ► Presence of amenities
(e.g. grocery shops, clinics)
► Presence of _______________
(e.g. interactions with neighbours,
sense of _______________)

What is the relationship

between Cities can be understood as an
housing and (i) the ______________that consumes,
environment (ii) people? and produces very
►Relationship between housing ______________for the
and the environment environment in general.
 2. Water
We as people consume many 3. ______________
things that come from nature:
1. Food

1.How does housing affect the natural

environment?
►Relationship between housing and the
environment ►Use of natural resources (e.g.
forests, water) ►Forests are cleared to build houses
and for the expansion of cities.
 ►Natural resources needed to meet human needs.
►e.g. forest resources, mining for minerals, fossil
fuels
Identify 1 environmental impact of housing development
 Why do cities clear nature?
How much forest
cover have we
lost?
What are the
problems
associated with
the loss of
forests?
1.How does housing affect the natural
environment?
►Relationship between housing and the
 environment ►Use of natural resources (e.g.
forests, water) ►Water resources needed for various
purposes. ►______________in cities is water-stressed
due to geographical and financial limitations.
How much of
the world
today is living
in water
stressed
conditions?
1.How does housing affect the natural environment? 12
►Relationship between housing & environment
► Environmental pollution
►Citiesbuild landfills to dispose of waste [Land pollution]
►Long-term damage to land e.g. direct into water sources
soil ______________ from ►Incineration of waste + Vehicular
industrial waste Emissions [Air pollution]
►Toxin goes into
______________water & rivers landfill
[Water pollution] ►Waste dump
Environmental pollution (e.g., land, water)
13

►How to minimize land and water pollution –

 proper waste management, use natural fertilisers and
pesticides.

►How to minimize air pollution – increase public transport

ridership and use alternative sources of energy e.g. solar power.

►Concentratingpeople in a particular area ______________their

waste products as well.

2
Why is
housing
important
for
people?
Provision
of
Bas
ic
 services
Guiding Questions
1. How does housing affect the natural environment?
2. How does access to housing affect
people?

3. How can housing be sustainably managed?

2. How does access to housing affect people?
17
►Relationship between housing and people
► Provision of basic needs (e.g., shelter, sanitation)
- ________access to water & electricity due to infrastructure development.
- Sanitation __________ disease outbreak; improves well-being &
overall health.
► Presence of amenities (e.g., grocery shops, clinics)
- Useful or desirable features of a place that makes life _______for residents.
► Presence of communities (e.g., interactions with neighbours, sense
of belonging)
-____________ needs of residents are met; get to know people
within their neighbourhood.

How can we
 ensure that
Housing
needs are
met
sustainably?
Guiding Questions
1. How does housing affect the natural environment?

2. How does access to housing affect people?

3. How can housing be sustainably

managed?

What do
we
mean
by
‘sustainable’
 (e.g., by urban development
How can these authorities)
b.Provision of inclusive public
relationships be
housing (e.g., by housing
sustainably development authorities)
managed? c.Environmental features in
buildings (e.g., zero energy
Sustainable building design)
management of d.Improvements to the
24 conditions of slums (e.g.,
through government funding)
housing
a.Integrated land-use planning
 hOW CAN
HOUSING BE
ENVIRONME
NTALLY
SUSTAINABL
E
3. How can sustainably
housing be managed?
► Environmental friendly features
in buildings
- Solar panels –
______________ electrical
consumption of common lighting.
- Water-efficient
fittings to
______________ water
consumption.

TB 84
3. How can housing be
sustainably managed?
► Environmental friendly
features in buildings
______________and
- Green
______________to reduce
surrounding temperatures.
- Recyclingfacilities in the
estates to make it
______________
TB 84

hOW CAN
HOUSING BE
 Socially
SUSTAINABLE
Inclusive features in housing
estates in Singapore

TB 83
Presence of
amenities

encourage
Presence of
communities
3. How can housing be sustainably managed?
►Inclusivepublic housing (by housing
development authorities)
- Ensuring that housing meets ______________ needs. -
E.g. multi-generation flats for extended families - Cater
to people of all ages and ______________, so that they
feel included in their housing estates. E.g. ramps
for wheelchair bound, Braille and tactile markings
on lift control buttons.
 hOW CAN
HOUSING BE
Both
ENVIRONMENTA
LLY & socially
SUSTAINABLE
3. How can housing be sustainably managed?
 ► Integrated land-use planning (e.g., by urban development
authorities) - Minimal impacts to natural environment:
(i) [Co-exist with nature] preserving forests
(ii) [compact
infrastructure] Reduce need to clear vegetation
3. How can housing be sustainably managed?

► Integrated land-use planning (e.g., by urban development authorities)

Develop self-contained towns – public housing, amenities,

retail, industries, education, healthcare and recreation
services.
- Reduces need for space consuming transport infrastructure
since amenities are within needs
- Further reduces need to travel far to meet basic needs (reduces
time spent travelling, as well as air pollution from vehicles)
E.g. Tengah estate in Singapore
 Activity 2
How does S’pore plan to reduce impact on nature
by integrating landuse?
How does integrating land-use reduce the
need for land to meet needs of people?
How does integrating land-use reduce
Emission of greenhouse gases?
How can
informal
housing be
made
 better?
3. How can housing be sustainably
managed?
► Improvements to the conditions of slums (e.g.,
through government funding)
- Improveaccess to basic services & building quality
of homes.
- (i)
Access to clean water and sanitation to reduce the threat
of disease to the people. [Benefit to people]
- (ii)
Waste & sewage disposal Infrastructure
[Reduced pollution to environment]
 aRE THE
EFFORTS TO
PROMOTE
SUSTAINABLE
HOUSING ALL
GOOD?
Evaluate : How sustainable are
these green initiatives?
- Environmentally-friendly technologies are expensive to install
in the short run despite the significant savings in the long run.

- May be perceived as inconvenient to residents hence no

actions taken e.g. sorting out trash before recycling
them.

- Need to educate the population through campaigns or

outreach programmes for long period across multi
generation �� high cost
Evaluate : How sustainable is slum
 improvement?
- Runscontrary to long-term city development plans,
slums built on land not intended for housing,
problems in future city developments.

- Socialproblems may still remain e.g. crime

rates, unemployment.