In 2007, during the last property frenzy in Singapore, some of us fought a battle to save our homes from a group who wanted to sell out to developers. We won a respite and, hopefully, the machinations of the property market will not be pitting neighbour against neighbour again for some years.
It all sounds very dispassionate when you read about it, but nothing could be further from that if (in Singapore it is more likely when) you find yourself being threatened by the loss of your home.
If you have ever been burgled then you might understand what I mean when I say I felt violated - as if the burglar had ransacked drawers your family has never opened, seen your underwear and been privy to your little secret quirks.
Emotionally, it's not an experience I would like to relive or to wish on anyone - except the bureaucrats and developers who have made this possible.
When I returned to Hong Kong last week I read an article in the South China Morning Post about a developer misleading the owners of a shop house in order to buy their property and thus complete their "en bloc" purchase of a building.
What piqued my interest in the article is that the age and condition for an "en bloc" in Hong Kong. It is 50 years and the threshold is now 80%, reduced from 90%. There are other terms and conditions which are not as 'business friendly' so that the individual has more protection.
In Singapore you can "en bloc" buildings of 10 (90% of the owners must agree to sell) and 20 years of age (80% owner approval). The government says it is majority rule, but it is easier for speculators to tempt the venal and short sighted than in a more mature societies like in Hong Kong, Europe or some countries in the southern hemisphere.
Imagine what Europe's cities would look like today if their old buildings had been razed willy nilly and replaced by post-WW2 buildings. The only good thing about that is that the uglier early tower blocks would since have been replaced by - possibly - better looking buildings.
Mighty China too has pulled down new buildings and infrastructure to leapfrog into the late 21st century.
Some examples (Why Buildings Die Young in China) :
http://www.theasiamag.com/patterns/why-buildings-die-young-in-china?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=November_3__2010_Email_Alert&utm_medium=email
But they still have a sufficiency of monolithic Communist-inspired edifices and newly renovated and modernised traditional residential buildings that preserve some history for the future.
Singapore has become a thoroughly modern city with 'edgy' architecture and is now on the treadmill of having to stay current.
Not all who grew up in kampungs and neighbourhoods enclaves are thrilled with living in HDB flats (government subsidized housing which accommodates more than 80% of Singaporeans) - but living in one makes so much economic sense that young couples find themselves priced out of the re-sale market.
As in China, the bounty of education and prosperity has given rise to many extremely wealthy people in a very short time. But upbringing, sensitivity, culture and taste cannot be purchased at the Prada or Apple store.
So we raze and build rather than build and maintain. But even third world labour is going to get more expensive as the world develops.
To start with third world workers are accustomed to lower standards and while Singapore may be a dream home for them, they have brought with them their social and hygiene habits.
Alas, it seems there are not enough to teach and supervise them; and our reputation for being a clean city suffers as a consequence.
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