A homely HDB neighbourhood is no longer a question

Source : Straits Times – 25 Jun 2009

A homely HDB neighbourhood is no longer a question of bricks and mortar

I REFER to the Ministry of National Development’s proposed Town Council Management Report, which is intended to better inform and involve HDB residents ‘in shaping our housing estates into a more pleasant place for all to live in’.

In general, HDB dwellers already enjoy relatively well-managed estates, which have resulted in a good quality of life.

However, as the population grows and more affluent neighbourhoods are twinned with HDB estates, estate managers must move beyond bricks-and-mortar management and consider strategies that will allow residents to enjoy their home free from any nuisance, annoyance and disturbance.

Needless to say, to meet these challenges, managers of today’s HDB estates will need to go out more often and work more closely in partnership with other agencies and residents, to produce the highest possible quality of service and life for the communities in the estate they manage.

As residents can have a direct influence on the success or failure of estate management works, they too need to be assessed in terms of their cooperation with estate managers and other partners in making the estate they live and play in, clean and well-maintained; and in keeping the peace and forging neighbourliness and harmony among residents.

The Town Council Management Report should not be misused as a fault-finding mechanism by residents, or it will fail to deliver the desired outcome sought by them and estate managers alike.

Jolly Wee