Housing & urban models : a case for an urban, high-density, low-rise housing in Singapore

The environment in Singapore is becoming more and more urbanised and public housing forms a major part of the urban development. The continual process of adopting the current high-density, high-rise built forms in a fast changing society has resulted in 87% of the population living in a homogenous urban environment which lacks variety and choice. It was in view of this limitation in the present model that this research was initiated.
This thesis is an investigation on the possibility of an alternative high-density, low-rise built forms which is applicable in Singapore's context. By relooking at the theories of Martin and March on built form and land use, this thesis seeks to distill out the principles on high-density, low-rise patterns of urban development. By applying these principles in the housing design of a modem society with all its complexities and its changing nature can in fact path the way forward in the housing and urban design in the 21 st century.
Within the housing context, this thesis seeks to formulate a conceptual framework in which the alternative housing model can be feasible. Within these framework, the thesis also addresses the issues of regional identity in the use of the traditional shophouse built form. It looks at the problems and arguments which generated the shophouse typology and considers the directions which are now open to us.
By examining urbanism and by keeping housing as the central focus and a strategic vehicle, the object of this thesis is to consider an alternative model so that in addition to the existing high-rise pattern of housing, it will be possible to design a way forward which provides a wider range of choices and will lead to a greater opportunity for a variety of patterns of living to develop. The result of applying the shophouse typology using Martin and March's theory holds the key to the solution to the problem of urban variety in high-density housing.