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Many people regard Hong Kong as one of the countries with the highest population density in the world. To a large extent, that is absolutely true. Based on their population of 7,182,724 (July 2013 estimate) and their land size of 1,054 square kilometres (sq. km), the population density works out to be 6,815 residents per sq. km!
However, did you know that Singapore has a much higher population density?
To meet its urban challenges, Singapore must continue to develop and test solutions, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities (CSAC) Research Symposium (pictured) on 18 September.
“A key research area that we must continue to focus on is to ensure a high quality living environment in urbanised and compact Singapore. This involves enhancing connectivity, accessibility and convenience of services and amenities for residents,” he said.
Singapore's famously efficient government faces a challenge that has stymied many a country before: safely guiding its toppish property market to a soft landing as interest rates rise.
Property prices in the city-state have surged over 60 percent since 2009, propelled by rock-bottom global interest rates and quantitative easing in developed economies, even as Singapore's government has enacted a series of cooling measures to prevent a bubble from forming.
Slew of high-end projects expected in the coming months
SUBURBAN condos have been driving sales in recent weeks but upmarket homes are poised to take centre stage with a series of launches coming up.
Wing Tai's The Crest off Alexandra Road and near the exclusive area of Jervois Road is expected to be launched soon.
Keppel Land's 99-year leasehold The Highline Residences in Kim Tian Road on the fringes of the city is also poised to go and is tipped to be popular.
Good deals for owner occupiers
With property prices finally losing steam, home buyers may be wondering whether it is the right time to take the plunge.
Both the private and public housing markets have begun to slow down, as sales volumes tumble and prices turn downwards.
Analysts expect the property market to sink further this year owing to a triple whammy of weak demand, an expected rise in interest rates and looming oversupply.
Buying volume likely to improve.
According to Colliers International, taking into consideration the healthy interest seen during the launch of Lakeville in early April, primary market sales volume is expected to climb to the region of 500-800 units in April before improving further in the following months.
Here's more:
Developers gearing up for more launches.
According to Colliers International, as developers gear up for more launches, primary market sales volume is expected to remain in the region of 600-900 units in March before improving further in the following months.
Notwithstanding the improvement in launch and sales volume in February, it appears that the market is slowly approaching a stable state following the implementation of the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) in June 2013, cooling off from the exuberance seen in 2012 and 1H 2013.
Chief economist sees smaller home supply in long term
"As long as interest rates remain where they are now, that would be too premature."
Instead, it is more probable that the government would reduce the number of private homes and HDB flats that will come onstream in the longer term, he added.
Citizen population up by 0.9 per cent to 3.31 million; continues to grow older. Total population reaches 5.4 million as at end-June, a rise of 1.6 % over the last year
SINGAPORE — The total population here grew over last year at its slowest pace since 2004, partly due to tightened foreign manpower policies and weaker economic conditions. A bright spot was the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) inching up to a five-year high, thanks to the “Dragon Year effect”.
As at end-June, Singapore’s total population stood at 5.4 million — a rise of 1.6 per cent over last year.
Singapore will increase spending on population-growth measures by 25 percent, rolling out incentives ranging from government-paid time off for adoption and paternity leave to funding for fertility treatments.
An annual budget of S$2 billion ($1.6 billion) will be set aside for measures including state-funded childcare leave, healthcare costs and financial support for housing to married couples, the government said in a statement today. That’s an increase from S$1.6 billion in the last package in 2008, it said.
“The enhanced package aims to provide more comprehensive support for Singaporeans in getting married and starting their families,” the government said in the statement. “Addressing our falling birth rate requires a concerted effort beyond government initiatives.”
After a long wait, the Singapore draft Master Plan 2013 has finally been released. The master plan is reviewed every 5 years and it is a guide of how the Singapore build environment will be like from now till 2018.
Through the change of zoning or land use intensity, a region that used to be undeveloped could be the next boomtown. Naturally, many property stakeholders (developers and property punters alike) are very eager to study the latest master plan, as it will give an indication of the upcoming plans that the government has.
Punggol is rapidly developing into a major commercial and residential hub, underlined by strong interest for the new Watertown development.
Over at the upcoming retail mall Waterway Point, supermarket NTUC FairPrice Finest and Shaw Theatres have signed on as anchor tenants.
SINGAPORE: With home prices in the city centre softening, analysts say many developers are likely to hold back on launching new projects for the rest of the year.
Real estate consultancy CBRE estimates that there are some 2,000 units of private homes yet to be launched for sale in the core central region — the highest compared to the city fringe and the suburban areas.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's total population grew by 1.6 per cent to reach 5.4 million as of June this year.
That is the slowest growth rate in the past nine years, according to the latest report from the National Population and Talent Division.
This is despite a third round of enhancements to the Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) package at the start of the year aimed at encouraging Singaporeans to get married and have babies.
As the population ages and shrinks, there has only been a marginal increase in the number of Singaporeans getting married and having babies.
