Article Picked from

Jee Sheong

Why big nations struggle with housing while land-scarce Singapore succeeds — a 2025 deep dive into policy, affordability, and design.

November 16, 2025

Big Countries, Big Land… Big Housing Crisis. Tiny Singapore? Not So.

With effect from the August 2023 Build-to-Order (BTO) Exercise, stricter penalties will be imposed on couples who do not select a flat when invited by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to do so. A new priority category benefiting first-timer families applying for their first BTO flat was also introduced. In his Committee of Supply …