Segregation and marginalisation within public housing: The disadvantaged in Bedok New Town, Singapore

This paper examines segregation within public housing in Bedok New Town, Singapore. The highly structured and regulated public housing sector, accommodating 86 per cent of the total Singapore population, provides an interesting look at the issue of 'choice' and 'constraint', and their implications for segregation. Using the index of dissimilarity to measure evenness of distribution and the P* index to measure social interaction and isolation, the data show that lower-income members of Indian ethnic background had become more segregated between 1980 and 1990. The eligibility criteria and allocation procedures pertaining to public housing help channel certain groups of residents into a narrow array of housing types in strictly defined locations. Particular socio-demographic features of lower-income Indians, coupled with their numerical inferiority, leads to a weak position within the housing market. The issue of constrained choice is especially relevant for this group of public housing residents.