Six decades ago, when Singapore was emerging as an independent nation, it was one of the poorest cities in Southeast Asia. Three out of four residents lived in overcrowded and filthy slums. The ramshackle houses had tin walls and were known as squatters.

60年前剛剛成為一個獨立國家時，新加坡是東南亞最貧窮的城市之一。當(dāng)時四分之三的居民居住在過度擁擠和骯臟的貧民窟中。那些破爛的鐵皮房子被稱為“占屋”。

Today, Singapore is a wealthy, modern city where roughly half of its 6 million people live in well-constructed high-rise apartments that were built by the government. These subsidized apartments are typically bright and airy, and defy most perceptions of public housing projects. Most are effectively owned by their occupants, a testament to their affordability.

如今，新加坡是一座富裕的現(xiàn)代化城市，600萬人口中約有一半居住在政府建造的優(yōu)質(zhì)高層公寓中。與大多數(shù)人對公共住房項目的印象完全不同，這些受到補貼的公寓通常光線明亮、通風(fēng)良好。這些公寓大多數(shù)實際上都是由居住者擁有，表明了這些房屋價格的可承受程度。

But over the past 15 years, prices in the secondary market have soared 80 percent. As of early May, 54 of these apartments have sold for more than 1.35 million Singaporean dollars, or $1 million. They are sought after because they are spacious, in good locations, and are still cheaper than private condominiums of a similar size.

但過去15年來，二級市場的價格飆升了80%。截至5月初，其中54套公寓的售價超過135萬新加坡元（約合100萬美元）。這些公寓之所以受到追捧，是因為面積大、位置優(yōu)越，而且仍然比類似面積的私人公寓便宜。

While these million-dollar apartments represent a tiny fraction of all transactions, they have nonetheless captured the imaginations of many Singaporeans and amplified worries about the affordability of housing in one of the world’s most expensive cities. Some residents are also anxious that the values of their apartments will drop because the units are sold on a 99-year lease and eventually have to be returned to the government.

盡管這些價值上百萬美元的公寓只占所有交易的一小部分，但它們?nèi)粤钤S多新加坡人開始浮想聯(lián)翩，并加劇了人們對世界上最昂貴的城市之一的住房負(fù)擔(dān)能力的擔(dān)憂。一些居民還擔(dān)心他們的公寓價值會下降，因為這些單位是按99年契約出售的，最終必須歸還給政府。

Here’s what you need to know about Singapore’s public housing system.

關(guān)于新加坡公共住房系統(tǒng)，以下是你需要了的信息。

They encourage conversations between neighbors.

鼓勵鄰居之間的對話。

Singapore’s Housing and Development Board over time has put up hundreds of thousands of apartments in housing projects. The developments are organized as “new towns,” self-contained neighborhoods with restaurants, shops, schools and religious institutions. A town center typically has a clinic, a bus terminal, a subway station or a mall.

隨著時間的推移，新加坡建屋發(fā)展局的住房項目已經(jīng)建造了數(shù)十萬套公寓。這些開發(fā)項目被規(guī)劃成“新市鎮(zhèn)”，即擁有餐館、商店、學(xué)校和宗教機構(gòu)的獨立社區(qū)。市鎮(zhèn)中心通常設(shè)有診所、公交車站、地鐵站或購物中心。

Singapore builds and sells a variety of these apartments — known as H.D.B. flats — to suit different household needs and budgets. The heights of the buildings vary, but, typically, the size of the apartments ranges from 32 square meters, or about 340 square feet to 130 square meters for a three-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. There is also a four-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment for multigenerational families that measures 115 square meters.

為了滿足不同家庭的需求和預(yù)算，新加坡建造并銷售各種被稱為建屋發(fā)展局組屋的公寓。這些建筑物的高度各不相同，但通常公寓的面積從32平方米到130平方米不等，大的戶型有三室兩衛(wèi)。還有適合家族幾代人同住的四室三衛(wèi)戶型，面積為115平方米。

Many owners are very proud of their homes, the insides of which are regularly featured in interior design magazines in Singapore.

許多業(yè)主對自己的房屋感到非常自豪，其內(nèi)部裝飾經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在新加坡的室內(nèi)設(shè)計雜志上。

The apartments run along a wide corridor that is split into six to eight units, to encourage conversation among neighbors. On the ground floor of each block is a “void deck,” an open space where children can play tag and residents can interact with their neighbors.

這些公寓分別在寬闊的走廊兩側(cè)，大約有六到八個單位，旨在鼓勵鄰居之間的交談。每個街區(qū)的底層都有一個“空層”，這是一個開放空間，孩子們可以在這里玩捉迷藏，居民可以與鄰居互動。

The grounds are clean and well maintained, and older estates are regularly given facelifts. “This is why, unlike public housing projects elsewhere in the world, our H.D.B. estates never turn into slums or ghettos,” Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down as prime minister this month, said in his last major speech to the nation.

這些場地往往十分干凈且維護良好，較舊的大樓定期會進行整修?！斑@就是為什么與世界其他地方的公共住房項目不同，我們的組屋永遠(yuǎn)不會變成貧民區(qū)或貧民窟，”本月卸任總理職務(wù)的李顯龍在向全國發(fā)表的最后一次重要講話中表示。

But ministers have previously made clear that the upgrading of facilities such as elevators is contingent on electoral support for the governing People’s Action Party, which has been in power since Singapore’s independence.

但部長們此前曾明確表示，電梯等設(shè)施的升級取決于對執(zhí)政的人民行動黨在選舉中的支持率。該黨自新加坡獨立以來一直執(zhí)政。

They are entwined with the country’s success.

與國家的成功密不可分。

Singapore started building subsidized housing in the late 1940s. Over the next decade it constructed 20,000 subsidized apartments, but they barely met the needs of its roughly 1.6 million people at the time, who were still living in squatters. Another 31,000 flats were built after the H.D.B. was set up in 1960.

新加坡在20世紀(jì)40年代末開始建造保障性住房。在接下來的十年里建造了2萬套補貼公寓，但它們幾乎不能滿足當(dāng)時大約160萬人的需求，這些人仍然住在棚戶區(qū)。1960年建屋發(fā)展局組屋計劃開始后，又新建了3.1萬套公寓。

In 1964, the government introduced the Home Ownership for the People Scheme, which became the cornerstone of Singapore’s public housing policy. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father, believed that homeownership would give every citizen a stake in a country of immigrants with no shared history.

1964年，政府推出居者有其屋計劃，成為新加坡公共住房政策的基石。新加坡開國元勛李光耀認(rèn)為，在這個沒有共同歷史的移民國家，擁有住房將讓每個公民都有自己的一份根基。

A few years later, in a bid to help more people become homeowners, the authorities allowed citizens to use their savings from a government retirement fund to pay for the down payment and monthly mortgage installments for an apartment. It also introduced other programs and grants to help low-income families. And by 1985, virtually every Singaporean was living in a home.

幾年后，為了幫助更多的人擁有自己的房子，當(dāng)局允許公民使用他們在政府退休基金中的儲蓄，來支付公寓的首付款和每月按揭分期付款。它還引入了其他項目和贈款來幫助低收入家庭。到1985年，幾乎每個新加坡人都住在自己的房子里。

The government is trying to increase affordability.

政府努力平抑房價。

Last year, the government introduced more housing grants to help first-time buyers and families buy homes in the secondary market. Lawrence Wong, who is now the prime minister, acknowledged then that some Singaporeans wanted to buy resale apartments for their first home but found prices too high.

去年，政府推出了更多的住房補貼，幫助首次購房者和家庭在二級市場購買住房?，F(xiàn)任總理黃循財當(dāng)時承認(rèn)，一些新加坡人想購買二手房作為自己的首套房，但發(fā)現(xiàn)價格太高。

To deal with high demand for apartments in preferable locations, Mr. Lee, the previous prime minister, announced last August that the government would impose new rules to restrict sales. They go into effect in the second half of this year. Owners of these units will be able to sell them only after living in them for 10 years. In addition, the government would impose an income ceiling for buyers in the secondary market, in line with the restrictions that it has for buyers of new flats.

去年8月，前總理李顯龍宣布，為了應(yīng)對優(yōu)越地段公寓的高需求，政府將出臺新規(guī)定，限制銷售。它們將于今年下半年生效。這些優(yōu)越地段公寓的業(yè)主只有在居住10年之后才能出售。此外，政府將對二級市場的買家設(shè)定收入上限，與政府對新公寓買家的限制保持一致。

In a statement, Singapore’s Housing and Development Board said the three rounds of cooling measures that it has implemented since 2021 have resulted in resale prices increasing at a slower rate of 4.9 percent in 2023, compared to 10.4 percent in 2022. It said that it expects the housing market “will continue to stabilize in the coming year” because of a significant supply of new homes.

新加坡建屋發(fā)展局在聲明中表示，2021年以來，該局已實施了三輪降溫措施，導(dǎo)致2023年轉(zhuǎn)售價格漲幅放緩至4.9%，而2022年為10.4%。該機構(gòu)表示，由于新房供應(yīng)充足，預(yù)計房地產(chǎn)市場“將在未來一年繼續(xù)企穩(wěn)”。

Few buyers have to put up a lot of cash.

很少有購房者需要支付大量現(xiàn)金。

The government typically proposes new projects and then holds a lottery for prospective buyers. These apartments are called “build-to-order” (B.T.O.) flats, and demand often outstrips supply. Successful applicants can then sext the location and size of the apartment in the proposed sites. Construction begins when buyers have signed up for about 70 percent of the units. Last year, the median waiting time for an apartment to be ready was three years and 10 months.

政府通常會提出新項目，然后讓潛在買家抽簽。這些公寓被稱為“預(yù)購組屋”(BTO)，往往供不應(yīng)求。然后，抽簽抽中的申請者可以在擬議的地塊選擇公寓的位置和大小。當(dāng)買家簽約購買了大約70%的單位后，施工建設(shè)就會開始。去年，等待公寓完工的時間中位數(shù)為三年10個月。

Because many Singaporeans use savings from their government-run retirement funds to buy a home, few have to put up a lot of cash. Depending on household incomes, families that are eligible first-time buyers can obtain housing grants of up to 80,000 Singaporean dollars, or roughly $60,000.

由于許多新加坡人用政府管理的退休基金中的儲蓄來買房，所以很少有人需要拿出很多現(xiàn)金。根據(jù)家庭收入的不同，符合條件的首次購房者家庭可以獲得最高8萬新加坡元（合6萬美元）的住房補貼。

A two-bedroom flat sold by the government in the west side of Singapore goes for roughly 202,000 Singaporean dollars ($150,000) before grants.

政府在新加坡西部出售的一套兩居室公寓在沒有補貼的情況下，售價約為20.2萬新加坡元（合15萬美元）。

There are restrictions on buyers.

對買家有限制。

The Singapore government has used public housing incentives to encourage the formation of families and racial integration.

新加坡政府利用公共住房激勵措施來鼓勵家庭組建和種族融合。

It imposes strict rules on who can apply for B.T.O. flats, namely: heterosexual Singaporean couples who are either married or engaged; couples with children; couples who want to live with their parents; and orphaned siblings. Buyers of these apartments have to live in it for a minimum of five years before they can sell.

它對誰可以申請預(yù)購組屋有著嚴(yán)格的規(guī)定：已婚或訂婚的新加坡異性戀夫婦；有子女的夫婦；希望與父母同住的夫婦；還有失去雙親的兄弟姐妹。這些公寓的購買者必須在其中居住至少五年才能出售。

For years, the government did not allow single people to buy these apartments, but it gradually relaxed the rules over time. Last August, Mr. Lee said singles 35 and older could buy one-bedroom apartments in any location, starting in the second half of this year. Previously, they were allowed to buy only in a dozen developments with fewer amenities.

多年來，政府不允許單身人士購買這樣的公寓，但隨著時間的推移，它逐漸放寬了規(guī)定。去年8月，李顯龍說，從今年下半年開始，35歲及以上的單身人士可以在任何地點購買一居室公寓。此前，這些人只被允許在設(shè)施較少的十幾個開發(fā)項目中買房。

In 1989, the government enacted a policy requiring each block or neighborhood to have a minimum quota of each of the main ethnic groups in the city — Chinese, Malay and Indian — to prevent the formation of racial enclaves.

1989年，政府頒布了一項政策，要求每個街區(qū)或社區(qū)對城市中的所有主要族群——華人、馬來人和印度人——都有最低配額，以防止形成種族聚居地。

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the current president, said in 2015 that “the natural workings of society” would have led to “mistrust, discomfort, bigotry and what we see in abundance in many countries in the world today.”

現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)尚達曼在2015年表示，“社會的自然運行”會導(dǎo)致“不信任、不安、偏執(zhí)，以及我們今天在世界上許多國家看到的諸多現(xiàn)象”。

He added: “The most intrusive social policy in Singapore has turned out to be the most important.”

“在新加坡，最具干涉性的社會政策，結(jié)果卻成了最重要的政策，”他還說。

“Once people live together, they are not just walking the corridors together everyday, taking the same elevator up and down,” he said. “Their kids go to the same kindergarten, their kids go to the same primary school.”

“一旦人們住在一起，他們不僅僅是每天一起走過走廊，坐同一部電梯上上下下，”他說?！八麄兊暮⒆舆M入同一所幼兒園，同一所小學(xué)?！?br />
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