Toa Payoh Town Renewal

The Toa Payoh Town Renewal Programme is Singapore’s first major effort to upgrade its older public housing towns. Toa Payoh, built in the 1960s, once housed 190,000 people in 36,000 flats, but many younger families moved to newer towns, leaving a smaller and older population of around 115,000. About 17,000 flats are now home to seniors, many living alone.
The programme improves homes, community facilities, and roads, while adapting the town for an ageing population. Flats are retrofitted with features like wheelchair access, support rails, and non-slip flooring. Social centres, home care, and support services help seniors live independently. Residents over 55 can also downsize and use the extra funds from selling their larger flats to boost retirement income.
Upgrades include adding new lift access, enlarging apartments with prefabricated “space-adding” units, and redeveloping old blocks when necessary. When flats are rebuilt, residents are moved together to nearby new homes before demolition, helping them stay close to family and neighbours.
Environmental improvements focus on natural light, ventilation, water-saving toilets, rainwater collection, and landscaping. Prefabricated construction reduces waste and speeds up work, with internal flat upgrades often completed in just 14 working days.
The programme is financially sustainable, as most costs are covered by government funds and modest contributions from residents. Trade in the area has increased, hawker centres have been modernised, and the town has become a more attractive and socially vibrant place to live.
Regular surveys show a 97% satisfaction rate. The project has become a model for renewing other ageing estates in Singapore, proving that public housing can adapt to social change while keeping communities together.