Talks on Tap #3 - Housing & Citizenship by Prof Chua Beng Huat
🍻 Talks on Tap #3
Housing and Citizenship with Prof Chua Beng Huat (Professor Emeritus at NUS, author of Public Subsidy, Private Accumulation)
The extraordinary story of Singapore's public housing is well-known: in just a few decades, the Housing and Development Board rehoused the vast majority of citizens in modern flats and reshaped the entire city. But enduring success raises fresh questions. Why did housing become the state’s early social priority, and how has it underpinned industrialisation and development? Can HDB homes stay affordable for young families while sustaining retirement security for older generations, especially as 99-year leases tick down? And what happens to inequality when subsidised flats double as wealth-building assets?
In this talk, Prof. Chua Beng Huat examines the tension between housing as a public good and as a private investment, comparing models across economies and tracing their political, social, economic, and cultural impacts on everyday life.
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🎤 Featured Speaker
Prof. Chua Beng Huat is a sociologist and currently Professor Emeritus at the National University of Singapore. A leading scholar of Singapore’s political economy, his research explores urban and public housing policies, and cultural studies in Asia. Previously, he served as faculty member in the Urban Studies department in Yale-NUS College and Provost Chair Professor at FASS, among many other roles over his 40-year career in academia.
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🗓️ 20 Nov (Thu), 𝟕𝐏𝐌
📍Monk's Brew Club
57 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428773
🎟️ $18 per pax (inclusive of a choice of alcoholic or nonalcholic beverage)
We’re introducing a fee this time to help cover venue hire and to support a local business. ✨ We want everyone to feel welcome so if the fee is a barrier, just drop us a note at [email protected] and we'll make it work.
Accessibility Note: Please note that the venue is located in a shophouse and is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. Toilets are available on Level 2, and there are also quiet spaces onsite for anyone who may need them.