Docomomo Macau, in collaboration with Fundação Oriente, announces the fourth lecture in its series The Advent of Collective Housing in the 20th Century. Architect and researcher, Professor Johannes Widodo will present “From SIT to HDB: Singapore’s Public Housing Morphology and Policy in the 20th Century” on Thursday, November 6th, 2025, at 6:45 PM, at Fundação Oriente - Casa Garden, 13 Praça de Luís de Camões, Macau.
The lecture traces Singapore’s public housing journey from the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) of the 1920s to the Housing & Development Board (HDB) founded in 1960, highlighting the shift from colonial welfare housing to a national development strategy.
Professor Widodo will examine how the Central Provident Fund (CPF) enabled widespread home ownership and how Singapore’s urban policies addressed challenges of land scarcity, cultural diversity, and sustainability.
Through spatial and policy analysis, the talk explores the morphological evolution of HDB housing and its role in shaping social cohesion, identity, and environmental resilience. It will also reflect on future challenges such as ageing estates, inclusivity, and climate adaptation.
This event is part of a curated series developed by Docomomo Macau with the support of Fundação Oriente, aimed at architects, scholars, students, and the public. The series fosters critical dialogue on the legacy and future of collective housing and urban design in the Lusophone world and beyond.
Dr Johannes WIDODO
A professor at the National University of Singapore, teaching at the MA Architectural Conservation Program. Affiliations: mAAN (modern Asian Architecture Network) founder executive, AAHM (Asian Academy for Heritage Management) executive committee, UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation jury, ICOMOS ISC member, ICOMOS National Committee (Indonesia and Singapore) founder, DoCoMoMo (Macau and Singapore) founder, iNTA (International Network of Tropical Architecture) founder & executive, TCHS (The Circle for Human Sustainability) member, and SEACHA (South East Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance) founder and advisory board member.
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