Geography Chapter 8: Housing and Urban Living

These vocabulary flashcards cover the essential definitions and concepts from Chapter 8 regarding housing types, characteristics of formal and informal housing, and urban land-use planning.

Housing

Structures or buildings developed to shelter people from the elements ($e.g.$ sun, rain, natural disasters) and often seen as a basic need.

High-rise housing

Housing that consists of more than $6$ levels, requires lifts, and is associated with high-density living.

Low-rise housing

Housing that consist of not more than $6$ levels, does not have lifts, and is typically found towards the fringe of the city.

High-density housing

Housing designed to accommodate many people, usually found nearer to the city centre.

Detached houses

Standalone houses with no shared walls, which includes bungalows, cottages, and mansions.

Semi-detached houses

A pair of houses that share $1$ common wall.

Terrace houses

A row of houses that share walls with one another.

Shop houses

A type of housing characterized by shared walls, often combining commercial and residential use.

Formal housing

Housing provided by government programs or private developers with the legal right to occupy land, built with high-quality materials and access to basic services.

Informal housing

Illegally or unlawfully built housing by individuals unable to access formal housing, characterized by a lack of legal land rights and basic services.

HDB (Housing Development Board)

The government housing provider in Singapore; its units are sold only to Singapore Citizens or PRs, and reach approximately $80\%$ of the population.

Legal right to occupy land

The ability to freely obtain, use, or possess land at one's discretion, provided it does not impede the land rights of other individuals.

Basic services

Access to water, electricity, and sanitation services supported by infrastructure like underground water pipes, electrical substations, and sewage pipes.

High-quality building materials

Durable materials such as concrete, metal, and hard wood that can withstand heavy rain and strong winds and protect occupants from fires.

Self-built squatter settlements

Informal housing built in an unplanned fashion using scavenged or low-quality materials like zinc sheets, recycled lumber, cardboard, and plastic sheets.

Locally unwanted land use

Non-desirable land areas near landfills, sewage treatment plants, or large polluting industries where informal housing is often located.

Land-use planning

A process that guides how land can be used, creating rules to decide which activities are allowed in different areas.

Zoning

Regulations that specify land use for residential, industrial, or commercial purposes to shape how towns are built.

Private Developers

Entities that develop property for profit, usually focusing on commercially viable locations like shops and malls.

Financial Support Schemes

Programs that lower the cost of building to encourage developers to build more houses and ensure formal housing is affordable.