The architect who designed Singapore’s public housing system, which is now home to most of Singapore’s 5.9 million residents, has died at the age of 87.
Liu Tai Khar shaped the landscape of modern Singapore, where distinctive public housing areas dominate the skyline from the city center to the suburbs.
According to local reports citing his son, Liu died on Sunday from complications caused by a fall about a week ago.
Tributes have poured in, with many thanking Liu for his contribution. One user said Singapore had “lost a giant”, adding that Mr Liew “didn’t just build a city, he shaped the very way Singaporeans live, move and belong”.
Singapore’s public housing apartments, known locally as HDBs and named after the Housing Development Board they oversee, have become a major driver of savings in the small but wealthy economy.
Unlike public housing in many places, apartments in Singapore are heavily subsidized and purchased by the public. Once purchased, it remains the property of the owner for the next 99 years and can be resold at market price after a specified period of time.
Critics of this unusual system argue that it is partly due to the fact that it sells off many Singaporeans at market prices. However, it remains an important policy in Singapore, and Singapore’s leaders see it as a way to ensure that all Singaporeans own a little of their country.
Born in Malaysia in 1938, Liew came to Singapore when he was six years old.
He then studied architecture in Australia, earned a master’s degree in urban planning from Yale University, and then worked in the New York office of renowned architect IM Pei.
He returned to Singapore in 1969 and later served as chief architect of Singapore (HDB), responsible for the country’s public housing.
When he first joined the civil service, many Singaporeans were still living in overcrowded slums and the country was in the midst of a government-led transition to social housing.
During his time at HDB, he oversaw the development of 20 new cities and approximately 500,000 homes.
He later became chief executive officer and planner for the country’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, serving a total of 24 years in the civil service before retiring to start his own private company.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong paid tribute to Mr Liu in a Facebook post, saying: “The buildings, homes and public spaces used by Singaporeans every day are silent testaments to his dedication and vision.”
President Thurman Shanmugaratnam also thanked Mr Liu in a Facebook post, saying he had helped “make Singapore a liveable city in the tropics”.
Other Singaporeans also thanked Mr Liu for his “great vision for Singapore”, with one saying: “He didn’t just build buildings, he built a nation”.
Zhengzheng High School (Yishun City), where Liu previously attended as a student, also expressed its condolences.
“The journey of Dr. Liew, a student of our school who is widely known as the architect of modern Singapore. [school] For visionary urban planners, it remains a source of immense pride. ”
Local media also paid tribute to Mr Liu, with many crediting him with shaping Singapore’s modern landscape and some calling him the “father of urban planning”.