http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking...tates-20131230
It tackles points raised by ST reader who said they look like 'walled cities'
Newer public housing estates are not the "walled cities" one Straits Times reader called them.
Instead, interspersed among high-rise blocks are low-rise developments such as parks.
This was the Housing Board's reply to a letter published in The Straits Times on Dec 18 complaining about the quality of newer towns such as Sengkang, Sembawang and Punggol.
"The spaces between blocks have been reduced significantly, leading to a pervasive 'walled-city' look," architectural designer Liu Zhenghao, 30, had written.
HDB, in reply to a Straits Times reader’s letter, cited new neighbourhoods like Punggol, which includes the Punggol Breeze development (above). -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
HDB plans its towns with a “checkerboard concept”, and the estate has high-rise buildings interspersed with low-rise developments like parks. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE