60 years of game-changers

Innovation in Action: The Journey Begins

Singapore’s journey since independence is the story of an underdog, one with few resources beyond its people and their innovative spirit.

Over the past 60 years, Singapore has grown from a small trading island into a first world nation that is now making its mark on the global stage. One that is at the forefront of cutting-edge discoveries. Innovation has played a key role in this.

Here’s how Singapore’s first chapter of innovation began, all the way back in the 1960s!

In the early 60s, less than 10% of Singaporeans lived in government flats, haphazardly constructed squatter housing, and overcrowded shophouses. Building structures were often unsafe, and living conditions were far from ideal.

This was the backdrop for the development of what would be one of the world's most ambitious and successful public housing programmes.

The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) was set up in the 1920s, and its first project, Tiong Bahru Estate, began in the 1930s.

The Housing & Development Board was set up in 1961 to take up this mantle and address the post-war housing shortage.

HDB flats were designed to be simple yet functional, so they could be built quickly. With limited land, HDB began building homes upwards, and within five years, close to 55,000 high rise flats were built.

By the end of the 1960s, Singapore’s post-war housing crisis was largely resolved. To see how HDB dealt with key issues in those early years, click here.

In addition to creating safer, better-quality housing, Singapore also began looking to create better quality jobs, and set out on a massive undertaking to build up infrastructure and economic development.

Set up in 1961, one of the Economic Development Board’s first tasks was to turn Jurong into an industrial estate.

As Singapore ramped up its industrialisation, Jurong Town Corporation (now JTC) emerged from EDB as the specialist agency to spearhead the planning and development of industrial infrastructure for Singapore's economic development.

EDB also began work establishing Singapore as an attractive destination for foreign investment. Early successes included bringing US companies National Semiconductor, Fairchild, Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard and General Electric to our shores.

The 1960s saw the creation of the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) to oversee port operations and development.

For example, PSA established Jurong Port in 1965 to support the industries at the Jurong Industrial Estate, with bulk cargo.

In September 1964, PSA introduced a two-shift system, which is still used today, to ensure that ships docked at the wharves could be serviced around the clock. This move earned Singapore the reputation of “the port that never sleeps”, paving the way for our position as a major trade hub in the world.