[alephnerd]

I agree with the sentiment but it's legally and politically untenable in the US (edit: to use eminent domain)

Singapore was able to build out the HDB because it was a One Party State that didn't take kindly to activists.

For example, when the HDB program was being built out, there was massive resistance by the people living in the villages used to build those HDBs.

Those villagers often leaned socialist (Barisal Sosialis), and that party was largely neutered under emergency acts [0] with trade unionists and party activists being sent to Chaangi Jail indefinitely, along with protests and conspiracy theories about the ruling party burning down Kampongs/Villages to force residents to move into HDBs [1]

While this in hindsight was the right move, the cost is VERY HIGH.

The point is, redevelopment while caring for human rights and property laws is HARD. If you are a One Party State that can jail pesky activists willy nilly and owns all the newspapers, it's possible. But this is not how America works, and sure as hell not California.

[0] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Coldstore

[1] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Ho_Swee_fire

[Grimburger]

This seems a somewhat dramatised account? The Malayan emergency response had the solid backing of the west and was essentially just a continuation of the cold war across the region at the time, it's definitely a lot deeper than just zoning laws and is rooted in a decades long civil war with communist insurgents.

There's absolutely no reason we in the Anglosphere couldn't emulate the HDB system and bringing up cold war incidents from 60 years ago isn't really relevant at all to how it works on the ground today.

Tangentially: Singaporean HDB owners have been harping on about oversupply for years now and the government is foolishly listening to those with a clear vested bias for increasing their own asset prices: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/govt-careful-calibrati...

[alephnerd]

I'm responding to OP's comment on eminent domain.

Eminent Domain in the US is a de facto nonstarter based on past recent litigation.

The HDB programs in both SG and HK were able to succeed thanks to strong eminent domain laws by governments not immediately beholden to public sentiment.

It was the right call, but one that can't be done in the US circa 2023.

Also, Coldstone was after the Malayan Emergency and after SG was kicked out of the Malaysia, though this was also the era of Konfrontasi.

[Grimburger]

It was just after the insurgency ended but there was definitely a massive pushback on anything even slightly communist/socialist running through both countries that still exists to this day. Singapore was a very new country at the time and despite the split with Malaysia the two were pretty much in lockstep and highly integrated on issues like the emergency/civil war.

Both countries were basically expecting it to break out again for decades after.

[alephnerd]

Fair enough.