I came across this blog post on void decks on the ground floor of housing blocks.
Good, now I’ve got your attention. But this post is not about politics, it’s about urban planning and social spaces.
Having won Aljunied GRC, the Workers’ Party faced a problem of where they would conduct their MP’s clinics — the kind of thing that in Singapore-speak we call “Meet-the-people sessions” — where at regular intervals, the member of parliament (MP) for an area would make himself available to listen to and assist his constituents. The party had no physical premises in the group representation constituency (GRC). So, last week, they held the first of their weekly clinics at void decks.
“Void decks” — another typically Singaporean term. These are the unwalled ground floors beneath blocks of flats.
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We seem to have forgotten that void decks serve important environmental and social purposes.
In the early days, HDB architects and planners realised that given our climate, it is important to ensure good air-circulation. That was why HDB blocks were commonly designed with void decks. The upper diagram on the right illustrates the airflow that should result.
I think the cooling factor is far more important than a karaoke center. link