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只能这样说:姜太公钓鱼--愿者上钩 From ST Forum: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Online...ory_780956.html Hong Kong can keep the shoebox title, thank you Published on Mar 24, 2012 WEDNESDAY'S reports ('3-bedroom condo unit at 635 sq ft: A new low?' and 'Shoebox flats continue to be popular') indicate that Singapore seems to be on the way to becoming a land of shrinking apartments. Are market forces forcing middle-income households to invest their million-dollar life savings on overpriced 500 sq ft apartments? I hope the popularity of shoebox flats is not a consequence of sky-high private property prices. If it is, it does not bode well for future generations. Developers profit more by exploiting buyers' limited resources. If the trend continues, we may soon surpass Hong Kong as the world's No. 1 city for shoebox flats. A decent space for a three-bedroom unit should be at least 1,100 sq ft. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) must stop profit-driven private developers from shrinking units to a size that tests the limits of building construction specifications for decent living. The shoebox flat size in Singapore may be larger than those in other cities, where it is common to have apartments that are smaller than 200 sq ft. But a shoebox is a shoebox. The question is: Do we want Singapore to slide to such a stage? A 500 sq ft space is a 500 sq ft space, regardless of how many walls one knocks down. The key is having a decent dwelling space. The URA should not allow the unhealthy trend to persist. Paul Chan