The first public housing flats were built by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) in the 1930s, with its earliest project in Tiong Bahru. The SIT was eventually replaced by the Housing Development Board (HDB) in 1960, which was tasked with tackling the worsening housing problem. Several schemes were also introduced (for example the Home Ownership for the People Scheme) to make it easier for Singaporeans to buy these flats. By the 1990s, approximately 85% of the population was living in HDB flats.
