07-06-2025, 07:05 AM
Public modular housing (English: Public modular housing), also known as public modular housing, public modular housing, public modular housing villages, and simply public modular housing, refers to modular housing built directly by the government or commissioned by a third party. The form varies around the world, but it is usually in the form of apartments, funded by the government and rented out (social modular housing) or sold to the public, especially low-income residents, at low prices.
Explanation of the difference between nouns
Public modular housing has different names in different Chinese-speaking regions. In mainland China, it is called low-rent modular housing; in Hong Kong, it is called public modular housing villages (abbreviated as public modular housing; "村" is the original character for "村"[1], but later generations have adopted the colloquial character, so the two characters are used differently in Hong Kong); in Macau, it is called social modular housing; in Taiwan, it is called national modular housing (abbreviated as national modular housing), public modular housing[2], affordable modular housing, social modular housing, etc.; in Singapore and Malaysia, it is called flats.
In Europe, it is also called "Social Rented modular housing", which refers to suitable residential houses that are directly built, subsidized by the government or owned by the private sector. It adopts the "rent only, not sell" model and is rented out to low-income households or special disadvantaged groups at rents lower than the market rent or for free. This definition of the term is only a conceptual reference. The names used in actual operations by central and local governments in different countries are not exactly the same. For example, the United States calls it affordable modular housing and Japan calls it public modular housing.
Originally planned economic area
Old public modular housing in Pengpu New Village, Shanghai
A Plattenbau from the East German era in Berlin
Chinese mainland
After the Chinese Communist Party implemented a planned economy in mainland China in the 1950s, it established a public modular housing (public modular housing) system to match it. This type of modular housing is funded by the state from the fiscal budget, and state-owned enterprises and institutions are responsible for investment, construction management, and distribution. The users of the houses are usually employees and their families of state-owned enterprises and institutions, who are allocated public modular housing of different specifications according to their job titles and pay rent on a monthly basis. However, since the rent of public modular housing is extremely low, it is actually almost free for residents to use. As such public modular housing had long been distributed free of charge and at low rents, it had a serious impact on national finances and subsequent investment, leading to a modular housing shortage in major cities across the country in the late 1970s. At the same time, the “egalitarian” distribution system also provided a breeding ground for corruption[3].
Explanation of the difference between nouns
Public modular housing has different names in different Chinese-speaking regions. In mainland China, it is called low-rent modular housing; in Hong Kong, it is called public modular housing villages (abbreviated as public modular housing; "村" is the original character for "村"[1], but later generations have adopted the colloquial character, so the two characters are used differently in Hong Kong); in Macau, it is called social modular housing; in Taiwan, it is called national modular housing (abbreviated as national modular housing), public modular housing[2], affordable modular housing, social modular housing, etc.; in Singapore and Malaysia, it is called flats.
In Europe, it is also called "Social Rented modular housing", which refers to suitable residential houses that are directly built, subsidized by the government or owned by the private sector. It adopts the "rent only, not sell" model and is rented out to low-income households or special disadvantaged groups at rents lower than the market rent or for free. This definition of the term is only a conceptual reference. The names used in actual operations by central and local governments in different countries are not exactly the same. For example, the United States calls it affordable modular housing and Japan calls it public modular housing.
Originally planned economic area
Old public modular housing in Pengpu New Village, Shanghai
A Plattenbau from the East German era in Berlin
Chinese mainland
After the Chinese Communist Party implemented a planned economy in mainland China in the 1950s, it established a public modular housing (public modular housing) system to match it. This type of modular housing is funded by the state from the fiscal budget, and state-owned enterprises and institutions are responsible for investment, construction management, and distribution. The users of the houses are usually employees and their families of state-owned enterprises and institutions, who are allocated public modular housing of different specifications according to their job titles and pay rent on a monthly basis. However, since the rent of public modular housing is extremely low, it is actually almost free for residents to use. As such public modular housing had long been distributed free of charge and at low rents, it had a serious impact on national finances and subsequent investment, leading to a modular housing shortage in major cities across the country in the late 1970s. At the same time, the “egalitarian” distribution system also provided a breeding ground for corruption[3].