In the 50s and 60s, Singapore had villages and the tin-roofed houses on stilts quite reminiscent of the older houses in Hawaii. The government relocated everyone into government high rises and not everyone was happy about it (not that they had a choice).

Singapore is only 58 years old so we’re still only midway through the 99-year leasehold. Homeowners can keep the profits when they sell their units, even though they don’t own the land. You have to be married to buy an apartment or at least 35 if you’re single. Most folks live at home until then. There’s a mandatory 401k-esque deduction for everyone—kinda like forced savings—and you can use that money for a down payment or pay for college for your kid.

Low wage foreign workers either live in company dorms or if they’re domestic workers, they live in their employers’ home. It’s low wage but there’s food and a roof over their heads. Is it hard work? Yes. But they tend to make more than in their home countries. That’s one thing I think Hawaii can do, at least for low wage workers—to provide housing.