9 sights you see at a Singapore void deck
Unlike in many parts of the world, public housing in Singapore doesn't not carry any negative connotations. In fact close to 80% of the resident population lives in public housing. Built by the Housing Development Board, or HDB, these public housing buildings are known colloquially as "HDBs". And these occupy a significant space in the collective geospatial identity of Singapore.
One unique feature of HDBs is the "void deck". This is an example of one, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Here are some sights you might typically see at a void deck:
- A Malay wedding where the void deck is anything but void
- A Chinese wake with family staying awake overnight and monks chanting
- An bharayanatyam (traditional South Indian dance) class for children conducted by a strict instructor
- Young men gathering together to work on their motorbikes/scooters (somewhat) and chatting (mostly)
- Boys kicking a football around, right beneath a "No Ball Games" sign
- Elderly wheelchair users being wheeled around by their domestic helpers to get some fresh air
- A dog raising a leg at one of the pillars
- South Asian construction workers sharing an afternoon meal packed in waxed paper
- A pickleball pick-me-up game