Lim Kim San

In 1960, Lim was appointed Chairman of the Housing Development Board. Due to a rapidly increasing population, more than 400,000 people were either living in over-crowded conditions in ramshackle “shophouse” buildings or in squatter settlements with substandard living conditions. At this time, Lim was appointed to the Housing Development Board (HDB).

Lim had volunteered for the job and was not paid for three years. Lim oversaw the construction of high-rise, low-cost apartments that would eventually become the main source of housing for Singaporeans.[14]

Lim would forgo a detailed planning stage and instead chose a "rough and ready" approach using rough estimates of the housing requirement. Singapore Improvement Trust criticized Lim's planning. A committee was eventually set up under Lim Tay Boh to find out whether the HDB had the capability and the materials to reach the construction goal.[7]

In the first Five Year Housing Program, HDB completed 5,000 units of housing by 1965. The largest project at that time was Queenstown, a satellite town of more than 17,500 flats capable of housing close to 22,000 people. The new neighborhood was built as a self-contained entity, with all amenities and shops built along with the houses, so people would not need to travel to other areas for basic necessities, thereby lowering traffic congestion. This philosophy—which was ultimately extended with the concept of regional centre, is was meant to lower the rate of congestion and burden on the central business district.

In May 1961, the Bukit Ho Swee Fire broke out and some 16,000 people became homeless. Under Lim's guidance, it took four years to complete the relocation and reconstruction of the lost housing, and 1200 housing flats were made available to those who lost their homes in the fire.

The housing project used standardised architectural designs. Lim also used private contractors rather than employing construction workers directly. This had allowed the HDB to supervise the contractors to ensure standards, rather than dealing with minute problems. The overall cost was also kept low by using a large pool of contractors and different sources of building materials.

The Singapore housing problem was important to the People's Action Party (PAP). The housing programme received government funding, as housing was, and still is, a top priority for the state.

HDB worked with Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee. These helped keep the housing program well-funded. It also allowed it to cut through bureaucratic red tape and rigid regulations that would have otherwise hindered the housing programme further.