Determinants of Singapore residential land value

Abstract

This empirical study investigates the factors that explain the variation in private residential land value in Singapore. In doing so, it determines the impact that land use zoning and plot ratio allowable have on residential land value. Previous empirical studies in the US and UK have found plot characteristics, accessibility and zoning variables to be important determinants of land value. However, these factors need to be examined within the specific economic, social and political context of different cities. In this study, these variables are employed to investigate whether the traditional determinants have similar significant impacts on the variation in residential land value in the dense and highly regulated Singapore land market. The data used consist of all residential land transactions from the government land sales program between years 1993 to 2001. Two land use types -- landed and nonlanded -- are separately analyzed because of the difference in their density and mean land price per square meter. The study establishes the premium or discount in land price per square meter that developers would factor into a tender bid for each type of housing form allowed. Empirical evidence is provided that confirms the importance of location and accessibility in determining residential land value in Singapore. The study also confirms the presence of plattage (negative relationship between parcel size and price per unit area) in non-landed housing sites. Density or plot ratio is also a primary driver of residential land value and an important tool in land use policies to encourage capital land substitution.