1970s – 1986
Singapore's hawker centres have come a long way since the 1970s, when they were built to resettle and house street vendors under one roof, with proper water and sewerage facilities and electrical supply. After the resettlement programme was completed in 1986, the Government stopped building new centres.
Meeting evolving community needs
By 2011, it became clear that Singapore needed more hawker centres to serve the needs of a changing society. With more dual-income families juggling busy schedules, growing new housing estates and evolving dining patterns, Singaporeans needed access to affordable dining options closer to home and throughout the day. The challenge wasn't just about building more centres, but ensuring that they could thrive as vibrant community spaces that truly serve the needs of Singaporeans.
Running hawker centres over the years has allowed the Government to take away valuable lessons. Some hawker centres struggled with limited footfall and operating hours — the latter being an issue that was raised in Parliament during the 2000s. For a hawker centre to be sustainable, three key ingredients are necessary: access to diverse and affordable food options, operating hours that match community needs, and steady crowds that support hawker livelihoods.
The SEHC model
This led to the development of the Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC) model, which brings together experienced food and beverage operators and dedicated hawkers in a collaborative partnership, where each party contributes their unique strengths. Operators bring expertise in food curation, placemaking and operations management, while hawkers focus on what they do best: creating delicious, affordable meals. Together, this partnership model ensures hawker centres remain viable and community focused while preserving the authentic hawker culture that Singaporeans cherish.
Some of our SEHCs – clockwise from top left: Jurong West Hawker Centre; Buangkok Hawker Centre; Yishun Park Hawker Centre; One Punggol Hawker Centre
To find out more about Singapore’s hawker story, visit Our Hawkers Through Time!