Critically examine the response of Hong Kong government to the housing problems of the urban poor.
Introduction:
Hong Kong is a densely populated metropolitan so there are a lot of housing problems especially for the urban poor. As the housing problems in Hong Kong such as the shortage of housing units are getting more acute, it is worth making an in-depth analysis for the sake of gaining a deeper insight of the responses of the government in housing problems.
I will focus on different measures and actions taken by Hong Kong government in 21th Century. All data collected is based on library research and online research. There are three main responses after the comprehensive research. The following are what Hong Kong government gives
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Table 1 indicates that the proportion of jobs to population in the New Territories is expected to decrease from 17 per cent in 1991 to 26 per cent in 2006. As a result, building public rental housing, in some extent can provide the urban poor with a safe housing unit in spite of the criticisms.
Table 1
Distribution of Population and Jobs from 1991-2006 (in million)
Broad region | 1991 | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | | Pop | Jobs | Pop | Jobs | Pop | Jobs | Pop | Jobs | Metro | 3.95 (71%) | 2.30 (83%) | 4.04 (65%) | 2.43 (82%) | 3.99 (60%) | 2.45 (75%) | 4.24 (58%) | 2.70 (74%) | New Territories | 1.65 (29%) | 0.46 (17%) | 2.17 (35%) | 0.55 (18%) | 2.64 (40%) | 0.81 (25%) | 3.09 (42%) | 0.97 (26%) | Total | 5.60 (100%) | 2.76 (100%) | 6.21 (100%) | 2.98 (100%) | 6.63 (100%) | 3.26 (100%) | 7.33 (100%) | 3.67 (100%) |
Source: Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau, 1998
Apart from building the public housing units in order to meet the needs of the urban poor, the government carries out urban renewal plans and new town development plans for the sake of coping with the problem of the old and dilapidated buildings. Many inner cities such as Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan are facing the problem of urban decay as the buildings are old and not safe for the poor to live in so urban renewal is one of the means to deal with this problem. Li Rui (2003) states, ‘urban renewal is the complex of activities such as
Cowan D & Marsh. 2001. A Two Steps Forward: Housing Policy into the New Millennium. Policy Press
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