Living in 15 sq ft: Inside Hong Kong’s coffin homes

[Mista]

 

[Nan Yang]

Hong Kong to build 1m homes near China border to speed integration​

Chief Executive Carrie Lam says new zone will be 'international IT hub'

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam says the government will develop draft legislation against treason and “fake news." © Reuters

PAK YIU, Nikkei staff writerOctober 6, 2021 16:47 JSTUpdated on October 6, 2021 18:34 JST
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has announced plans to create a new "metropolis" of up to 2.5 million people near the border with mainland China, looking to tie the former British colony closer to neighboring cities to boost regional development and tackle a chronic housing shortage.

In the fifth and final annual policy address of her term on Wednesday, Lam defended the national security law and political overhaul imposed by Beijing in the wake of widespread antigovernment protests in 2019, emphasizing the need to strengthen pride in and loyalty to China for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity.

"The double safeguards of the National Security Law and the improved electoral system of the HKSAR have ushered in a new era whereby it is time for us to strive ahead with renewed perseverance and plan for the future of Hong Kong," she said, referring to the city's formal status as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The new "Northern Metropolis" would cover nearly 300 sq. km along the city's border with Shenzhen. Envisaged as an international information and technology hub, it would include up to 926,000 apartments and a new rail link to Shenzhen's Qianhai district.

Hong Kong's population was 7.39 million as of June 30, down 1.2% from a year earlier amid an exodus of residents concerned about the security law's impact on schools and other institutions as well as the city's strict COVID travel controls.

Beijing last month announced plans to expand the area of the Qianhai zone, where it has been experimenting with financial and other reforms, by eight times to boost integration with Hong Kong.

Beijing has grouped Shenzhen and Hong Kong with Macao, Guangzhou and seven other nearby mainland cities as part of its Greater Bay Area development plan. It launched a program for cross-border sales of wealth management products across the region, partly with an eye toward boosting international usage of the yuan.

"The whole Greater Bay Area is trying to work together, consolidating its strength in a number of sectors," said Shen Jianfa, a geography professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
"Hong Kong is strong in international finance and Shenzhen's strength is in innovation, technology and production," he said. "If it [the Northern Metropolis plan] is successful, Hong Kong will become a stronger financial center."

Lam's focus on housing on Wednesday included plans to increase land supply by reviewing zones around countryside parks for development and relaxing rules on sale of rural clan-held lands. She said 96,500 homes will be completed by the end of her five-year term next June, with plans advancing for construction of 480,000 public and private housing units over the next decade.

Hong Kong is one of the world's most unaffordable cities. Beijing sees the high cost of private apartments as a root cause of the city's political tensions and social problems, with waiting times for public housing driven up to nearly six years.

Hannah Jeong, head of Hong Kong advisory services for property consultancy Colliers, said the Northern Metropolis would be "positive news" for the city's housing supply, but questioned how achievable it will be.

"We have to evaluate the feasibility of being able to deliver such game-changing numbers," she said, noting only four of 15 residential sites identified in Lam's address last year had so far been brought to sale.

Researcher Brian Wong of independent think tank Liber Research Community, worries the Northern Metropolis plan could backfire as a housing solution.

"These [policies] are increasing cross-border movement, and it automatically creates more housing demand when you are bringing people in," he said.

Although the national security law quashed dissent, with dozens of opposition politicians locked up or driven into exile and many civic organizations compelled to disband, Lam said the city would develop draft legislation against treason and other offenses not covered by last year's law, as well as tackling "fake news" and cybersecurity.

She said public broadcaster RTHK will also play a more active role in nurturing a sense of national identity. Previously independent in its news coverage, RTHK has been forced to rebroadcast more programs from China's state channels and focus on the city government's patriotic agenda.

Lam also proposed a number of changes to the government's structure, including setting up a new Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

 

[Mista]

Instead of raising taxes, the HK government is more interested in keeping housing prices high by restricting land supply as housing-related revenue accounts for ~1/3 of their total revenue. Property-owners also have vested interests in keeping housing prices high, otherwise their housing equity will be underwater.

Ends up only ~7% of land is used for housing while >60% of land is undeveloped. If you've been to HK, you will see large swaths of undeveloped green land (empty flat land, not just hilly areas). Even the middle-class in HK live in cramped apartments, not to mention the lower-income group.

In comparison, Singapore's lower income group has much more dignity and probably live in larger apartments than the average HKer:

 

[Imran Khan]

modern world have some real issues to be solve

 

[Zhukov]

These partitioned spaces are very common in UAE. Those who earn less or want to save more live in these shared spaces. Those who ca afford live in rooms or apartments. Whats the point of portraying it sad?.
If city life is secure, prospect of growth is robust, hardwork pays off, food is healthy etc. Whats the point of having huge living spaces in a toxic society with corrupt to core governments, bad law and order, no economic prosperity prospects and laughable returns on hardwork?

 

[Imran Khan]

These partitioned spaces are very common in UAE. Those who earn less or want to save more live in these shared spaces. Those who ca afford live in rooms or apartments. Whats the point of portraying it sad?.
If city life is secure, prospect of growth is robust, hardwork pays off, food is healthy etc. Whats the point of having huge living spaces in a toxic society with corrupt to core governments, bad law and order, no economic prosperity prospects and laughable returns on hardwork?

simply live like humans not cattle sir

 

[STREANH]

These partitioned spaces are very common in UAE. Those who earn less or want to save more live in these shared spaces. Those who ca afford live in rooms or apartments. Whats the point of portraying it sad?.
If city life is secure, prospect of growth is robust, hardwork pays off, food is healthy etc. Whats the point of having huge living spaces in a toxic society with corrupt to core governments, bad law and order, no economic prosperity prospects and laughable returns on hardwork?

But those people in the UAE who stay like that are temporary labourers and not citizens and hence don't want to spend money on expensive housing. Pretty sure you will never find an Emirati living like that.

In the OP video, the people are HK citizens.

 

[Zhukov]

simply live like humans not cattle sir

But those people in the UAE who stay like that are temporary labourers and not citizens and hence don't want to spend money on expensive housing. Pretty sure you will never find an Emirati living like that.

In the OP video, the people are HK citizens.

In my opinnion in HK also the poor class lives like this. Like people who are broke, Unskilled labor, jobless etc.
UAE have a very different economy compared to HK. All lower level work is done by Foreign labor. Locals are all high income.
These people might be homeless in country like USA. It is not as horrible as it is made in the video. a roof on head is still a roof. better then streets

 

[Imran Khan]

In my opinnion in HK also the poor class lives like this. Like people who are broke, Unskilled labor, jobless etc.
UAE have a very different economy compared to HK. All lower level work is done by Foreign labor. Locals are all high income.
These people might be homeless in country like USA. It is not as horrible as it is made in the video. a roof on head is still a roof. better then streets

Still god save us from such roof

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

Major driving force of the 19 riot, no one wants to live in a cage like that

To the HKers most condos in the mainland are considered mansions no wonder the frustration..

At least bring back Kowloon Walled City, would look more cyberpunk-ish and sufferable

 

[mulj]

How is this allowed at first place? Inhumane in essence and utterly miserable.

Nice task for ccp to do something usefull about it, they should demolish large protion of hong komg and resettle large portion of population and transform nature of the city.

 

[villageidiot]

Still god save us from such roof

gives me an appreciation for my village

Althought I still don't love it.

 

[Sam6536]

Damn
Recently my parents bought a plot in a planned housing complex in India iirc it costed around 37k USD for 1300 sq ft land.
The price is comparatively lower as the area is 20-25 kms away from the main city.

 

[Song Hong]

It was a deliberate trap by the British especially in the imminent of 1997 to jack to the housing price.

House price can only go one way, otherwise there are massive harm to the economy. Property crash is not just about real asset sector itself but with massive national financial implications. It destroy collaterals, creates a mark down in asset value, and in the end destroy M3.

When M3 gets destroyed, even real economy gets affected. Industries cannot borrow.

House price also cause low fertility.

Best is not to allow house price to inflate across all segments.

But then there is always a need to inflate house price in the top segment, in order to sanitize hot monies. The solution would be to have a public housing to all people and a luxury housing targetting world richest.

In Singapore I would say during Lee Kuan Yew's time, this is done better. Today it is not that good and not so bad either.

 

[Song Hong]

We talk about how GoS provide affordable housing to the lower income and how it can be improved. The pockets of lower income is further away from the city centers, having one metro artery providing a connection to the city center. The metro is relatively slow and stops at all station. A 90 sqm house cost about 280k SGD or 200k USD.

The travelling time from Boon Lay and Tampines takes 1 hour, and there are population who need to take feeder on top of that.

GoS can consider implementing express train service.

The peripheral pocket should also have better direct connection with one another.

This can certainly make citizen in peripherals feel more central. The shortening of travelling time will also improve life quality.

(These projects are definite money losing)