With the changing of times, the problem of urban aging has become more and more serious, urban renewal has gradually become an irreversible trend, and the subsequent "gentrification" is also everywhere.
The "beautiful dream" constructed by the Urban Renewal Authority for the redevelopment of the old district is more like a helpless "nightmare" for the local residents.
The familiar homes in the past were surrounded by luxury high-rise buildings in a blink of an eye, and tenants of old shops were forced to move because rents doubled after reconstruction. Such examples abound in Hong Kong, but the local culture is slowly fading away.
The supply of land and housing in Hong Kong is tight. In addition to developing land to build houses, redevelopment of old districts is also one of the methods used by the government to increase housing supply.
Before the 1970s, the British Hong Kong government had not yet done much to build public housing. Except for squatters, most Chinese lived in old tenement buildings on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Over the past few decades, these two districts have also taken the lead in becoming the SAR government. Demolition and reconstruction of objects.
"Redevelopment" was originally beneficial to improve the quality of life of the citizens, but Hong Kong's redevelopment projects often rebuild old areas into high-end residential areas, raising property prices and prices in the area, causing "Gentrification" and making it difficult for the original residents. Bear the cost of living in the area and cannot move back.
It was originally a place where the common people's daily life came and went, but today it has been transformed into a high-end identity and a mansion connotation.
(Photo by Li Zetong)
Zou Chongming, a lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at PolyU, pointed out that the community economy can provide living space for the grassroots citizens, but the current reconstruction plan often cannot accommodate the community economy.
(Photo by Huang Baoying)
Yu Jiayu, assistant professor of the Department of Building Conservation at the University of Hong Kong, suggested that the URA can slow down the redevelopment plan to make it easier for local residents to adapt to changes, and some services that can maintain the community should be retained.
(Photo by Gong Jiasheng)
For details, please read the 293th "Hong Kong 01" electronic weekly newsletter
"Struggle of "
Gentrification" in Old District Reconstruction: Inheritance in Disappearance " published on November 29, 2021
.
You can also
click here to
sample the weekly e-newsletter and read more in-depth reports.