The "highlight" of the housing policy in the "Policy Address" is simple public housing, but if we look at the details of simple public housing, the construction of 30,000 units in four to five years is simply a drop in the bucket and cannot solve the current dire straits of subdivided housing Households and Public Housing Waiting List.
In addition, the "Policy Address" mentioned that we should try our best to increase the quantity, speed, efficiency and quality, but in fact, compared with the plan of the former Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the speed has not increased, and the quantity has not increased. It seems that they are only saying that the waiting time is shortened. up.
Shorter waiting times are a relative issue, what matters is the absolute number.
According to the document of the Legislative Council, a total of 226,000 citizens in Hong Kong will live in subdivided flats in 2020, so how to arrange the number of residents in subdivided flats should have an absolute indicator. How can the government really increase the quantity, speed, efficiency, and quality of Objective and specific key performance indicators (Key Performance Indicators) are also required.
Looking at the government documents of the Legislative Council, simple public housing is basically not very different from public housing. It can be said to be another type of public housing. Perhaps it is more appropriate to call it mosquito-shaped public housing, not simple public housing.
It is said to be a mosquito-shaped public housing, because its average price per square foot and construction procedures are the same as those of mosquitoes.
Chief Executive Lee Ka-chao said that it is simply not feasible to increase the quantity, speed, efficiency, and quality without setting up a test field to promote it.
This effect cannot be achieved if the government's current bidding structure and division of labor between departments are used.
During the colonial period, the colonial government launched a temporary housing (temporary housing) policy, which really created a large number of residential units in a short period of time.
These living conditions are not ideal, but they are much better than subdivided houses, at least they will not be charged unreasonably high rents.
Why is the government not doing this now?
Because the Housing Bureau only deals with "housing" issues, and the Development Bureau only deals with land development issues, without a comprehensive concept of housing and community.
If Hong Kong had district administration, each of the 18 districts would have a district head, and the district head would be responsible for creating a certain number of houses in the district within five years. The head of the district would really look for land and find ways to increase the number of houses.
During the colonial period, the Chief Secretary was set up under the Governor of Hong Kong to handle internal affairs, and the Chief Secretary could unify the region to add housing.
But does Chief Secretary for Administration Chen Guoji have this ability?
Is the deputy financial secretary, Wong Wai-lun, in charge of housing policy, or the housing secretary, Ho Wing-yin?
It seems that Director He has become the target of public criticism.
But in the end, is it that Secretary Ho is incompetent in leadership, or is it that the Chief Executive, the Chief Secretary for Administration or the Deputy Financial Secretary have not done a good job?
It's hard for the outside world to know because we don't work in the government every day.
The core problem is that citizens only see that the government has written many checks that cannot be cashed.
In fact, it is not difficult to solve this problem. As long as the government announces that all 18 districts in Hong Kong will build 5,000 temporary housing units within a year, 18x5000, 90,000 units will be supplied!
Now the government has applied to the Legislative Council for 26.8 billion yuan for the construction of simple public housing, but how to start?
Some are three layers?
Some are six layers?
Some are more than ten layers?
The government did not provide too much specific information, but only asked members to approve the money first and then do things.
However, it takes about four to five years after the funding is allocated.
When Li Jiachao's term of office expires in 2027, will not even a house be built?
This is unacceptable.
You only need to search on Taobao, the cost of container houses and temporary houses, in fact, there is already a good design at HK$50,000 to HK$100,000.
Or refer to the prefabricated houses in Japan, which are some prefabricated houses that the government requires contractors to rebuild in situ after the earthquake, and they can be built in three days.
So, does it need to be so expensive and take a long time to build simple public housing?
To solve the housing problem in Hong Kong, we really need national-level contractors, such as China State Construction. They can use the name of the national team to assist Hong Kong in the construction of temporary housing, without bureaucratic tenders and delays over budget.
It can even be led by mainland developers. For example, Vanke Group has already had experience in assisting local governments in building similar public housing in the Mainland. It can really increase the volume, speed, efficiency, and quality of housing and create a large number of community living spaces.
Looking at the current simple public housing documents, it is really puzzling.
If it is calculated in terms of area, its correct name should be mosquito-shaped public housing, and there is nothing simple at all.
In fact, the public housing itself is already very simple, and the simplicity is even more simple. It is just a political slogan packaging.
But this political packaging is not acceptable to simple aesthetics lovers who like MUJI. For ordinary people, the interpretation of simple public housing in Cantonese may become tantamount to "unexpected".
The author Hu Enwei is a member of the National Hong Kong and Macao Studies Association, a member of the Jiangsu Provincial CPPCC, and Zuni.
Joint Art Director and CEO of Icosahedron.
The article is only the opinion of the author and does not represent the position of Hong Kong 01.
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