Examination and Implementation of Public Housing Policies in Post-handover Hong Kong: A Social Sustainability Perspective

Abstract

Hong Kong is a successful model in addressing the housing problem of lowincome groups. However, in the past two decades, the supply of public housing in Hong Kong has been affected by several complex factors, including the complicated global economic environment and the politicized social environment, the consolidated social hierarchical system, the limited coverage of public housing policy, and the poor coordination among government departments. As a result, the imbalance between supply and demand cannot be easily solved. Taking the housing estates in Tseung Kwan O new town as cases, this study found that the public housing estates in Hong Kong enjoy a high level of social sustainability, especially in terms of public transport, employment and community management. This provides important policy implications for the provision of public housing in mainland China and other Asian cities. This study also suggests that the government of mainland China should construct the affordable housing step by step, and pay more attention to the actual needs of lowincome families than before.