Summary
Professor Rebecca L.H. Chiu is also Director of the Centre of Urban Studies and Urban Planning. She specializes in housing and urban studies, especially housing policies. She was also a committee member of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. Professor Chiu’s speech was titled ‘Hong Kong’s Next Long Term Housing Strategy’.
In summarizing the general situation of the local housing policy, Prof. Chiu briefly outlined the recent key issues on housing policies, including better-off tenants, sub-divided flats, score system of public rental housing(PRH), single persons on the PRH waiting list and adequate housing.
Prof. Chiu thought that the long-term housing strategy should not be simply related to the quantity of housing supply , but also other factors, such as living area per capita and green ratio. She pointed out that Hong Kong’s living area per capita of approximately 15 square meters is far below the international standard of 32 square meters.
She also quoted the views of a mainland academic publication that the mainland people think that the space of public housing units in Hong Kong is small, and the conditions are poor, which does not befit Hong Kong’s international status.
However, Hong Kong’s compact housing maximizes the use of land, said Professor Chiu. Although the indoor area of Hong Kong’s public housing is small, the public open space is large and the estates have excellent facilities, in fact even better than those in some private housing schemes. She added that the mainland cities are beginning to realize that housing with large living areas is unsustainable.
Prof. Chiu emphasized that a long-term housing strategy should set long-term goals, including economic, social and political goals. She thinks that to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness and international status should be one of the economic goals. She also believes that the long-term housing strategy should achieve certain social goals, such as reducing social polarization of the rich and the poor, enhancing social mobility and building a cohesive society.
In addition, Prof. Chiu pointed out that the long-term political aim of housing policy should not be ignored, and cited, for example, the 1972 Ten Year Housing Program, which was with a political goal of reducing conflicts between the government and the populace.
Prof. Chiu also explained the difference between a supply-driven strategy and a supply-focused strategy, emphasizing that the long-term objective must be supported by sound rationales.
She pointed out that the concepts ‘housing needs’ and ‘housing demand’ should not be confused in the long-term housing demand projection, and the investment demand cannot be ignored, to avoid underestimating the total demand.
PresentationSDA Dinner Talk
Date︰
31 July 2013
Speaker︰
Professor Rebecca L.H. Chiu
Department of Urban Planning and Design
The University of Hong Kong
Topic of speech︰
Hong Kong’s next Long Term Housing Strategy
Venue︰
Lingnan Club, 13/F, On Lok Yuen Building, 25 Des Voeux Road Central
