A brief history of public housing in Hong Kong

HF: The history of public housing in Hong Kong composes a significant chapter of the post war history of Hong Kong. In 1967 more than one million people were living in public housing, around one fourth of the local population. The lived experiences in public housing are undoubtedly the collective memories of Hong Kong people.

Today, the living conditions of public housing have greatly improved, and the housing estates vary mainly by their designs and locations. Public housing estates are almost identical in application criteria and housing facilities. However in the past, there were different types of public housing, varying by the living conditions, types of accommodation, kitchen and sanitary facilities, spaces, rents and even the self perception of the people living there. They had different names too, resettlement estates, Mark 1 & 2 blocks, Mark 3 & 4 blocks, low cost housing, Housing Authority Estates, etc.