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.(1)
Undated image of old Hong Kong Public Housing. Unknown location. Source: shutterstock
Public housing in Hong Kong is a set of mass housing programmes through which the Government of Hong Kong provides affordable housing for lower income residents. It is a major component of housing in Hong Kong with nearly half of the population now residing in some form of public housing.
Kin Ming Estate completed in 2003 in Tseung Kwan O, housing about 22,000 people. Source: Wikipedia
The public housing policy dates back to 1954, after a fire in Shek Kip Mei destroyed thousands of shanty homes and prompted the government to begin constructing homes for the poor.(2)
The Shek Kip Mei fire Source: Wikipedia
The development of housing in Hong Kong has always been limited by its hilly topography. In its early years as a trading port, Hong Kong’s housing developments were concentrated along the coastline on both sides of Victoria Harbour. The continuous influx of immigrants led to an upsurge in demand for housing, giving rise to the emergence of tenement buildings into which many households were crammed.
A further influx of 750,000 refugees in the four years following the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 worsened the already housing problem. Those living in the crowded tenement buildings had to pay high rents just for a bed space.(3)
Squatter huts on hillsides 1950s Source: hk.heritage.museum
Shek Kip Mei fire victims 1953 Source: hk.heritage.museum
Sources:
1) Hong Kong Memory Project
2) Wikipedia
3) hk.heritage.museum
1.Sources: (as above)
2.This article was first posted on 29th November 2025.
3. Related Indhhk articles:
a) The Lo brothers and Nam Sang Building Construction
b) The Kings of Industrial Buildings – the Chung brothers of E.Wah Aik San