Transcript 14 housing - CCSC Geography

Urban problems
Housing problems
Definition
 Housing is not only a shelter to weather, but
also includes access to such basic services
as electricity, water and transport. Therefore,
problem occurs when the quantity and quality
of provision of housing do not reach
satisfactory levels.
Functions performed by a house as
residence
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a shelter that protects the residents from
environmental hazards
a place where residents can enjoy privacy
a place where essential physical,
psychological and social needs are satisfied.
Criteria to assess the standard of a
house
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building materials used and the construction
method, which determine the house’s ability to
protect its residents
living density, as measured by number of
people per room. This determines the degree
of privacy enjoyed by individuals
availability and quality of facilities in the
houses. These are essential for meeting
various needs of the residents
MDC City
LDC City
RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION
CBD
Inner city
OVERSEAS MIGRANTS
Outward migration of
higher-income group
Housing problems
 Inadequate quantity
 Housing shortage
 Overcrowding
 Poor quality
 Slums
 Squatters
 Poor sanitation,
pollution, social
problems…
 Urban decay
Inadequate quantity of housing
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common in LDC cities
demand for housing exceeds supply, leading
to housing shortage / housing attainability -->
overcrowding
Poor quality of housing
 common in both LDC and MDC cities
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urban slums = legal, low-rent housing in inner
city areas
squatters = illegal (usually not rent-paying)
housing in inner city areas / at city margins /
on hillslopes
Urban decay
 common in both LDC and MDC cities
 substandard and derelict buildings
 poor sanitation / inadequate facilities
 congested / overcrowding living condition / high building
density
 narrow streets / traffic congestion
 lack of recreational space / parks / social facilities
 lack of planning / mixed land use
 environmental pollution / environmentally degraded
 poor aesthetic value
 fire hazards
 social problems like family conflicts / mental distresses /
theft / vandalism
 urban ghetto / racial segregation
1.1.1 Causes and Impacts of Housing Problem
in LDCs
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Inadequate quantity
Large natural increase
Rapid rural-urban migration from rural push
factors
Over-population and pseudo-urbanization
1.1.1 Causes and Impacts of Housing Problem
in MDCs
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Housing demand > supply
Keen competition of land uses
Second World War
Overcrowding
rural-urban migration and overseas
in-migration
 started in the early 20th century
 The nowadays' most affected destinies are
the USA, UK, South Europe
 The immigrants usually come from Africa,
China, Eastern Europe, South America and
Middle East.
 United States - Inflow of foreign-born
population from Asia (total) as a percentage
of total inflow: 1984 – 37.9%; 2004 – 35.7%
limited space but keen competition
among different land users
 economic development
pushes the urban land
value up
 forcing many lowincome residents and
high proportion of
minority groups to live
in slums in inner city
areas
Second World War
 many houses were seriously damaged and destroyed
during WWII.
 The housing stock was badly depleted.
Overcrowding
 overcrowding and tenants sub-letting their units mainly
occur in older housing near the CBD --> forming slums
in inner city areas
Substandard housing
 Socially, both slums and squatter housing are
a reflection of unequal access to urban
resources because squatter residents
belong to the low-income, poor, socioeconomically and politically marginal group in
society.
Slums
 they are found in transition zones next to the
CBD, where
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houses are deteriorating, without adequate
amenities
the tenants are too poor to improve the living
conditions
Slums
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in MDC cities, landlords have moved out to the
suburbs (suburbanization of the high-income
groups) due to improved transport links
some areas are ghettos of minor racial
immigrant groups
some industries have relocated to the suburbs
(suburbanization of industrial activities)
local government has little income from tax to
improve the living environment
Squatters
 they are illegal, temporary housing found
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on roof tops
hillslopes fringing the urban areas
and on stilts or boats in the sheltered coastal
areas near the city
Squatters
 they are usually the result of a large influx of
new-comers / rural migrants to the city and
also be the population growth of the poor
Squatters
 squatters settlements are known as “shanty
towns” which are characterized by:
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scrap materials, e.g. wood and metal sheeting
insufficient basic services, e.g. sanitation,
water, electricity
overcrowded settlements
Poor living environment
 Environmental pollution
due to the mixed land use (workshops and retail units +
residential units)
 land-use conflicts
 poor air quality + noise and land pollution
 Fire and health hazards
 these squatter huts are built of wood and cardboard
 there are no surface roads / electricity supply / water and
sewage facilities
 creating fire and health risks
 Social problems
 family conflicts
 mental distresses
 theft, robberies, crimes, vandalism
 ethnic and social segregation
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Solutions to housing problems
 New town development
 Urban renewal
 Slums / squatters clearance
 Provision of more housing
New Town development
 new town = a planned community aiming at
solving certain problems, e.g. population
redistribution
Fanling-Sheung
Shui
Shatin
Tsuen Wan
Tin Shui Wai
Tai Po
Tseung Kwan O
Tung Chung
Yuen Long
Factors of new town development
 to relieve congested urban areas
 to decentralize industries
 for land use separation
 for administration purpose
New town development
 The development of new towns / satellite
towns general involves the outward
movement of urban residents to the
peripheral areas.
New town development
 However, not all the residents are willing to
move though they are suffering from rather
poor living environment because
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they cannot afford the higher rent in the new
town
they have to spend more time on journey-towork
they have to pay higher transport cost in
journey-to-work
New town development
 Therefore, new town development / satellite
towns must be associated with the process of
industrial decentralization. In this way, people
moving outward may find their new jobs in the
surrounding areas easily.
Successful in HK?
 New towns  green towns
 Can multiple-nuclei really help?
 Heavy commuting traffic nowadays
 Tin Shui Wai = City of sorrow?
Urban renewal
Urban renewal
 Redevelopment = the demolition of bad
housing
 Rehabilitation = involves improvement of
existing old buildings and environment rather
than demolition of buildings
What is rehabilitation?
 Rehabilitation includes the
renovation and
management of buildings,
such as
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improving external
appearance of buildings
by cleaning and repairing
fitting new windows and
new doors
installing indoor toilets and
baths
redesigning recreational
areas
Rehabilitation
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causes less disruption to residents
less social disruption and resentment
involves less financial cost, especially compensation
helps preserve and restore buildings of cultural,
historical and architectural value
 the living environment is greatly upgraded
slum / squatter clearance
 replaced by public housing
 to solve the problems of landslides / fire
hazards / poor living conditions
building more adequate houses
 through public organizations, e.g. Housing
Authority / Housing Society in Hong Kong
 or private sectors / developers
Ultimate solution
 Sustainable city development = "development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs." ["Our Common Future", 1987]
 finding ways to increase prosperity and improve the
quality of life while reducing overall pollution and
waste;
 meeting our own needs and aspirations without doing
damage to the prospects of future generations;
 and reducing the environmental burden we put on our
neighbours and helping to preserve common
resources. ("1999 Policy Address")
Recent issues
 Land use conflicts
 Siting of dangerous / undesirable industries
 Locational advantages / disadvantages
 Urban planning  building density / height
 Reserve 20% space below the ridgeline
 Cityscape / streetscape
 Preservation vs economic development
Why building government
headquarters at Tamar site?
 Long-term solution to the acute shortage of office space
faced by the Government Secretariat and LegCo
 The new Central Government Complex will provide centralised
accommodation for the offices with core policy formulation
functions and thereby enhance the operational efficiency of the
Government Secretariat.
 The new Legislative Council Complex will provide sufficient
office space and improved facilities for Members and staff, and
also room for future expansion where necessary.
 Enhancing vibrancy of waterfront and opening up the site for
the public's enjoyment
 The Tamar project will enhance the appeal and vibrancy of the
harbourfront area and convey Hong Kong's position as Asia's
world city.
 The open space will be integrated with the adjoining waterfront
promenade to provide about 10.8 hectares of recreational area
along the Central waterfront for the public's enjoyment.
 Job creation
 About 2,700 jobs will be created.
救救中華白海豚
反對中電大鴉洲計劃
 反對在大鴉洲興建液化天然氣站
環保團體對中電液化天然氣接收
站選址建議發表聯合聲明
 本文署名環保團體支持採用天然
氣發電，以減輕環境污染，但我
們反對有關方面考慮在大鴉洲興
建液化天然氣接收站。
我們認為中電建議在大鴉洲興建
液化天然氣站，在興建過程和未
來運作上，必對大鴉洲和鄰近水
域的生態與生物，包括中華白海
豚，造成無可避免的影響。有關
方面沒有足夠理據支持現時建議
的選址。
我們認為仍有其他選址可以為香
港提供穩定的天然氣，亦不認同
香港為解決一個環境問題而製造
另一個環境問題。
Reference
 Siting of government headquarters
 http://www.tamar.gov.hk/proposal.htm
 Proposed LNG station at Soko Island
 http://www.wwf.org.hk/aboutlife/2006winter/Soko.pdf
 Development of PRD
 http://www.pland.gov.hk/misc/great_prd/gprd_e.htm
 HK 2030
 http://www.hk2030.gov.hk/eng/home/
 http://www.hk2030.gov.hk/eng/finalreport/
 Sustainable Development in HK
 http://www.susdev.org.hk/