Concrete Analysis | Hong Kong must overcome past mistakes and ensure adequate community facilities at new public housing estates
- The government has a long and painful history of overlooking actual demand on communal infrastructure at public housing estates
- New housing projects should have the capacity to support infrastructure for future population growth, particularly transport and community facilities
The acute shortage of housing supply is a fundamental cause for the skyrocketing property price. About 101,000 new public housing units are expected to be completed from 2020 to 2025, according to the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society. Yet, the completion target still falls well-short of the 150,000 applicants in the queue, with the current average waiting period standing at 5.7 years.
However, even after effectively deploying all these measures, it will be a tall order to fully satisfy the growing demand and resulting housing tension in Hong Kong.
It is envisaged that new housing projects can better utilise land in strategic locations to boost supply and house more applicants in the coming decade. However, the capacity of the supporting infrastructure, particularly transport and community facilities, is an issue that must not be overlooked.
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