Can Hong Kong follow Macau and Singapore in reclaiming land for housing?
Ken Chu says shunning reclamation outright when other modern cities have been built on such land gets Hong Kong nowhere – but there should be a balance between conservation and development for an optimal housing solution
When it comes to finding new land in Hong Kong, there is no shortage of options. It has been proposed that the outskirts of our country parks, which account for over 40 per cent of our total land area, be developed for housing. Two scholars recently suggested reclaiming the massive 1,200-hectare Plover Cove Reservoir in Tai Po to build flats. Professionals have also floated the idea of building flats at the Kwai Chung container port.
Our Hong Kong Foundation expanded this idea by proposing reclaiming land to create an artificial island to the south of Cheung Chau, and relocating the port’s logistics services and associated brownfield sites there.
Mass reclamation appears to be an efficient and logical solution to Hong Kong’s acute land shortage. Many countries around the world have used reclamation to increase their land, Singapore and the Netherlands being two salient examples.
Can reclamation resolve Hong Kong’s housing problem?
Singapore has grown by around 25 per cent through aggressive reclamation since gaining independence in 1965, according to some studies.