Why Hong Kong can’t solve housing problem with smaller flats

I am writing in response to the report on housing forecasts from Our Hong Kong Foundation, the think tank founded by our former chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa (“Hong Kong’s small flats ‘to get even smaller’ ”, April 18).

As housing prices and rents in Hong Kong rise ever higher, many people cannot afford homes where even a small family can live comfortably. But living in ever tinier spaces, such as micro flats or subdivided units, can affect their mental health, as such cramped conditions offer little quality of life.

The price of housing in Hong Kong keeps rising too rapidly for people to save enough for a deposit, and the stress of trying to afford a decent home keeps rising, too. This has also been blamed for younger Hongkongers being less happy than their parents’ generation.

Smaller flats will not help to ease the housing problem, because the lower price will not offset the strain on a family living in a tiny space.

The Hong Kong government should tackle the long-term problem and regulate the size of flats, as well as do more to increase land supply, so that people can find affordable and decent housing, and achieve a better quality of life.