Flexible elderly-friendly designs must be future for Hong Kong’s public sector flats, Housing Society chief says
Chairman of city’s second largest public housing provider says government should provide incentives for private developers, including extra floor area
The head of Hong Kong’s second largest public housing provider has called on the government to provide incentives for private developers to install elderly-friendly designs in their buildings.
Marco Wu Moon-hoi, chairman of the Housing Society, a non-profit organisation, said authorities should consider granting extra floor area to developers if they were willing to provide effective designs for senior citizens.
Narrow pathways and corridors often awkward for elderly residents to navigate are a common sight in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most densely populated cities.
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Wu said flexible indoor designs were needed that could easily and quickly be converted into spaces suitable for the elderly. Such features should be the trend for future housing developments amid a rapidly ageing society in Hong Kong, he added, to provide comfort in old age.
“Hong Kong is facing an ageing stock of housing and an ageing population,” Wu said. “When we take a walk outside, we can see many more people in wheelchairs compared with 10 or 20 years ago ... The government needs to closely monitor the situation and respond to the needs of the community.”
It is projected Hong Kong will become a “hyper-aged society” within five years with one-fifth of its population aged 65 or above, compared to 16 per cent last year.
