Planning the Cottage Resettlement Areas in Postwar Hong Kong

Description

This study explores Hong Kong’s squatter resettlement history, focusing on the often-overlooked period before the Shek Kip Mei Fire. It aims to demonstrate that direct government construction of housing was not the only method of squatter resettlement in Hong Kong. In fact, the government’s first resettlement program began in 1948, five years before the Shek Kip Mei Fire, using a site-and-services approach. This strategy involved relocating squatters to designated resettlement areas and providing basic municipal services such as water and electricity. Squatters were then allowed to build simple cottages and huts at their own expense. This study examines the emergence, planning, and control of these lesser-known cottage resettlement areas, highlighting how they became a primary squatter resettlement strategy during a period when the government maintained a policy of not using public funds to house squatters who occupied crown land illegally.

Period	5 Nov 2024
Held at	The Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists, Hong Kong