revived in the property development proportion of the colony's housing field.
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For convenience, private housing can be divided into four groups: Tenements, small flats, large flats and houses.
Tenements are a type of housing which is peculiar to the region and usually consists of several floors of large unpartitioned rooms, with separate kitchen and toilet facilities. When the building is completed these rooms are divided up by partitions into small units, according to demand, some being small enough to warrant the name "cubicle", being only suf- ficient in size to accommodate a bed and about an equivalent area of floor in addition.
Usually one family occupies one of these units or cubicles and the kitchen and toilet facilities are shared. There
are even examples of 'double decking' cubicles within one floor, although fortunately this extreme type of over crowding is now disappearing.
There are also reassuring signs that developers are moving more towards the building of small self-contained flats rather than tenements, and it is hoped that this trend will continue as Government housing provides for more of those unable to afford self-contained accommodation.
The large flat group' has been that most affected by the fluctuations in supply and demand. Houses, on the other hand, provide only a minute
and
are usually only within the financial reach of a small minority. I financial reach of a small minority. I do not include in this category 'village type houses' which is the traditional type of house found in the New Territories, the building of which is usually restricted to provide housing within, or adjoining, existing villages for village residents.
However, over the years many of the structures put up by squatters and permitees have been constructed in permanent materials and it has become difficult to distinguish by appearance between these buildings and the genuine 'village type houses'. Which brings me the full cycle, back to brings me the full cycle, back to squatter structures, and the whole root of the problem of providing proper housing.
Selection of sites
Hong Kong was faced in the late 1940's and early 50's with an acute squatter problem and a shortage of reasonably flat land on which to provide proper housing. The more sparcely populated fringes of the older urban area were formed into usable sites first, but the supply of this land is now virtually exhausted and the emphasis has now moved to the development of New Towns, as sep- arate entities, at a distance from the older urban areas.
Generally speaking, the first stage in the development of a new area is
the preparation of an Outline Zoning Plan. This is usually quite a 'broad brush' affair, but prepared with a background knowledge of the topo- graphy, land use and geology of the area. The plan would be primarily concerned with the relationship of the main urban components of housing, industry and communications.
The usual principle is to cut terraces into the hillsides and dump the excavated material into the sea to form further land. The formed hillside areas which have the views and catch the breezes become the residential zones and the flat reclaimed areas become industrial zones because in- dustry requires large flat floor areas and level terrain for the transportation of goods.
The outstanding disadvantage of this system is that most of the natural vegetation is removed and on com- pletion top soil has to be replaced before planting can take place and this gives the area a bleak appearance until the new planting matures.
The next stage is usually an engineering investigation in which the planner's 'broad brush' plan is tested and refined. The area is probed and a scheme evolved to balance the volume of cut material with the requirements for reclamation. The shape and dis position of the formed areas, the road network, the main drainage pattern, the location of reservoirs, etc. shape and modify the plan.
Housing Society estate planned at Tai Hang – 35 sq.ft. per person
Far East BUILDER, January 1970
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