January_1970 — Page 33

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AND.

BETTLEMENT

AREA 9 INDUSTRIAL

AREA 30 OPEN SPACE

RESIDENTIAL,

SAN

HUI RIVER

CHANNEL

AREA INDUSTRIAL

12

-CAUSEWAY

STAGE IA LOOKING NORTH

Castle Peak Valley, New Territories, being developed as a satellite town

watch has to be kept to prevent illegal use of the land, dumping of refuse,

etc.

Provision of facilities

Housing estates are not entirely self-sufficient and nearby areas have to be planned in such a way as to accommodate the facilities not pro- vided. In the cases of facilities provided by Government this is a matter of internal co-ordination, but it is more difficult to ensure the provision of such facilities as cinemas, banks, and the type of shops not usually found in the original squatter areas from which the resettlement shops came, such as jewellers, tailors, and those selling the more sophisticat- ed type of goods.

The most that can be done is to ensure that the land for the private development of these facilities is disposed of either by auction or by the "Letter B" system so that develop ment takes place in step with the housing scheme.

Where large housing estates are being developed in areas which are removed from employment centres it is also important to provide con- venient places of work, thereby avoid ing, as far as possible, unnecessary loading of public transport.

Again, it is necessary to ensure industrial land becomes available for

disposal at such a time as to enable the land to be sold, plans prepared, and buildings erected, in step with the progress of the housing.

Social implications of high density

The recently completed 'Hong Kong Urban Family Life Survey' by Dr. Robert Mitchell produced some very interesting facts regarding the social results of high density housing. Dr. Mitchell found that social friction is more prevalent in housing where more than one family shares accom- modation. This reinforces Govern- ment's aim to enable any family to obtain self-contained accommodation.

He also found that there is no direct relationship between the size of accommodation and social wellbeing. Social wellbeing is related more to the provision of facilities outside the con- fines of the flat. The implication I draw from this is that whilst improvement in space standards in housing is desirable, the facilities outside the immediate confines of the flat are as important, if

not more so.

By this I mean the convenient location and attractive appearance of communal facilities, childrens' play- grounds, shopping markets, etc. This is not only a design problem, but also one of management and main-

tenance.

conclusions on the planning of high density housing generally.

Conclusions

Housing in Hong Kong has been based upon the principle of spreading the available finance to benefit as many as possible. This has inevitably meant low space standards and high densities.

The success or otherwise of high density housing, from the social point of view, is largely dependant upon the design of these estates. The most intensively used portion is the ground level and I should say that above a certain level of density ground level space becomes insufficient and it would be advisable to think in terms of providing more than one level by decking over a portion of the site to provide additional levels of facilities.

The higher the density, the more design effort is required. In addition, the proper management and main- tenance of communal areas is impor- tant to ensure that they remain attractive and function properly. If the situation is, as it fortunately is in Hong Kong, that there is a gradual increase in prosperity, then this should be reflected not only in improved space standards, but also in improved plan- ning of housing estates and an improved standard of design and

which leads me to a few maintenance.

Far East BUILDER, January 1970

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