Housing Imaginations exercise - gentrification in HK

Housing Imaginations exercise - reviewing gentrification newspaper articles in HK:

Newspaper article 1 (Carvalho, 2015) “At least once a year, Tai Hang makes headlines, because of its famous fire-dragon dance - the parade of a 67-metre dragon through the streets .…. while they may still be clinging to one of the most well-preserved customs, which has been around for more than a century, the neighbourhood's character has changed so rapidly over the past few years that many can hardly recognise it… Changes started to sweep in during the 1960s when builders tore down the village-style houses. That was when, from what Yu recalled, five-storey buildings emerged …… Another wave of change hit Tai Hang in the past decade. Property prices went up and the quiet albeit convenient area located between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau was not immune to the buoyant market, attracting fancy high-rises and new businesses to the neighbourhood .… The changes in Tai Hang are so evident that geography pupils at Chinese International School have made the neighbourhood a subject of study in gentrification over the past five years”.

Newspaper article 2 (Chan, 2014) “Gentrification seems to be taking off in the world's most prosperous urban centres. In New York and London, for example, people are seeking to move further out, to areas like Brooklyn and the docklands where rents are lower, again driving out local residents and businesses….. In Hong Kong, we associate this trend with the huge influx of mainland shoppers, which has caused a major expansion of designer and luxury stores. Rising rents have caused the closure of much-loved outlets catering to local residents. However, the impact may prove temporary….. In the longer term, our gentrification may well be more like that in San Francisco and other cities. We can expect continued inflows of bankers, for example, from the mainland, Asia and the rest of the world. Other professionals will probably come as new high-value activities develop, like creative industries, or indeed technology. More districts like Kennedy Town will become trendy and less affordable, and more dilapidated blocks in areas like Sham Shui Po will be targeted for redevelopment…… This is not new. The reason cities have skyscrapers in the centre is because land prices go up there as the economy grows. There is bound to be spillover into once-poorer areas nearby over the years…… But global trends are adding to the effect. Globalisation has facilitated greater mobility of people and their fortunes. Chinese, Russian, Middle Eastern and other Asian wealth has grown, and the new rich want to diversify their holdings. Some of it might go into art and yachts, but a lot goes into real estate. Hong Kong, like Vancouver and California, has seen a lot of mainland Chinese wealth going into property….At the same time, many cities have clearly lagged behind in expanding their housing stock. We think of this as a Hong Kong problem, but home building has not kept up with population growth in many centres on the east and west coasts of the US, the south of England and other areas. High liquidity and low returns in other investments have further pushed housing prices up….. Most of all, globalisation goes with a widening gap between rich and poor, and the way people with certain education and skills are accumulating a greater share of wealth. If the better-off cluster in particular cities, it is easy to see how gentrification of poorer neighbourhoods can follow…… As a successful city, our population and physical area are likely to grow along with the economy. Our definition of "downtown" will expand, and something will have to give. It is hard to see how we can preserve whole ageing neighbourhoods in the urban area, or keep every cheap noodle place…… This all leaves a very serious question in Hong Kong, with its limited space: where will the less well-off go? We need to earmark sufficient space for public and subsidised homes and facilities.”.

Newspaper article 3 (Cheung, 2016) “Redevelopment is a complex issue. The government procedures are complicated and there is an intricate web of vested interests. This, however, did not deter members of Sai Wan Concern; the grassroots organisation has energetically waded into the centre of the issue, with the goal of preserving the culture of their district, fighting gentrification, and fostering a strong sense of community amongst those active in Sai Wan..….  The origins of the Sai Wan group can be traced back to November 2014, when a piece of land on Tak Sing Lane in Sai Ying Pun was targeted for rezoning by local developers. It was originally an open area designated for recreational purposes, but landlords living in the area wanted to build what was known as a “cake building” – a mixed land use building with shops on the ground floor, and then residential flats on the other floors. Chan said that ever since the MTR opened, many developers have had their eyes on various pieces of land in Sai Ying Pun…  Back in the colonial era, Chan said, the government wanted to make sure the building density was not too high, and hence listed the land as a recreational area so that people would not build structures on it. However, some were now submitting rezoning plans to change the land use, which would be reviewed by the Lands Department and the Planning Department. “There’s actually many of these cases in Hong Kong, and all the information is in the public domain, but most people don’t know how to check. It’s difficult to supervise the process.” That was what the group was here for – to explain the procedures to the residents in a easy-to-comprehend manner…. The Town Planning Board has since turned down the application to redevelop Tak Sing Lane, and, as for Third Street, the application has been put on hold and it has yet to be reviewed by the Town Planning Board. But the group also had another enemy: gentrification. Members of  Sai Wan Concern are currently fighting an uphill battle to preserve the characteristics of the neighbourhood….  Chan said that the reason why so many people came together out of concern for this area was because Sai Wan is one of the oldest districts in Hong Kong, and until recently it had developed slowly, untouched by the MTR. As a result, the area retained elements of an older, traditional community. All of this, however, was slowly changing….… The group is only a little over a year old, but has already put together several impressive initiatives, such as publishing a regular community newsletter and organising guided tours. “We run features in the newsletter on different topics – one’s on the animals in the community, such as different pets found in the small shops in Western District. Another will be on ethnic minorities living here – this area is made up of people of many different races.” …. Indeed, Western District has its own Facebook group with nearly 20,000 members, flooded daily with posts on everything from interesting news in the district to rants by residents. Those active in the district have affectionately nicknamed themselves “grapefruits”, a play on the fruit’s Chinese name, which contains the word “west”. Just last year, some members active in the group held a football viewing event for the Hong Kong vs China World Cup qualifier, which drew a crowd of thousands, all sitting on the slope on Hill Road, clutching beers, chanting and cheering at the screen.….. Chan said that Sai Wan Concern hopes to create more opportunities to re-imagine the space in the community, and to encourage residents to come forward and attempt more things. “We want to give them more options to get involved – and not just take a picture about something they noticed in the neighbourhood, post it on social media, and then forget about it. We want to let them know, we can start small – starting with the trees just downstairs from where they live, for example. Recently we’ve got more messages from people, and they put forward their own proposals. My biggest motivation is that this group has enabled me to meet people who care deeply about these issues in the community.”…. All of this, Chan said, helps build a sense of identity for those living here, which is essential to facilitating changes in society.”.

Newspaper article 4 (Kapoor, 2015) “There aren’t many quarters like Tai Hang left on Hong Kong Island. A slum until the 1990s, it lies in the shadow of the glitzy shopping district, Causeway Bay, and is hemmed in by a hill on one side and high-rise buildings on the rest. It retains its working-class credentials through the profusion of those car repair shops, traditional cafes and dai pai dongs – open-air food stalls. Yet it’s also home to a new wave of independent cafes, bars and restaurants; a quick online search for the area now throws up words like “foodie” and “heaven”. …. The owners and workers in these places, many returnees from cities like Los Angeles, Toronto, Tokyo and San Francisco, were attracted not only by the cheaper rents, but also by the community feel”.

Newspaper article 5 (Van Sant, 2016) “Despite a noticeable drop in Hong Kong’s real estate market, some areas of the city are still experiencing a boom because of gentrification…. Hong Kong real estate prices are projected to fall 20 percent by the end of 2017. But in recent years, several of the city’s oldest working-class neighborhoods have quickly been transformed by real estate developers to become trendy new districts populated with cafes, boutiques and new homes for wealthy locals and foreign nationals......  Sheung Wan, Sai Ying Pun, Tai Hang and Kennedy Town have all gradually changed into popular, hip neighborhoods, drawing the city’s fashionable elite, causing rents to increase….. Kowloon’s waterfront is being developed into a new culture and arts district, and the neighborhood of Sham Shui Po, one of the poorest in Hong Kong, is increasingly becoming a haven for the city’s entrepreneurs, designers and artists.…. Last month, arts organization HKWalls staged a festival in the neighborhood, drawing international and local artists to paint murals there….. Jason Dembski, co-founder of HKWalls, said he wants to make a positive difference in neighborhoods like Sham Shui Po and that art benefits every person, no matter their socio-economic class….. “I think art’s good for everyone, regardless of stature," he said. "I don’t think it’s elitist at all. It certainly can be. There are people who think one way about art, but in general I think art should be available to everyone.” ….. But critics say the arts festival represents the beginning of a transformation experienced by other Hong Kong districts, where high brow art and fashion replace everyday commerce, and the wealthy gradually edge out the poor”.

Newspaper article 6 (Tse, 2014) “Old buildings, traditional shops and a genteel, laidback environment — these have been some of the common impressions about the Western District of Hong Kong Island over the years. But now all this is set to change with the opening of MTR’s West Island rail line.…. Gentrification is a common term in urban planning. It refers to shifts in urban community lifestyle along with an increasing number of wealthy residents and businesses backed by big companies…… Old buildings like tenement houses (buildings with no lifts) that once sprouted across the community are being demolished, and luxury housing is popping up all over the place instead. Quaint little shops are giving way to chain stores with bright decor…. Some say the gentrification is an upgrading process; bringing in the MTR line could be seen as part of revamping the old district….. But property prices in the district are climbing fast, and so is the cost of living. This is proving burdensome to some old residents. ….. Property developers are wasting no time to develop new projects and take advantage of the rising home prices. Developers such as Emperor International and Kowloon Development are said to have launched a total of around 300 units onto the market recently…… Growing number of bars and increasing nightlife is another source of worry for the original residents….. As some expatriates have sought to flee the high rents in Wan Chai, Central and Mid-Levels, many bars and restaurants are being opened in the Western District. Thus, Kennedy Town is now sometimes being called the New SoHo….  The change taking place in the district is generating mixed reactions from the local community. Some people think that bars will attract the wrong kind of people”.

Bibliography

1.      Carvalho, R. 2015. “Gentrification transform Tai Hang, but at least one tradition remains” South China Morning Post September 27 (url address: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1861665/gentrification-transforms-tai-hang-least-one) [visited at February 7, 2017].

2.      Chan, B. 2014. “Something has to give amid gentrification of Hong Kong” South  China Morning Post April 18 (url address: http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1485847/something-has-give-amid-gentrification-hong-kong) [visited at February 7, 2017].

3.      Cheung, K. 2016. “West Side Story: The fight to preserve heritage and curb gentrification in Western District” South China Morning Post March 17 (url address: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/17/west-side-story-the-fight-to-preserve-heritage-and-curb-gentrification-in-western-district/) [visited at February 7, 2017].

4.      Ho, J.K.K. 2017. “Mind mapping the topic of gentrification” Joseph KK Ho e-resources blog January 26 (url address: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2017/01/mind-mapping-topic-of-gentrification.html).

5.      Kapoor, D. 2015. “Hong Kong’s Tai Hang district: On the frontline of gentrification” The guardian November 21 (url address: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/nov/21/tai-hang-neighbourhood-hong-kong) [visited at February 7,2017].

6.      Literature on gentrification Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/literature.gentrification/).

7.      Tse, B. 2014. “Gentrification of Western District: Why locals aren’t all happy” ejinsight December 29 (url address: http://www.ejinsight.com/20141229-gentrification-of-western-district-evokes-mixed-feelings/) [visited at February 7, 2017].

8. Van Sant, S. 2016. “Gentrification Defies Hong Kong Realty Drop” VOA April 22 (url address: http://www.voanews.com/a/hong-kong-real-estate/3295402.html) [visited at February 7, 2017].