Sustainable Development in Hong Kong: a Review of Policy, Practices in Building Design and Construction

Abstract

Population wise, Hong Kong has too many people on too small a physical entity—1,075 square kilometers divided by as many as 240 no. Islands. Natural resources-wise, Hong Kong has too little to offer, as almost all its agricultural lands have been converted into building land, leaving no alternative but to import drinking water and daily supplies from across the Hong Kong-Mainland border on a daily basis. Insatiable demands for housing due to an ever-increasing population growth left the government with little options but to embark on an unprecedented urban form of hyper-density. In 1997, the Hong Kong government commissioned a study known as Sustainable Development for the 21st Century in Hong Kong (SUSDEV 21). The Study jump-started the city's participation in a worldwide endeavor to embrace sustainable development. The three years expedition guided the city through a world tour and studies on sustainable development from an international frontier, regional frontier, to a local frontier, and ended with a definition of sustainable development for Hong Kong, as well as a policy-making mechanism to achieve sustainability. Institutional efforts to promote sustainability has been complimented by efforts from professionals in the construction and building sector in an equally thorough and holistic manner, which include law-enforcers, developers, architects and builders. This paper presents a critical review and insight into recent works by each of the players mentioned in the text.