The myths and politics of housing in Hong Kong: The controversy over the demolition of the Hunghom Estate

Abstract

This paper explores the post-handover surge of civic activism in Hong Kong by examining the controversy over the demolition of the Hunghom Estate—a government subsidized housing project that was sold to private developers during a recession in early 2004. In a departure from “business as usual,” the high-profile demolition was stopped 10 months later after a series of protests mobilized by environmental activists. This result was widely hailed as a triumph of corporate responsibility and environmental consciousness. By tracing the competing narratives over the course of the controversy, this paper attempts to elucidate this “success” story by revealing the inherent conflicts between different stakeholders, and how these narratives nevertheless share and sustain a number of long-held myths about Hong Kong's economy and housing market. It argues that these myths obscure the ongoing political choices of an interventionist administration, which maintains legitimacy by tightly controlling urban development and securing support from powerful economic actors. By connecting the various claims of the present case with historic discourses of the territory, the paper aims to shed light on the power relations embedded in the development policies that characterized Hong Kong over the colonial period, and which continues to shape the practices of housing in the present.