published_or_final_version / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The distance effect from the city centre on property price has long been considered as a major factor for a household’s decision on residential location choice given to understand that an acquisition of a home is the biggest single investment for a family. The decision is not simply a demand for the physical attribute pertaining to the building but also other housing and location attributes such as accessibility, size, tastes, neighborhood qualities and tradeoffs. The property prices in many countries have supported the saying of site value dependent on distance from the central business district (CBD). Major factors are transport costs and land prices. If people live closer to city centre, the savings from transport costs will be maximized. Difference in land value is also observed with distance from city centre and in the property market. Hence, household demand for property confronts tradeoffs between longer and more costly commutation and cheaper housing prices. This paper studies the distance effects or accessibility by including distance as variables in the hedonic model. Hedonic regressions are used to estimate the demands for the characteristics of a differentiated good such as the residential housing. In real estate study, we usually estimate housing price as a function of distance from the city centre. We expect to observe land prices decline with distance from the city centre which is referred to have a negative land price gradient. To assess the effects of the access attributes such as distance, commuting time and cost offer important inspiration in understanding the reasons for a household’s move and helps to indicate their final home choices. Generally speaking, higher income households may give higher value on access, married persons on shopping, retirees may choose to live closer to medical centre or their children and young families expecting children may choose to live near good schools and larger houses. Households who move for easier commute may indicate that accessibility is a priority. This paper examines the location choices of home owners, explores the major determinants in making a home owning decision, examines household’s priorities when choosing a specific location for dwelling and the tradeoffs involved. Empirical evidence relating the price gradient collected via the private residential property market in Hong Kong and a survey conducted by the author by questionnaires confirmed that the negative price gradient does exist and other explanatory variables like age, size, tastes and neighborhood qualities also affect the housing prices and tradeoffs. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Master / Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Design and Management

Announced few months before, a public housing estate in Hong Kong, Ming Wah Dai Ha, which is owned and managed by Hong Kong Housing Society which is planned, is to process redevelopment in the coming years (HKHS, 2011). The social voice nowadays are focusing on the land provided by the redevelopment project can be used as subsidized housing to fulfill the housing demand for better housing and home owning aspiration of the lower or middle income group. However, at the other side, development caused changes to the living of the residents there, and also the environment and social culture of that area. This discussion has drawn my attention that whether redevelopment of public housing estates in Hong Kong is a sustainable way of housing development or not. It is both important to meet the housing needs of the people and to preserve the environment. Land is scarce in the urban area of Hong Kong, we know that it need to put at top priority to fulfill the need of citizens who still on the waiting list or suffer for high housing costs. However, the role of housing management organizations and housing managers should have the responsibility on maintaining the quality of living environment. For the case of Ming Wah Dai Ha, many councilors from political parties request the government to redevelop to use the land for My Home Purchase Plan. The request reflects the subsidized public housing policy now cannot satisfy the need of citizen on their desire on home ownership or even harmonious living environment. The unfulfilled right could be the result of problems, such as affordability and long waiting time for subsidized housing. These housing problems show the deficiencies of the existing housing policies in Hong Kong. I think this is an interesting topic for us to review, evaluate and recommend, on the issues on balancing the need of subsidized housing by citizens and the impact of redevelopment on the society, for selecting the suitable way for sustainable housing development in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Redevelopment of aged PRH estates has been carried out for more than 40 years in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Housing Authority. After the completion of the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme, the HA announced the Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates in 2011 to continue its work on redevelopment. The Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates shows the determination of the Hong Kong Housing Authority to improve its redevelopment policy as it has been pushed forward right after the completion of the previous programme. However, it has been criticized by tenants, public, District Councillors and Legislative Councillors for its inefficiency and ineffectiveness. In this dissertation, the deficiencies of the Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates and the Pak Tin Estate Redevelopment Project, and successful elements of the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme and the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate Redevelopment Project are assessed and examined. These assessment help to understand that problems of the current policy and project are caused by the setting and the implementation strategy of the Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates. Recommendations have been proposed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates and develop it into a systematic and people-oriented redevelopment policy. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

The trend of householders’ selection and location for housing indicate socioeconomic benefit and productivity. Hence, many scholars and decision makers have paid attention to spatial patterns of different social population in urban living place. As global city, Hong Kong is well-developed and high-ranked. The excessive differentiation and isolation of underclass and elite population in residential space may bring about negative effects for individual welfare, governance of community, development of urban economy and social stability. This dissertation based on the Census data in 2011 examines 13 social groups as element groups of residential segregation and identify that the white & Filipino nationality, three types of housing, high income, professional and manager & administrators are the main elements of residential segregation in Hong Kong, which is characterized by high class population, two types of public housing and private permanent residence. Meanwhile, by reviewing the development of socio-economic pattern changes in Hong Kong, the factors of segregation is not only the outcome of economic stimulation but also closely related to the physical environment, policy and regimen in the process of development in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Housing is politically important and thus governments tend to intervene in housing market a lot. Today, housing is one of most significant livelihood issues in Hong Kong. Solving the housing problem is accorded with top priority by the current Government. Therefore, the Government formed the Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee in September 2012 to make recommendations on housing strategy of Hong Kong for the next ten years. One of the areas for study is the sharp increase in number of Waiting List applications which is indeed an expression of imbalance between demand and supply for public rental housing. After the Global Financial Crisis, the number of Waiting List applications has doubled in five years, at a compound annual growth rate of15.4%. Such increase is a combined result of increase in demand, decrease in supply and inefficient allocation of public rental housing for Waiting List applicants. This dissertation firstly attempts to find out the factors and root causes leading to this phenomenon, and then tries to work out some possible solutions for solving the present problem of public rental housing. By analyzing the components of housing system namely demand, supply and allocation, the root causes leading to their changes are studied, with aim to explain the recent sharp increase in Waiting List applications for public rental housing in Hong Kong. The areas of analyses include the demographic changes, single non-elderly applicants, affordability problem for private housing, supply of new production and recovery of public rental housing flats for Waiting List applicants, eligibility for public rental housing, and the efficiency of allocation mechanism. In addition, the desire of Waiting List applicants for public rental housing is also studied through a questionnaire survey because similar secondary data are not available. Lastly, due to the inelasticity of supply of housing to demand, it is essential for the Government to take timely measures before crisis is happened which may eventually affect the effective governance, suggestions are thus made accordingly in the last part of this dissertation with aim to reduce the sustained imbalance between supply and demand for public rental housing in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences