published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Transport, as a key area of daily expenses, is not normally subsidised by the Government until the first launch of Transport Support Scheme (TSS) in 2007. It initially came from one of many measures of alleviating poverty recommended by the Commission on Poverty in the Policy Address 2007-2008. It was then replaced by territory-wide Work Incentive Transport Subsidy (WITS) Scheme and subsequently applied to resolve the issue of wealth gap in the Policy Address 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Even though several reviews have been done and a range of relaxations have been implemented over the past five years, a very clear and supportable policy objective of transport subsidy has been defined in which encourage the low-income working poor to go out, to seek jobs and ultimately promote sustained employment. It is believed that the direct monetary subsidy can help them relieve burden on travelling expenses commuting to and from work. From the perspective of planning, this study identifies the transport needs of low-income working poor who live in remote districts in relation to the new town planning and recognises the effectiveness of current WITS scheme on encouraging employment. Based on the data collected from questionnaire survey, this study also tries to develop a simulation model to test their willingness of commuting to work across the districts towards transport subsidy. It also incorporates the views and aspirations from the beneficiaries, and puts forward recommendations on how the transport subsidy can be enhanced in future. It is hope that it will pave the way for future studies on transport subsidy. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

This dissertation is about the use of in-cash housing subsidy, in the form of housing voucher, to deliver housing welfare in Hong Kong. This type of subsidy is currently the major type of housing assistance implemented in the United States since 1970s for improving the deteriorating public housing stock as well as the concentrated poverty and racial segregated neighbourhoods developed in the public housing projects. As a foreign policy, the research has taken the academic approach of policy transfer to assess the possibility of importing this American programme for domestic use. Housing subsidies exist in two forms, namely supply side (producer-based, in-kind) subsidy or demand side (consumer-based, in-cash) subsidy. The former refers to the direct construction of social housing by the government or private sector project facilitated by the government via financial incentives, such as construction grants or tax concessions. Hong Kong public housing is using this kind of provision. As for demand side subsidy, the beneficiaries receive financial support from the government in order to enhance the recipients’ affordability in housing. As far as renting is concerned, such kind of consumer subsidy can be rental allowance payable in cash or housing voucher redeemable by the landlord. The American Housing Choice Voucher Program is a prominent example. In 2001, the Hong Kong Housing Authority has also implemented a trial policy on disseminating rental allowances to eligible elderly public housing tenants but was called off later. If the program worked satisfactorily, the government would consider extending this policy to ordinary applicants of public housing as well. In-kind housing welfare is provided through administrative assignment, the prospective tenants cannot choose which area to reside and their choices on housing units are very restrictive. Since housing location will influence a person’s access to job, education and other chances of life, consumer based housing subsidy allows beneficiary to exercise greater freedom of choice in housing. Policy transfer is about borrowing foreign policy tools or measures for domestic use to solve problems of similar nature. It is a process by which knowledge about policies, administrative arrangements, institutions and ideas in one political system is used in the development of policies, administrative arrangements, institutions and ideas in another political system. In evaluating the implementation of housing voucher in Hong Kong, this dissertation using policy transfer theorists’ multi-level approach in evaluating the macro and micro settings of the policy framework. The macro level will look upon the political, social and economic contexts between U.S. and Hong Kong that embed public housing policy, while the micro level is an examination of the responses of selected actors in policy transfer that facilitate or hinder the transfer. Upon the research findings, both the macro and micro level analyses lead to the conclusion that the transferability of housing voucher system in Hong Kong is relatively low. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Hong Kong Public Housing Program was initiated by a disastrous fire sixty years ago which made thousands people lose their shelter. Public rental housing (PRH) was built to provide affordable accommodation to people who are in housing need, such as the victims of disaster, low income families, etc. The financial situation of some PRH households had been improved after receiving years of housing subsidy by residing in PRH, which is heavily subsidized by the Government. They had affordability in finding a home in private sector, but they chose to stay in PRH and continued to receive housing subsidy, which they should not entitled. This phenomenon aroused widespread public concern in 1980s. After conducting public consultation in 1984-85, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) finally implemented the Housing Subsidy Policy (HSP) in April 1987 to reduce the housing subsidy to those who are no longer in need of it. Under the HSP, tenants who have resided in public housing for 10 years or more are required to declare their household income. Households with income exceeding the Subsidy Income Limits (SIL) are required to pay double net rent plus rates. The policy was reviewed after implemented for five years. Responding to PRH’s opinion on the policy, the policy was revised in 1993.Under the new measure, households with income between two to three times of the WLIL would be charged 1.5 times rent. Tenants, with income exceeds 3 times of the WLIL would have to pay double rent. Although HKHA did not adopted the method of eviction to force the well–off tenants to move out from the PRH, the ultimate aim of HSP was to vacate the flats resided by them. Instead of taking enforcement action, a moderate method of reducing subsidy and encouragement of home ownership was adopted to encourage well-off PRH tenants to surrender their PRH units, so that they can be re-allocated to the people who had genuine housing need. With a moderate approach, the effective of HSP has been reduced. The first part of this study would conduct an examination of the effectiveness of HSP. Effectiveness in achieving its aim and the policy outcomes would be the focus of this part. Public Housing is a scarce and limited social resource. A rational and equitable allocation of the PRH units is expected. The HSP is the first step for HKHA to take measure to rationalize the distribution of the existing heavily subsidized PRH units since the public housing program started in 1953. The later part of this study would evaluate the equity of the HSP based on some theorists’ conception on equity. Recommendations would be made in conclusion to provide future policy directive on HSP. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design