Many college students and other young people I talk with are concerned about finding their own place to live.
In a city made of islands and mountains, Hong Kongers are forced to live on slim strips of land. This makes housing quite difficult to come by. Even with the city's highly efficient transportation system, most people don't want to live up in the high hills and mountains. This means that there's only so much space for building housing.
Efforts to revitalize older buildings have helped address the issue of land and space in Hong Kong. Innovations in engineering and conservation have allowed the city to re-use older buildings and repurpose them to serve new functions while still maintaining their historical structures. For instance, the city's old Marine Police Headquarters is now a shopping mall that also acts as a heritage center to showcase historical architecture in the city.
Architects in the city have also discussed ways to build structures more quickly. Recently in the news, there was a discussion about taking storage containers and making them into small homes. Unlike traditional apartment buildings, these re-used storage containers can be put together quickly in a factory and simply moved into place later. This faster construction system could allow young Hong Kongers to find a more affordable living option in the city.
