Since the 1940s, more and more immigrants moved to Hong Kong from Mainland China. The urban planning at that time was not comprehensive enough to settle down the people with a good living environment. Hong Kong people who could not afford to pay for private housing were forced to live in the public estates. The high price of land in Hong Kong also contributes to its high-density development. To accommodate the large number of immigrants moved to Hong Kong, the government constructed a lot of poor quality buildings and public estates. Up to now, those buildings and estates are ageing and the living environments are becoming more uncomfortable. On one hand Hong Kong has developed at a fast rate, on the other hand the number of old buildings and estates increase. Many policies are carried out to renew urban area or revitalize it. Hong Kong appartments and housing are very expensive and for people on low and middle incomes, sometimes on high incomes too can only afford to live in high-rise buildings. With the lack of space and housing efficiency it has caused poor living environments because of lack of open spaces, poor hygiene contributing to rising health risks. Solutions to this is better urban planning. Planning can help the city to attain sustainable development. If the plan is good, urban renewal can be arranged smoothly and efficiently. Better living condition can be obtained when good urban planning is carried out. Building new towns is another solution for housing problems. With land in the New Territory, many new towns were built which resolved the housing problems of the urban area. The new towns were located on the reclaimed land. Having good urban planning before construction.
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