Economic Restructuring and Land Use Planning in Hong Kong

Abstract

Hong Kong has lost its position as a major manufacturing centre in Asia and has under-gone rapid economic restructuring since the late 1980s because of the northward migration of its industries to China . It is transforming itself into a financial and service centre. Manufactur-ing employment decreased from 47. 0 per cent of the total employment in 1971 to 28. 2 per cent in 1991 whereas its financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector increased from 2. 5 per cent in 1971 to 10. 6 per cent over the same period. Economic restructuring in Hong Kong is mainly due to the adoption of the 'open door' policy in China in 1978 which provided opportunities for Hong Kong manufacturers to establish plants in China. With lower labour cost and land prices in the zhujiang Delta adjacent to Hong Kong, many industries in Hong Kong have either migrated or set up outward processing plants there. Economic restructuring has had a major impact on the development of Hong Kong, especially in terms unemployment and manpower planning. It has also had an impact on urban planning in Hong Kong. Urban plan-ning has to deal with the decline of old urban districts, increased demand for industrial/office buidings, and changes in the locational demands of industries. It also has to develop science parks and office buildings to provide the basic infrastructure to attract new types of industries and economic activities to face the challenge of the rapid decline in its traditional manufacturing base.

香港于80年代后期由于工業向內地轉移而進行了經濟結構轉型,成為一個金融及服務中心。工業的就業人數驟減。同時,金融、保險、房地產及商業服務業人員激增。其經濟結構轉型的主要原因是中國實行“開放改革”政策使香港地區的工業能向內地轉移。首先由于毗鄰的珠江三角洲廉價勞動力的吸引。經濟結構轉型最大的負面影響是失業人口及勞動力的規劃。這對城市規劃產生了深遠的影響。城市規劃需要解決舊工業區的重建、日益增長的工業辦公樓的需求及工業區區位要求的變化等問題。同時,它還需要開發科技園及辦公樓等基本設施來吸引新型的工業及經濟活動。