Housing indigenous villagers in a modern society: An examination of the Hong Kong small house policy

Abstract

This paper examines the small house policy which originated as a means to pacify indigenous villagers in an era of rapid new-town development. The credibility of this policy in post-colonial Hong Kong is examined in terms of sex equality, land tenure, land economics, the allocation of resources, and town and country planning. It is suggested that the time is ripe for a fundamental review of this policy, as it entails sex discrimination and the infringement of the private property rights of non-indigenous villagers inside village zones, and will ultimately become non-feasible owing to the lack of land for the construction of small houses.