Space utilization of privatized shopping centres in public housing estates

Abstract

Hong Kong Housing Authority has divested its retail facilities in Public Rental Housing Estate to the Link for a decade. The ongoing change in the management and development of those Shopping Centres since the Link takeover has always been a hot issue discussed in the society. As a commercial entity, the Link is now operating those shopping malls from a pure commercial point of view. The attractiveness of those retail facilities is always the most important consideration for their management in order to achieve a good performance in financial return. As the property portfolio was previously developed by the government as part of the retail facilities to support the day to day needs of the residents in the nearby estates, there was less consideration in profit making. The space was hence not fully utilized before they were sold to the Link. In this paper, we will study what the bases of the Link’s decision are on the usage of space in those privatized shopping centres. Would the spatial utilization be changed to maximize the economic potential of those portfolios and if so, would the civic and communal use of those shopping centres be sacrificed.