A Study of Gentrification in Urban Regeneration in Hong Kong

Urban decay is an inevitable result of the growth of every city. In Hong Kong, of around 39,000 private buildings territory-wide, one quarter are 20 years old or older and are susceptible to dilapidation of various degrees. Apart from buildings becoming physically run-down, urban decay brings about health and safety hazards, crimes, and other social problems. Urban regeneration has thus become a matter of great urgency but physical improvement is just a necessary but not sufficient condition for a successful urban regeneration project. Due consideration should also be accorded to the social impacts of the project. As suggested in the literature, urban regeneration has been held liable for gentrifying the neighbourhood, i.e. displacing low-income classes from the neighbourhood of regenerated areas by better-off households. While literature on regeneration-driven gentrification in western countries abounds, little ink has been spilt on the situation in Hong Kong. Besides, disparity in the gentrifying effects attributed to different urban regeneration approaches, particularly redevelopment and building rehabilitation, has not been identified.In this light, the driving force and extent of gentrification caused by various redevelopment and rehabilitation projects in Hong Kong will be investigated. In particular, the research will explore the linkage between the phenomenon of gentrification, if any, and the externality effects of the regeneration projects on domestic rentals. Changes in domestic rental and household characteristics with respect to the spatial distance from the regeneration projects will be empirically studied. The findings of the research will provide valuable insights into the costs and benefits of various approaches of urban regeneration for the stakeholders in Hong Kong. They will assist public administrators to make more informed decisions about the approaches to urban regeneration in Hong Kong. In addition, based on the results of the research, recommendations for the improvement in the social impact assessments for urban regeneration projects will be made.