Cottage Areas: Squatter Resettlement and the Making of Self-Built Communities in Post-War Hong Kong

In contrast to the city’s cosmopolitan image, Hong Kong has a long tradition of informal settlements and self-built homes. After the Second World War, a large number of war refugees from mainland China, as well as destitute locals, resorted to squatting on any deserted land they managed to find. Large squatter areas flourished everywhere and threatened the safety and sanitation of Hong Kong. In 1948, the government took action and required squatters to move to designated cottage resettlement areas where they would be less of a nuisance. There, evicted squatters could build simple cottages at their own expense. Most of the cottage resettlement areas were located on hilly sites, which made development difficult. These hillside cottage villages formed a characteristic architectural landscape unique to Hong Kong. What was daily life like in these cottage areas? How did settlers plan and build a community with scarce resources and minimal assistance from the government?
Interestingly, the cottage resettlement areas were portrayed by the government initially as a solution to the squatter problem and subsequently as a wasteful use of prime urban land. What made the government change its attitude towards the cottage resettlement areas? This study challenges the official narrative that often describes the cottage resettlement as a failed squatter resettlement strategy that was quickly replaced by a massive program to construct multi-storied resettlement estates. In fact, these multi-storied resettlement estates, introduced by the government in 1954, did not completely replace the cottage resettlement areas, in contrast to what the official narrative often described. The fact that the population of the cottage resettlement areas reached its peak in 1961, accommodating over 87,000 settlers in 15 locations, confirms that they were still an active resettlement tool used by the government even after the introduction of multi-storied resettlement estates. The continuation of cottage resettlement areas for five decades before the last one was eradicated in 2001 indicates their indispensable role in long-term housing development in Hong Kong.
The cottage resettlement areas were one of the most prevalent types of informal settlements in Hong Kong’s history. They demonstrate the multiplicity in affordable housing solutions and the housing effort of the grassroots. The self-built nature of the cottage resettlement areas offers a flexible, economical, and quick approach to squatter resettlements, without which the government could never have the opportunities to develop a long-term housing program for Hong Kong. This study offers a more balanced view of Hong Kong’s housing history by recognizing the efforts of the Hong Kong people, who have worked diligently to improve their living environments despite unfavorable conditions.