“Such ‘cities in the sky’ have always intrigued me because the buildings are constructed on a hill, giving rise to architectural solutions such as connecting buildings across different platforms through pedestrian bridges,” Wong said.
“The flats in the older public housing estates are more densely packed, so residents spend more time in shared public spaces such as playgrounds and parks to expand their activity areas.”
Wong, an urban studies lecturer at Chinese University who has written two books on the art of strolling in Hong Kong, wants more people to experience the city in new ways by slowing down to observe their surroundings as they move around.
“Close to half of Hong Kong’s population lives in public housing. Understanding public housing estates means understanding a large portion of life in Hong Kong,” he told the Post while strolling through Hing Wah II Estate.
“In a city where everything is compressed, a housing estate is almost like a small town, with public spaces, architecture, signages and nature for you to explore.”
The city’s 247 public rental housing estates form an essential part of Hong Kong’s urban fabric, with more than 2 million people living in public rental flats. Another 15 per cent of the city’s 7.3 million people stay in flats across 217 government-subsidised housing estates under home ownership schemes.
To get more city residents to observe the neighbourhoods they live in and rediscover their city, Wong has been leading walking tours mainly for locals since 2021.
Taking the Post through Hing Wah II Estate, which was built in 1976 in eastern Hong Kong Island, he pointed out how the lifts open at the 15th floor to a podium deck connecting to the seven towers.
The wide walkways and skybridges run like a maze through the blocks, with long corridors, public spaces, a children’s playground next to a pavilion where elderly residents gather over a game of chess, and signage with the names of the different blocks in faded, old-school lettering.
There are occasional bursts of nature when wild grass grows between the cracks of a neatly paved sidewalk and rainwater flows down the open drain along the slope.
For Wong, all these elements create a framework to notice different things in any space, to think about their purpose and how users interact with each other.
At Hing Wah II Estate, he explained how the high-rise towers were utilitarian slabs hugging the slope of the site, with long corridors connecting them.
The blocks are all called “houses”, with names such as Chin Hing House, Fung Hing House, Lok Hing House and Yu Hing House.
Wong found it interesting that a corridor on the 15th floor of Fung Hing House connected the lift lobby to a high-rise public square, with a supermarket, a hair salon, a convenience store, a Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng street cafe and clinics.
“If you can lose yourself in a place, that’s much more fun. This estate is built like a maze, and appeals to my desire to get lost,” he said.
He said Hong Kong’s public housing estates reflected how architectural styles had evolved as the city developed and the needs of the population changed.
A huge fire that broke out in a squatter settlement in Shek Kip Mei 70 years ago displaced thousands of families.
To rehouse them, the government quickly built standard-design H-shaped blocks seven storeys tall with 64 flats on each floor, creating the first generation of public flats.
Some of the city’s public housing estates, found across all 18 districts, have become tourist destinations and “Instagrammable spots” for social media users.
Choi Hung Estate, built in 1962 and famous for its rainbow-coloured facades, has become one of the most popular with visitors after gaining prominence on social media.
Nam Shan Estate in Shek Kip Mei, built in 1977, draws a constant stream of photographers eager to snap pictures at its playground, which has three half-moon climbing frames surrounded by residential blocks.
Beyond merely getting a selfie or a picture of an iconic site, Wong hoped people would pause to explore the unseen, get lost even and appreciate the unique qualities of the city’s public housing estates.
“The experience of strolling is irreplaceable,” Wong said. “You really have to immerse yourself in a space to understand how it makes you feel.”
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