Problems in Hongkong’s Sustainable Community Development

Changes in the city of Hongkong is rapid over the past few decades, the attention that focuses on economic development leads to a lot of social contradictions, the public do not have the paths to participate in the current process in planning and implementation of city development, which eventually lead to social contradictions and conflicts.

The lack of bottom-up community participation leads to distrust between the government and citizens. Under the current system, people rarely have opportunity to participate in the development of the community, the ignoring of the old unique culture, lifestyle, block formation and communities is the main reason for speeding up community differentiation, especially larger the gap between the low-income people and the government. Poor and elderly households were neglected. The social development need to balance economic, environmental and social needs, sustainable communities can make healthy and happy life. See the advanced city for city development and renewal, emphasis are put in the public participation and improving the well-being of people in the community. As for the perfect city for city development and renewal, community development emphasises the public participation, and improves the well-being of the people in the community and making good use of community resources, while Hongkong is ignoring the problem of poverty in the community and the elderly.

Failed to implement the concept of environmental protection. In the process of reconstruction, there was no attention to environmental and cultural conservation. Although the government has set up cultural conservation policy, but occasional trees are still cut down, the old buildings are not saved.

Nevertheless, sustainable community development still brings opportunities. Since the government has decided in developing the city development and planning in the next ten years, why not putting forward a new way to promote community development, trying to communicate with people of diverse classes, finding a sustainable way to manage community development.