Hong Kong’s housing crisis rooted in colonial land policies, not golf course nostalgia—how to fix it
Original framing: “Hong Kong must scrap housing plan and preserve golf course” — South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s land scarcity is a **deliberate artifact of colonial policy**: the **1898 Lease** and **1972 New Territories ordinances** concentrated land ownership in the hands of a few, while **public housing was treated as a welfare handout** rather than a right. The **1997 handover** failed to address this, as Beijing’s **‘one country, two systems’** framework preserved the status quo. **Singapore’s 1960s land reforms**—where the government bought up private land to build public housing—offer a direct contrast, proving that land redistribution is politically feasible when willed. The golf course debate ignores how **post-war Hong Kong** used **military land** for housing, showing that political will, not environmentalism, drives solutions.
Hong Kong’s golf course debate is a **microcosm of a global pattern**: when **land is treated as a commodity**, **symbolic battles** (like ‘save the golf course’) **distract from structural violence**.
The **colonial land tenure system**, **elite capture of development rights**, and **court-based delay tactics** reveal a **deliberate design** to **exclude the majority** while **enriching a few**. **Taiwan and Singapore prove that alternatives exist**—but Hong Kong’s **media, courts, and government** **collude to obscure them**. The **real trickster here is the system itself**: it **lets people fight over scraps** (like a golf course) while **hoarding the wealth** (in vacant land and speculative profits). **Breaking this cycle requires three things**: (1) **A Land Value Tax to capture speculative wealth**, (2) **Community Land Trusts to democratize housing**, and (3) **A Truth Commission to expose historical injustices**. Without these, the debate will remain **stuck in the past**—fighting over **who gets to play golf** instead of **who gets a home**.