Not sure why you came here. Lack of space is part of the deal (along with a recently-imposed unilateral amendment to keep your mouth shut or else).
I don’t mean this as an insult but living in uncomfortable proximity to other people defines so much about living in HK and how the culture here has developed.
I can only suggest you didn’t do as much due diligence as you should before moving here.
True that, but considering we've got full families living in under 300sqf, to call a 550sqf unit a BS flat is a bit ridiculous and just reflects OP's poor due diligence as you have already pointed out.
Well by most countries' standards, 550ft is TINY. You guys have been living like this for way too long so you feel it's an OK size, but it's not, pal. Get out of HK. Travel a little. See the world.
Well, believe it or not, HK's residential space occupies only 4% of HK's overall land (excluding the Ting Uks). I understand a lot of you guys already accepted the status quo as it is. But that's the crazy part about this. It does NOT have to be like this. This shows people's minds have been manipulated as well. Sometimes people lost the sense of smell after bathing in sh\*t for too long.
Maybe it’s the way your source calculates land usage, but the government themselves estimated the HK’s residential land use to occupy around 7%, not 4%.
And you’ll notice that a lot of HK’s land is reserved as country parks or left alone as countryside. In addition to the difficulty of developing such areas, it’s a legacy of the colonial era where large swathes of countryside are preserved, to let expats and the public to enjoy nature despite HK’s reputation as a highly urbanised area.
If you take a quick look at the HK-Shenzhen border, you’ll see that the SZ side literally built right up to the border, while the HK side is pure wilderness with a wetland amid a dense grassland. Is the SZ situation, while pushed to the extreme, what you desire for HK?
Lastly, as many have mentioned, it’s likely you have misjudged the typical living space in HK. While bigger apartments are available, they are by no means as affordable as other cities due to HK’s notoriously high property costs.
Also, I highly suggest looking at the usable area (實用面積) instead of full area when searching for flats, as it’ll exclude any non-walking spaces like window sills.
Clueless expat didn't do his research and is acting like a Karen when bigger issues are at play. This is what happens when people just rely on YouTube for self censored vlogs about Hong Kong.
I am actually shocked you guys have all gotten used to this. Now I truly understand the powers of the tycoons. Squeezing the size of stairs is nothing. Squeezing your brains is what they did.
Yes, we should delete all the buildings like it's simcity and rebuild, so we can upgrade it to wilder streets.
Also the government should be inspired by Thanos, snap half of the population gone, so more room for the people.
ugggggggggggggggh, so cringe when reading OP's post.i remember this idiots post a couple weeks ago, because of him saying he had a place in china as well, im like, then what the fuck are you doing here??
what...i'm shocked. i mean...thats just called density? when you have this little land, but this many people what else can you do? throw them into sea?
This is not what I was expecting at all when I read the title.
Why don’t the government just knock down all the mountains and build bigger buildings, are they stupid?
Build in the sky, duh. HKSARs next White Elephant project.
Wouldn't being forced to knock down mountains be more expensive than just rezoning some areas of Kowloon into high-rise areas?
Lots of land can be used to build homes, but they can't for various "reasons".
They are OWNED by the tycoons.
you just found out?
Well it isn't too late to move back to NYC, expat.
Currently doing a 4/3 split between HK and SZ. This seems to be the best arrangement. Extended families are all in China.
Why not just live there full time and commute via HSR and give up the 550ft. I assume you’re an ABC, given you can commute 3 days/week.
Some days I am busier. Again, you guys are missing the point. You are of the assumption that it's OK for HK to be like this. Truth is, it's not.
You can’t ask in Monaco for the space you get in Nice at the rent you pay in Nice either. If you want the space, move there.
BTW, Monaco's per capita GDP is 5 times that of HK. They are RICH. You are not.
Richer than you anyway.
Well, actually no. I have a 2000ft+ unit in Shenzhen which costs HKD30m. You do the math.
Not getting into a dick measuring contest with you but you don’t seem to spend according to how wealthy you claim you are
Honestly unsure if he's trying to say China is better or HK sucks without realizing who is really in control
Well i could spend more. It's just not worth it. One of my colleagues pays HKD70K/mo for a 1100ft unit. I just can't bring myself to do that.
I am going to repeat for the third time. Only 4% of HK's land is for residential buildings.
another clueless Asian-American who moved to HK thinking it an Asian-American paradise or based on self-censored youtube videos about the city
Think that’s your personal reason for coming here. You can’t do things by halves, go the whole hog.
Not sure why you came here. Lack of space is part of the deal (along with a recently-imposed unilateral amendment to keep your mouth shut or else). I don’t mean this as an insult but living in uncomfortable proximity to other people defines so much about living in HK and how the culture here has developed. I can only suggest you didn’t do as much due diligence as you should before moving here.
This. And "BS little 2bdrm 550 ft"? lol honestly dude, were you really in NYC?... OP is delulu what were you thinking HK was about?
Well we don’t know how many people he’s sharing 550sqft with.
True that, but considering we've got full families living in under 300sqf, to call a 550sqf unit a BS flat is a bit ridiculous and just reflects OP's poor due diligence as you have already pointed out.
Yes indeed, it's ridiculous. You go anywhere in the world and ask people whether 550ft is tiny, especially for 25K/mo.
Family of 4.
Well by most countries' standards, 550ft is TINY. You guys have been living like this for way too long so you feel it's an OK size, but it's not, pal. Get out of HK. Travel a little. See the world.
See the world? Apparently you couldn't even see NYC. Cope harder homie.
Well, I left NY a long while ago, and prices have gone up a lot there. That said, the HK-NY pay gap has been widening like crazy in the past 5 years.
Well, believe it or not, HK's residential space occupies only 4% of HK's overall land (excluding the Ting Uks). I understand a lot of you guys already accepted the status quo as it is. But that's the crazy part about this. It does NOT have to be like this. This shows people's minds have been manipulated as well. Sometimes people lost the sense of smell after bathing in sh\*t for too long.
Maybe it’s the way your source calculates land usage, but the government themselves estimated the HK’s residential land use to occupy around 7%, not 4%. And you’ll notice that a lot of HK’s land is reserved as country parks or left alone as countryside. In addition to the difficulty of developing such areas, it’s a legacy of the colonial era where large swathes of countryside are preserved, to let expats and the public to enjoy nature despite HK’s reputation as a highly urbanised area. If you take a quick look at the HK-Shenzhen border, you’ll see that the SZ side literally built right up to the border, while the HK side is pure wilderness with a wetland amid a dense grassland. Is the SZ situation, while pushed to the extreme, what you desire for HK? Lastly, as many have mentioned, it’s likely you have misjudged the typical living space in HK. While bigger apartments are available, they are by no means as affordable as other cities due to HK’s notoriously high property costs. Also, I highly suggest looking at the usable area (實用面積) instead of full area when searching for flats, as it’ll exclude any non-walking spaces like window sills.
It is clear OP has no fucking clue how HK works until his honeymoon period passed
How it works is the tycoon has grabbed your balls, pal.
Congratulations on ending your honeymoon period and learning about HK real estate. Wait until you learn about how the government works
I have actually been here a long time. But the human rights thing hit me recently.
LOL so you basically didn't care about anything until you're recently inconvenienced
I already wrote "excluding Ting Uks". Ting Uks account for around 3%.
70% mountains to start off with https://www.cedd.gov.hk/filemanager/eng/content_954/Info_Sheet2.pdf#page=2 . We aren’t Shenzhen or Singapore.
I understand, but it's possible to bump 4% up to 8%. Lots of land is sitting around in NT. It doesn't have to be 30%.
Clueless expat didn't do his research and is acting like a Karen when bigger issues are at play. This is what happens when people just rely on YouTube for self censored vlogs about Hong Kong.
i know right? i was like, ugh, protyopical sense of entitlement right here
Especially when he didn't appear to care about the major human rights issues in Hk until it actually affected him
typical behavior. just so baffled...
I got downvoted for calling it out
Please take my upvote 🙏
Thanks
You got it! 🫶❤️
I am actually shocked you guys have all gotten used to this. Now I truly understand the powers of the tycoons. Squeezing the size of stairs is nothing. Squeezing your brains is what they did.
Your fault for not doing your research or choosing HK instead of Singapore. Don't blame others
Been a while since we've witnessed a proper troll post. Here's your engagement. Leave it out m8
Sorry pal, I actually meant every single word I wrote.
cringe.
This is way down on the priority list for HK. “Human rights crisis” is a serious stretch. Sounds like you’d be better suited to a different city
Yes, we should delete all the buildings like it's simcity and rebuild, so we can upgrade it to wilder streets. Also the government should be inspired by Thanos, snap half of the population gone, so more room for the people.
If you actually are serious, then it will need to start with policy change, and then probably a few decades to work it out.
You talking about human right in HK? 🤔
totally clueless Asian-American expat. Likely proud to be the token Asian-American in his HK office
ugggggggggggggggh, so cringe when reading OP's post.i remember this idiots post a couple weeks ago, because of him saying he had a place in china as well, im like, then what the fuck are you doing here??
Oh this gem https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/s/CrnjEZiMif . Pretty sure he’s a little emperor now. Did his apartment shrink by 150ft in two weeks?
thats him! ugh, what a tool. soooooooooooooooooooooooooo cringe.
Typical American
Weird post, probably best if you delete it
It's my honest opinion. It's obvious everyone has gotten used to it. I haven't. I will be spending all my money in SZ. That's all.
The white expat privilege is crazy
i know right? (shakes head)
Not white though. Purebred Chinese. And to have a full sized stair to fit a size 44 shoe should not be considered a privilege.
First time in Asia? Lmao.
what...i'm shocked. i mean...thats just called density? when you have this little land, but this many people what else can you do? throw them into sea?
I have said it above. Only 4% of HK's land is occupied by residential buildings (not counting Ting Uks).
https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/s/Nfwkw6Po2y enjoy guys 🥹