ABSTRACT

The rapid growth of cities has become a major problem of life in Asia. The urban populations of this region have risen so fast since the war that it has been impossible in most cities to provide sufficient services and amenities to maintain decent living conditions. Hong Kong has shared this experience but it provides a special example of urban growth. The rate of increase has been very high. The population of the Colony has multiplied almost six times since 1945. The urban area 1 has a density of more than 200,000 to the square mile. 2 Hong Kong is a special case, too, because it has almost no natural resources, has received almost no foreign aid, lives by exporting and, through post-war industrialization, has achieved one of the highest records of economic progress amongst the ‘non-advanced’ countries of the world. This is the background to my essay.