In an enlightening announcement, Hong Kong-based think tank Civic Exchange has declared that the average local resident enjoys open space equal to the size of coffin, or less, according to its latest research.
However, Civic Exchange’s project manager Carine Lai pointed out that government planners recommend exactly that size – two square metres of open space per individual (roughly the size of a coffin or toilet cubicle) – for Hong Kong’s lucky residents, according to Apple Daily (as translated by EJI).
Worse still, their research shows that the poor suckers/hipsters that live in Kennedy Town actually enjoy less than one square metre of open space each, therefore half a coffin.
The situation looks set to worsen, too, as the Development Bureau plans to replace Cadogan Street Temporary Garden with a private real estate project. KTowners can then expect to enjoy a mere 0.68 square metres of open space per person.
Although foreign studies have proven that open space can have a positive impact on health and wellbeing, Lai says most Hongkongers are unaware of its importance.
By comparison, residents of Shanghai enjoy double the amount of open space on average; instead of relaxing in coffin-sized spaces, they can embrace spaces equal to the size of a lift. Luxury!
Lucky New Yorkers, on the other hand, enjoy around 29 square metres on average, the size of a small Hong Kong flat.
We don’t know what’s more depressing: the fact that there’s no free space, or the fact that the average “small” flat in Hong Kong is not much more than a bed in a room.
The think tank consulted official census statistics for 2011 when conducting their research, so the situation is no doubt much worse now, you’ll be pleased to know.
