1 Halloum

Juju Halloum

Intro to Urban Studies

Angela Ugran

30 June 2024

Inside Hong Kong's cage homes

Hong Kong cage homes are a shocking example of the city's housing crisis. Thousands live in
tiny, wire-enclosed "cages" because they have no other affordable options. Toilet, shower, and
kitchen facilities are usually shared in such cage homes. Conditions are grim and overcrowded,
yet residents pay exorbitant prices for available space. Cage homes usually accommodate
absolutely poor people, those with criminal backgrounds, or anybody else who may be
disadvantaged. Massively overcrowded, with some trying to add a touch of luxury with "luxury
cage homes" inspired by capsule hotels, the cage home situation remains one of the major social
issues in Hong Kong. There are simply too many people living in cage homes, with the price
they pay for this space so small. The fact that despite efforts at improvement, cage homes have
turned into a long-term reality for too many in Hong Kong. These videos show new innovative
ways cities like Detroit use to combat urban blight and bring new life into troubled
neighborhoods. Most interestingly, with smartphone apps, they solve blight through online
crowdsourcing and create a country's largest land bank, using this advanced technology to push
the city's aggressive efforts in transforming abandoned property into livable space. Moreover, the
videos underline the harsh reality of housing affordability, which ranges into cruel inhumane
living conditions in some densely populated urban areas like Hong Kong. Interesting and a bit
surprising, the exposure to the harsh living conditions of Hong Kong cage homes opened my
eyes to the fact that thousands of people are compelled to live in small, wired-enclosed "cages"
due to the failure of the policy on public housing of this city. A very bad overcrowding situation
with exorbitant prices portrays just how grave available space is being sold. The "luxury cage
homes" inspired by capsule hotels were an even clearer reflection of how far-fetched most
people are in trying to add a little comfort to their living space against extremely adverse
conditions. It was also very instructive to see new innovative strategies that cities like Detroit are
using in their effort to reverse urban blight and turn around troubled neighborhoods with
smartphone apps, crowdsourcing, and physically transforming abandoned property into livable
space. These examples underscore how pressing the need is for comprehensive and innovative
solutions to housing affordability and urban decay. It is very exciting that all of these videos are
directly related to the urban studies course, touching relevant questions on urban decay,
distressed neighborhoods, and the real need for comprehensive strategies and innovative
solutions to such complex challenges. This video relates to the course by depicting the radical
consequences of a housing affordability crisis. It explains how the lack of affordable housing in
 2 Halloum

safe and healthy conditions may mean people are forced to live inhumanely. The video shows
that policies related to affordable housing are very relevant, and new innovative ways should be
created to seek solutions for a housing shortage in a densely populated urban area.

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Source: Inside Hong Kong’s cage homes