At home with density spatial representation in Hong Kong public housing.

This study examines the representation of space in high-density Hong Kong publichousing. Over half the population in Hong Kong lives in public housing yet little isknown about how they physically cope with density through everyday dwelling.Specifically, this post-occupancy study attempts to highlight the context of high densitydwelling as a legitimate dwelling experience. It focuses on residents' interpretation andconception of space and examines problem-solving in the everyday context of highdensity living.The research is presented as a narrative highlighting spatial sensibilities in a culture ofdensity. It traces the development of housing forms from early Hong Kong to theestablishment of the Government housing programme. It will be argued that thecombination of a massive influx of a refugee population, and a shortage of housing in theTerritory created a situation where low-level design standards in public housing werenot only accepted by the population but became the norm.Through qualitative interviews with long-term residents of public housing this studyproposes to question assumptions of Western spatial thinking within domestic space. Itlooks at the way in which the changing habitus has been affected by social mobility andshifting cultural values of space; in particular, it examines how different generations livingin the same household perceive and represent their home.This thesis contributes to an emerging field of design knowledge. It is a reflective studywhich, it is anticipated, will provide other designers with insight into lived-in qualities ofdensity and residents' ability to articulate design knowledge. It seeks to challengedesigners' preconceptions of density and the performance of professional designknowledge in the interpretation of everyday space.