Land reclamation in Hong Kong

Land reclamation in Hong Kong is a way to create new land by taking it from the ocean. This has been done for a long time because Hong Kong is very mountainous and doesn’t have much flat space for people to live and work. The first time people did this was a very long time ago, during the early Western Han dynasty, when they turned beaches into places to make salt.

Since the mid-19th century, big projects have been done to make more land. By 2016, people had made about 69.54 square kilometres, or around 26.85 square miles, of new land this way. This new land is about 7% of all the land in Hong Kong. Today, however, there is less land reclamation because people are worried about space in the city and who controls it.

Projects

Main article: Bonham Strand

In 1851, a big fire happened near Queen's Road Central, destroying many buildings by the water. To make space for a new road, the government put the rubble into the water at Victoria Harbour and built up the land. This created the road called Bonham Strand, named after a past leader of Hong Kong, Sir George Bonham, 3rd Governor of Hong Kong.

Main article: Praya Reclamation Scheme

One big project happened in stages. The first stage, from 1868 to 1873, added land around Praya Central, which later became Des Voeux Road. The second stage, from 1890 to 1904, added more land along the coast in the Central District.

Main article: Praya East Reclamation Scheme

Main article: Kai Tak Airport § 1945 to 1970s

Part of the runway and many parking spots were made on land taken from the sea.

Main article: New towns of Hong Kong § New towns

Because many people moved to Hong Kong from nearby places, new towns were planned starting in the 1950s. Places like Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Ma On Shan, West Kowloon, Kwun Tong, and Tseung Kwan O were mostly built on land taken from the water. This helped give homes to many people.

Main article: Hong Kong International Airport § History

Chek Lap Kok International Airport was built on two islands. More land was added to make a third runway and make Terminal 2 bigger.

Main article: Central and Wan Chai Reclamation

Many projects added land around Victoria Harbour. This included better ways to travel, like the Hong Kong MTR station and train lines, as well as places for people to enjoy, like parks and a big wheel.

Main article: Hong Kong Disneyland Resort § Construction

Main article: Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge § Construction

This big bridge project made four new islands, including one in Hong Kong.

Main article: Tung Chung § Housing

Work is happening now to make more space in Tung Chung on Lantau Island.

Main article: Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030

The third runway and bigger Terminal 2 at the airport were built on land taken from the sea.

Main article: Lantau Tomorrow Vision

In 2018, plans were shared to build new islands off Lantau Island. This would create space for many new homes for about 1.1 million people. The project will cost a lot of money.

Issues

A lot of land has been built out into the water around Victoria Harbour. This has caused problems for keeping the harbour safe, and it has made traffic worse in the Central district. Some people worry that the government works too closely with companies that buy land. Even though building new land helps with Hong Kong’s lack of space, it has also changed areas where people used to farm and live.

Environmental legislation

In 1996, leaders in Hong Kong made a law called the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance to protect Victoria Harbour from being covered by new land. Later, in 2004, judges said that any new land projects near the harbour must prove there is an important public reason to do so. This helps make sure the beautiful harbour stays safe and special.