Land is in short supply in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, and land reclamation

Land reclamation

Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...

 has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.

Projects

One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme

Praya Reclamation Scheme

The Praya Reclamation Scheme was a large scale reclaimed land project carried out by the Hong Kong Land company in Colonial Hong Kong under Sir Catchick Paul Chater and James Johnstone Keswick.-Early proposal:The project was first proposed in 1855...

, which added 50 to 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction. It was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken during the Colonial Hong Kong era.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built by the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the northeastern tip of Lantau Island, approximately two kilometres from Discovery Bay...

, Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...

, and its predecessor, Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as the Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west...

, were all built on reclaimed land.

In addition, as the city expands, new towns in different decades were mostly built on reclaimed land, such as Tuen Mun

Tuen Mun

Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...

, Tai Po

Tai Po

Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...

, Shatin, Ma On Shan

Ma On Shan (area)

Ma On Shan is a new town along the eastern coast of Tolo Harbour in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Although it was initially an extension of Sha Tin New Town, it has been designed to have its own town centre and is now classified as a separate new town in government reports...

, West Kowloon

West Kowloon

West Kowloon is a part of Kowloon, Hong Kong situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jordan Road to the north. Further to the north, the area extends to Tai Kok Tsui to the west of the West Kowloon...

, Kwun Tong

Kwun Tong

Kwun Tong is an area in Kwun Tong District, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon Peak in the east to the north coast of the former Kai Tak Airport runway in...

 and Tseung Kwan O

Tseung Kwan O

Tseung Kwan O is a bay in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. In the northern tip of the bay lies the Tseung Kwan O Village....

.

Issues

Much reclamation has taken place in prime locations on the waterfront on both sides of Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...

. This has raised environmental

Environmentalism

Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...

 issues of the protection of the harbour which was once the source of prosperity of Hong Kong, traffic congestion in the Central district

Central, Hong Kong

Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...

, as well as the collusion of the Hong Kong Government with the real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 developers in the territory.

Environmental legislation

Hong Kong legislators passed the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance

Protection of the Harbour Ordinance

The Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, Cap. 531, is an ordinance in the Hong Kong Law that aims to limit land reclamation in Victoria Harbour.-Content:The ordinance states, in section 3, that:...

 in 1996 in an effort to safeguard the increasingly as threatened Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...

 against encroaching land development.

See also

• Land reclamations of the People's Republic of China
  Land reclamations of the People's Republic of China
  The People's Republic of China is rather active in land reclamation. Since the establishment of the PRC in 1949, a large amount of artificial land has been reclaimed, mainly on its coastlines...
  
  
• Praya East Reclamation Scheme
  Praya East Reclamation Scheme
  Praya East Reclamation Scheme was a large scale land reclamation project in Colonial Hong Kong lasting from 1921 to 1931 under Sir Catchick Paul Chater.-Proposal:...
  
   (1921-1931)
• Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
  Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
  Central and Wan Chai Reclamation is a project launched by the Hong Kong Government since the 1990s to reclaim land for different purposes.-Background:The project was first mentioned in the 1985 planning strategy by the Government...
  
   (since the 1990s)
• Society for Protection of the Harbour
  Society for Protection of the Harbour
  Society for Protection of the Harbour is a Hong-Kong-based organization founded in November, 1995. It is a charitable, non-political and non-profit making green group. The objectives of the organization are to protect the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong from destruction caused by Government’s...
  
  

External links

• Reclamation History
• Maps of the reclamations
• Chen Yu, "Transformation of waterfront space in Asian cities: Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai", National University of Singapore
  National University of Singapore
  The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
  
  , 2009