The Housing Authority Exhibition Centre tells Hong Kong’s amazing story of public housing. After World War II, the population of Hong Kong exploded from 600,000 in 1945 to 2 million by 1949, many of them refugees from Communist China who, unable to find affordable housing, crowded into squalid squatter camps. After 50,000 people became homeless in 1953 following a horrific fire in a squatter’s village in Shek Kip Mei, the government decided to build housing estates for the homeless poor and destroy the remaining squatter communities.

Today, more than 2 million Hongkongers live in public rental housing, with most flats averaging about 12.8 sq. m. (138 sq. ft.) living space per occupant. Rents for public housing are based on income, with more than 60% of renters paying less than HK$1,700 in rent a month. There are an additional 440,000 families who have bought subsidized flats. Most public flats are in the New Territories, with apartment buildings reaching 30 stories or higher and home to 3,000 to 4,000 residents. Clusters of apartments are called estates, each with their own schools, stores, shopping centers, and social services.