Space-strapped municipalities like New York and San Francisco may think they have it rough, but the rumble Hong Kong may have an even more immediate problem.
The folk surge is making real estate developers consider becoming cave-builders.
The Hong Kong management has begun searching for a long-term solution, one that may include building resistance for non-residential purposes, according to a report in Wired. Hong Kong officials attired in b be committed to considered cavern excavation since the 1980s, following in the footsteps of swings for projects in Norway and Kansas.
Already one of the most expensive cities in the on cloud nine, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places on the globe, and is wholly running out of space as its headcount jumps further above 7 million. A bourgeon economy has led to commensurate economic growth, with 2017 growth look forward to check in around 3.7 percent.
Developers are struggling to house key sectors that purloin the economy run. Additionally, they are being forced to navigate stiff edifice restrictions that make it harder to build more in developed limits.
“All the urban flat land in Hong Kong is already a built-up size,” Tony Ho, chief geotechnical engineer of the Hong Kong Special Administrative sphere’s Civil Engineering and Development Department told Wired.
However, rezoning and erection in rural areas could provide some temporary relief, the piece noted. The government is exploring options to make more space for shield above ground by relocating facilities — like water and sewage treatment works, data centers and reservoirs — underground.
“What we are thinking is, if we can best use the hidden space resources, we can turn the constraint into an opportunity,” Ho told Wired. Longer-term, the cast could redefine public spaces in the region.
The government has already earmarked reservoirs for future projects and kicked off feasibility studies. In 2017, the government conducted a review, pinpointing 48 prospective caverns for long-term development, and has six more analyses underway.
Read more on Hong Kong’s underground city envisaging on Wired.