Old towns with densely packed housing built over a long period along narrow lanes in an organic growth pattern are common in Europe and particularly countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece. These towns grow and are sustained by generation after generation, with gradual change as each of these generations makes its mark. The atmosphere, calmness and slowness attract city dwellers and visitors drawn by the cultural landscape of people engaged with land.

This life and environment stand in contrast to the fast change and movement within cities such as Hong Kong. Here the housing and landscape of this heritage seems to have been completely erased by contemporary development. But not quite. One surviving village formation of low rise buildings and organic street formation remains on the south west side of Hong Kong Island in Pok Fu Lam. The general housing condition is poor and with areas for large development plots becoming harder to find the Hong Kong government plan to demolish all the existing housing and cut the landscape levels to build typical apartment blocks in place of all this…..It would be such a shame to loose this beautiful urban landscape of streets, avenues, and history….is this the only way to increase accommodation in Hong Kong?