A long-term documentation project that took nearly three and a half years to complete, involving on-foot visits to over 260 public housing estates across Hong Kong.
Project Background
Exploring Hong Kong Public Housing (遊走香港屋邨誌) was founded in June 2022 by Aiko Kan, a writer raised in Hong Kong and a former travel magazine journalist with nearly a decade of professional experience in media and editorial work.
The project reflects a long-term engagement with Hong Kong’s public housing as lived urban space.
The initiative began during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when overseas travel was not possible. Walking through the city became a way to remain connected to everyday urban life. Public housing estates — familiar yet often overlooked — gradually emerged as the project’s central focus.
From Walking to Systematic Documentation
What started as casual walks slowly developed into a more intentional process of observation and recording.
Early on, the author set a clear personal goal: to visit every existing public housing estate in Hong Kong on foot.
Over the following years, this aim expanded beyond walking alone. Writing, photography, and historical research were gradually incorporated, transforming the project into a long-term documentation effort.
By autumn 2025, the author had completed on-site visits to all 261 public housing estates across Hong Kong.
Why Public Housing?
Public housing estates are often discussed in terms of policy, efficiency, or social issues.This project takes a different approach.
Rather than treating public housing as a problem to be solved, it views estates as everyday urban environments — places shaped by architecture, shared facilities, routines, memories, and long-term change.
Through sustained observation, the project asks:
- How do these spaces function beyond their original planning intentions?
- What kinds of everyday experiences and spatial practices take place within them?
- How do public housing estates reflect broader shifts in Hong Kong’s urban life?
Writing, Publishing, and Ongoing Work
In July 2024, the project resulted in the publication of a book titled Exploring Hong Kong Public Housing (Chinese edition).
The book traces the historical development of public housing in Hong Kong and features 21 selected estates, combining field observation, archival research, and photography.
In 2025, the publication received recognition at the 5th Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Awards.
The book is available through selected bookstores in Hong Kong as well as via the project’s online shop.
(Currently available in Traditional Chinese only.)
The author is currently preparing a second book, scheduled for release in mid-2026.
Current Status
Today, Exploring Hong Kong Public Housing continues as an independent, self-initiated research and documentation project, without affiliation to any academic institution or organisation.
Aiko Kan works as a freelance writer and researcher, collaborating on selected projects with public bodies, schools, and cultural organisations, including public talks, educational programmes, and commissioned work.
Alongside writing and research, the project also extends into small-scale publishing, exhibitions, and the creation of housing-themed products, with the aim of making public housing culture more visible and accessible to wider audiences.
Accessing the Archive
Most estate-by-estate documentation is currently available in Traditional Chinese on this website.
English readers are invited to explore selected features, interviews, and project overviews, or to use this page as an introduction to the project’s background and long-term direction.