Rethinking Urban Development and Built Environment Attributes in the Post-Pandemic World: A Case of High-Density Hong Kong

This chapter is intended for a review of the present urban planning and built environment scenarios in Hong Kong and to analyse the challenges that Hong Kong faces in tackling the pandemic with its urban planning and built environment. Lastly, this study came up with a few suggestions for how urban development and the built environment in Hong Kong could be adjusted after a pandemic. The objectives of the study were met through a meticulous review of journal databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct, as well as several reports from government and non-government organisations. The thematic analysis developed four themes, including urban development planning scenarios, built environment dynamics, COVID-19 transmission linked with urban design and built environment dynamics, and lessons learned and policy rethinking options in the post-pandemic era in Hong Kong. Urban development and built environment in Hong Kong include high-density development, zoning regulations, transport networks, compact urban form, mixed-use developments, skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and green building practices. Moreover, regions with higher population density, dense and high-rise structures, fewer sky views and fewer green spaces, and a higher private residential, commercial, and transport land use density were regarded as high-risk zones in several phases of COVID-19 transmission in Hong Kong. Compact urban development with better access to services and public health infrastructure, redesigning the older high-rise buildings using contactless smart technologies, smart mobility restrictions implementation, and more green space allocations could be useful policy options to become a pandemic-resilient city in Hong Kong.