2023 Spring Issue - 34

developments
" A lot of people go to
subdivided cage-home units
in central areas like Wan
Chai because they want to
be where their families and
jobs are, to benefit from the
density of Hong Kong . "
-ELI KONVITZ, UNIVERSITY OF
HONG KONG
help secure financing from banks
and investors. On the private-sector
side, green or social finance tools
are possibilities, as are options
such as public/private partnerships,
the panelists said.
The panel estimated that with
net income of HK$5,000 (US$637)
per month and construction costs
per unit of about HK$2 million
(US$255,000), low-cost housing
projects would yield about 3 percent
annually-a figure comparable
to build-to-rent projects in other
Asian jurisdictions.
Ultimately, a proactive approach
by the public sector will be crucial
for creating a significant amount of
new private-sector affordable housing
supply, the panel concluded.
And although in the past authorities
have been slow to step up, the
environment today seems to be
changing. Said Konvitz, " We have a
forward-thinking housing secretary,
a fresh government that's looking
for new solutions, we're coming out
of COVID, and we know we need to
revitalize Hong Kong-so I'd like to
think this is a time when government
is reasonably open to doing
things in new ways. "
COLIN GALLOWAY is a consultant with ULI Asia
Pacific. The Low-Cost Rental Housing in Hong Kong report
is available on ULI Knowledge Finder.
34
URBAN LAND
Reshaping the City:
Zoning for a More
Equitable, Resilient,
and Sustainable
Future
Cities and towns across the United
States face multiple intersecting
challenges, including skyrocketing
home prices, housing segregation,
the need to address the legacy of
racist land use regulations, and
mitigating and adapting to the
effects of climate change.
At the same time, many communities
are working to meet growing
demand for features like trails,
access to fresh food, and highquality
open spaces. For example,
according to the National Recreation
and Park Association, as of
2022, 85 percent of U.S. residents
identified proximity to parks, playgrounds,
open space, or recreation
centers as an important factor in
deciding where to live.
Among the most central considerations
in addressing these challenges-and
meeting the demand
for more livable places-is zoning.
As they stand today, many
zoning policies can make it difficult
and costly to complete development
projects that would support
resilience, sustainability, health,
and equity goals. Updating zoning
can lessen these barriers.
Because many zoning bylaws
contain outdated provisions, the
process of identifying and adopting
zoning reforms can give community
members an opportunity to share
what they value in their communities
through outreach processes
that influence policy decisionmaking.
ULI's
new report Reshaping the
City: Zoning Reform for Health, Sustainability,
and Resilience shares
SPRING 2023
promising insights and examples of
zoning regulations from across the
United States. The report:
highlights connections among
traditional zoning and land use
challenges cities and towns are
grappling with today;
makes the case for updating
zoning policies to support health,
social equity, and climate action
and resilience-with a focus on
aligning zoning with community
priorities and public- and privatesector
development objectives; and
shares promising examples of
zoning policy innovations from
across the United States.
Benefits of Zoning Reform
Alongside other policies like
building codes, zoning updates
can increase the likelihood that
development will reflect locally
defined priorities that address
today's pressing challenges and
meet market demand.
Common health and equity goals
of zoning updates include:
increasing production of a variety
of housing types, leading to
increases in affordable and attainable
housing;
lowering the cost of housing
development by reducing or eliminating
policy barriers;
accommodating options other
than driving and car ownership and
a shift toward transit, biking, and
walking by supporting the development
of compact, mixed-use communities;
integrating
transit and real estate
development, and building more
housing within walking distance of
major transit hubs;
providing parks and open space
and viewing them as critical infrastructure;
creating
walking and biking connections
to transit;
adding community facilities
and promoting community-serving
retail; and
including food retailers, community
gardens, and farms with fresh
produce in development projects.
Common goals of zoning
updates related to climate resilience
and low-carbon buildings
include:
promoting low-carbon building
principles and certification
standards, such as Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED), Building Research Establishment
Environmental Assessment
Method (BREEAM), Passive House,
and others;
incentivizing development in
areas at comparatively low risk of
climate impacts, creating a passive
mechanism for extending the useful
life of structures;
increasing pervious surfaces
and open space to reduce flooding
and provide important amenities to
communities;
adding shade and reflective
surfaces to mitigate the urban heat
island effect, thereby enhancing
community health and well-being;
prioritizing tree preservation and
protection; and
supporting water conservation.
Zoning Reform: Challenging but
Necessary
Updating zoning to create
equitable access to community
features, including sustainable
buildings, clean air and water,
and parks and trails, is no simple
task; it requires generating
consensus among stakeholders
with varying needs and opinions.
Working to dismantle zoning
policies that perpetuate segregation
based on race and income can
be particularly fraught, given how
entrenched such policies are across
2023 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2023 Spring Issue
