Weeks after the fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, questions on the path forward loom large. By the time firefighters were able to quell the flames, at least 159 lives had been lost. For those affected, it has been a harrowing experience of lost family, friends, neighbors, belongings, and homes.

Hong Kong is home to an incredibly large population for its size, and the idea of “home” in Hong Kong is closely tied to its scarcity. For survivors of the fire in Wang Fuk Court, it is especially devastating that the fire broke out in a public housing complex, and is inextricably linked to how they might move on. Most bought their homes there through government subsidies. In light of the fire, the Hong Kong government, alongside a number of private NGOs, has pledged both temporary housing and long-term assistance.

What this long-term assistance will look like, however, remains entrenched within a broader housing crisis. Moving residents into alternative public housing may seem like the most direct, immediate option. Yet as of September 2025, the composite waiting time for subsidized rental housing was already around five years. Survivors of the fire need a place to go first and foremost, but beyond that, they need a place to live.

The question of where has been brought into sharp focus. This is, of course, most urgent for the survivors themselves. For the city as a whole, however, the question is equally important for its connection to broader concerns over affordable housing supply and the regulation of existing homes.

Public housing in Hong Kong dates back to 1954, originating with another fire. On Christmas Day 1953, a fire broke out at a squatter shelter in Shek Kip Mei, leaving over 50,000 people homeless. The Hong Kong government constructed resettlement blocks in response, creating the Hong Kong Housing Authority to oversee management.

Since then, the program has expanded to shelter over 2 million people —........

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