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TEN MASS TRANSPORT I N HON G KON G by C. K . LEUN G Public transpor t i n Hon g Kon g i s impaire d b y tw o mai n physica l features: relie f and configuration . Geographically , the Colony's total land are a of 39 8 square mile s is mad e u p o f a high proportio n o f precipitou s mountains , marshland s an d othe r undevelopable land . Onl y 18 % o f th e lan d are a ha s a relativ e relie f o f 16 4 fee t (50 metres) an d less , whereas nearl y tw o third s (63% ) ha s a relative relie f o f 32 8 feet (10 0 metres ) o r mor e (Leung , 1968 , pp. 14-20) . Correspondin g percentage s for Hon g Kon g Islan d ar e 9% an d 76 % respectively , showin g a still greate r pro portion o f lan d wit h stee p relativ e relief . A s a result , road s an d transpor t route s are on the whole twisted, but more so on Hong Kong Island; more of the built-u p areas spread ove r steep gradients on Hong Kong Island than in Kowloon, creatin g a townscape much like that of San Francisco; and the steeper slopes of Hong Kon g Island ar e several times mor e susceptibl e t o landslips an d othe r damag e resultin g from typhoon s an d rainstorms . Flat land, with a relative relief of 16 4 feet o r less, amounts in the urban area s of Hong Kon g Islan d an d Kowloo n t o onl y 10 % o f th e tota l flat lan d thu s defined . This fact has made continuous seaward reclamation of land fo r urban developmen t a necessit y almos t sinc e the foundin g o f th e colony . O f th e tota l lan d area , mor e than 15 % i s mad e u p o f off-shor e islands , wher e developmen t i s limited . Eve n the urba n are a i s divide d b y th e harbour . Thi s render s ferr y linkag e betwee n Victoria and Kowloon a necessity, and restricts urban expansion. So far, the harbour waters hav e provide d a n almos t infinit e numbe r o f flexible fairway s i n th e sens e that movements , whethe r intra - o r extra-harbour , ca n b e i n man y directions . I t is, however, graduall y bein g realized tha t increasin g harbou r passenge r traffi c wil l impair the efficiency o f the port and vice versa, and that for many daily commuter s the harbou r separatio n mean s additiona l hardship , sinc e th e nee d fo r transfe r o r change of modes of travel multiplies the time and monetar y cost s of travel. The Demographic Scene Within Hong Kong's rugged territority is a land population of nearly four millions.1 While th e overal l densit y o f 7,51 2 person s pe r squar e mil e indicate s a highly ur banized community , th e built-up area s of urban Hon g Kon g Islan d an d Kowloo n alone house just under three million person s or 82% of the total populatio n i n 6. 8 square miles resulting in a density of roughly 430,000 persons per square mile. A few districts on either side of the harbour, namel y Sheun g Wan, Wanchai, Yau Ma Te i and Mongko k have each a density of from 54 5 to 963 persons per acre. Such densi1 The fisherfolk that make up the floating population o f Hong Kon g live on sheltered waters all over the colony. i56 C. K . LEUN G ties greatly exceed those of other concentrate d urba n centres , including New York , London, Calcutta , Moscow , an d Tokyo . The y dwar f b y compariso n th e densitie s in Chicago , Philadelphia, Sa n Francisc o an d Bosto n (Smith , 1969 , p. 124) . More over , wherea s Kowloo n an d Ne w Kowloon , wit h a populatio n increas e o...

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