The Street Market as an Urban Facility in Hong Kong

Abstract

Those who visit Hong Kong distinctly remember its animated street markets. However, the number of street markets is decreasing year by year due to the government’s policies. Street hawkers as well as small shop owners have been forced to move their businesses into multi-functional public service buildings. The street market still existing today is often just another part (as an appendix to the indoor market) of a retail market. This chapter first examines such transformations in the lives of Hong Kong street markets. To answer the question why certain street markets persist to prosper while others stagnate or decline, the investigation turns to the relationship between the performances of the markets and the social/economic characteristics of their patrons. Twenty-five retail markets of different types and in different districts are surveyed.¹ The study further analyses one typical street market and the community it serves. By looking into details such as the housing conditions and life style of the local population, the research clarifies the indispensable roles Hong Kong street markets have played in the everyday life of less wealthy residents of the territory.