A note on Housing Studies dissertation literature review using academic and non-academic references: on the HK Housing Policy theme
When writing the Housing Studies
dissertation report chapter 2 [literature review], I am told to focus more on
ideas from the academic source, but also note some other relevant ideas from
the professional field and the relevant communities in the society. In this
regard, please highlight 2 main ideas from the academic source and 2 main ideas
from the Hong Kong housing policy theme on the following 4 key terms for illustration
purpose: 1. housing need 2. housing affordability 3. poverty line 4. supportive
housing Try to examine these 4 terms with citations and some references in
Harvard reference format.
Below is a
dissertation-friendly way to frame the four terms for Chapter 2. I have
separated each term into 2 academic ideas and 2 Hong
Kong housing policy ideas, so you can use them as illustration points in
your literature review.
1. Housing need
Academic ideas
·
Housing need is usually
treated as a mismatch between what households currently have and what they
require for adequate living, especially when housing conditions are
overcrowded, insecure, or physically inadequate.
·
In housing
studies, need is not only about shortage of units; it also reflects
distributional issues, because some households cannot access suitable housing
even when supply exists.
Hong Kong policy
ideas
·
The Hong Kong
policy discussion links housing need to long PRH waiting times, the persistence
of subdivided units, and limited access to decent housing for lower-income
families.
·
Policy responses
frame housing need through supply expansion and transitional/social housing,
especially for people waiting for PRH or living in inadequate accommodation.
2. Housing affordability
Academic ideas
·
Housing
affordability is commonly discussed as the relationship between housing costs
and household income, with severe affordability stress occurring when housing
payments take up too large a share of income.
·
Academic work on
Hong Kong shows that affordability has deteriorated over time because of high
prices, high rents, and limited public housing alternatives for many
households.
Hong Kong policy
ideas
·
The Legislative
Council report shows that private housing became unaffordable for the public in
general, with the home purchase affordability index reaching 74% in Q4 2021.
·
Policy measures
have focused on easing affordability pressure through cash allowances for PRH
waiters, tenancy control for subdivided units, and subsidised or transitional
housing supply.
3. Poverty line
Academic ideas
·
The poverty line
in Hong Kong is commonly defined using a relative poverty approach, set at 50%
of median monthly household income before policy intervention.
·
Academic and
policy discussions use the poverty line to show that poverty is not only about
income shortage, but also about the cost of living, especially housing costs
that push low-income households into hardship.
Hong Kong policy
ideas
·
Hong Kong’s
poverty framework is tied to social policy measurement, so housing hardship is
often discussed together with income support, rent burden, and inadequate
accommodation.
·
In public
discussion, poverty is frequently linked to living in subdivided units or
unstable rental arrangements, showing that housing conditions are part of the
poverty problem, not just a consequence of it.
4. Supportive housing
Academic ideas
·
Supportive housing
is usually understood as housing combined with services, aimed at helping
vulnerable households maintain stable living and improve self-reliance.
·
The key academic
idea is that housing alone may not be enough for highly vulnerable groups;
support services, community integration, and tenancy stability are also
necessary.
Hong Kong policy
ideas
·
In Hong Kong,
supportive housing is closely linked to social housing and transitional housing
schemes run by NGOs with government support, especially for people waiting for
PRH and living in indecent subdivided units.
·
The HKCSS
describes social housing as including community-based services and
capacity-building so residents can move toward more independent living after
the service period.
How to use in Chapter 2
A strong
literature review structure would be:
1.
Start with
the academic definition of each term.
2.
Then add the Hong
Kong policy interpretation.
3.
Finally, show
the tension or gap between the ideal concept and the local
policy reality.
For example, you
can write that housing need in the academic literature is a multidimensional
concept, while in Hong Kong policy it is often operationalised through waiting
lists, subdivided-unit living, and transitional housing supply.
Harvard-style references
Below are some
references you can adapt in your dissertation:
· Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) (2025) Social Housing. Available at: https://www.hkcss.org.hk/core-businesses/social-development/social-housing/?lang=en (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
· Legislative Council Secretariat (2022) Housing situation and housing supply in Hong Kong. FS06/2022. Available at: https://www.legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/2022fs06-housing-situation-and-housing-supply-in-hong-kong-20221011-e.pdf (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
· Commission on Poverty (2017) Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report. Available at: https://www.commissiononpoverty.gov.hk/eng/pdf/Hong_Kong_Poverty_Situation_Report_2016(2017.11.17).pdf (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
· Public Health / housing affordability article on Hong Kong (2025) Public Housing and Household Savings—A Three-Decade .... Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12386136/ (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
· University of Hong Kong housing affordability study (2026) Housing Affordability and Homeownership in Hong Kong 1985–2023. Available at: https://impact.hkubs.hku.hk/housing-affordability-and-homeownership-in-hong-kong-1985-2023/ (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
· Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) (2025) Social Housing. Available at: https://www.hkcss.org.hk/core-businesses/social-development/social-housing/?lang=en (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
A useful
dissertation move is to define each term in one sentence, then discuss how Hong
Kong’s policy tools interpret that term in practice.
Here are 4
key academic references in Harvard reference format that
cover the four key terms (housing need, housing affordability, poverty line,
and supportive housing). These are suitable to cite in your Housing Studies
dissertation Chapter 2 (literature review):
1. Housing need and housing affordability
(combines both concepts)
Bramley, G. (2012) 'Affordability, poverty and housing need: triangulating measures and standards', Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 27(1), pp. 133–151.
Why it's useful: Discusses how housing need,
affordability, and poverty standards are interrelated and how they should be
measured together.
2. Housing affordability (conceptual and
measurement perspective)
Hulchanski, J.D. (1995) 'The concept of housing affordability: six contemporary uses of the housing expenditure-to-income ratio', Housing Studies, 10(4), pp. 471–492.
Why it's useful: A classic article reviewing how housing
affordability is defined and measured in different ways, important for
clarifying your conceptual framework.
3. Housing affordability and residual income
approach
Stone, M.E. (2006) 'What is housing affordability? The case for the residual income approach', Housing Policy Debate, 17(1), pp. 151–184.
Why it's useful: Argues for the residual income approach
to affordability, which is more appropriate than simple income-to-rent ratios,
especially for low-income households.
4. Supportive housing (supported and
supportive housing models)
Rosenak, D.A., Glickman, M.E., Gelb, J., Perry, D.F., Shetterly, F., and Kasprow, W. (2010) 'Studies of "supported" and "supportive" housing: a comprehensive review of model descriptions and measurement', Evaluation and Program Planning, 33(3), pp. 303–311.
Why it's useful: Provides a comprehensive review of
supportive and supported housing models, definitions, and measurement, which is
useful for conceptualising supportive housing in your literature review.
Optional: Hong Kong–specific poverty line
reference
Commission on Poverty (2017) Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report 2016. Hong Kong: Government of the Hong Kong SAR. Available at: https://www.commissiononpoverty.gov.hk/eng/pdf/Hong_Kong_Poverty_Situation_Report_2016(2017.11.17).pdf (Accessed: 1 June 2026).
Why it's useful: Explains Hong Kong's official poverty
line (50% of median household income) and how it's used in policy, which is
directly relevant to your dissertation.
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