Aris Teon

Here is one of the very rare examples of an old Hong Kong building. That's how the streets of these Chinese-populated area looked like for decades, until the population increase compelled the government to tear them down and build giant affordable apartment blocks

And here is one of the typical huge apartment blocks of Hong Kong. The population increase from about 1 million in the 1940s to 6 million in the 1990s left the British government no choice but to build this kind of houses. Check out my article about Hong Kong's housing problem.

Older buildings with no lifts, with modern residential skyscrapers in the background.

A street corner with small shops

The new Kennedy Town swimming pool, built after the old swimming pool in Smithfield was demolished to make space for the MTR station

Residential skyscrapers on top of a department store. The Hong Kong MTR Corporation pursues a so-called "rail plus property" model. According to the company's officials website, the MTR is "granted land development rights alongside railway alignments and build integrated communities incorporating residences, offices, shops, schools, kindergartens, green spaces and other public facilities above our stations and depots." That's how the MTR manages to make money without having to rely solely on ticket revenue. And that's why MTR stations are usually giant real estate development projects or offices on top of shopping malls.

This is the second of only two old buildings I encountered during my walk.

A verdant hill next to the old building.

Older and newer post-war residential buildings

Smithfield Public Library inside the Smithfield Municipal Services Building

Next to the library is a food market

Huge apartment blocks

One exit of Kennedy Town MTR station

Kennedy Town Station, the last station on the Western side of the Hong Kong Island line

There are many small traditional restaurants and food stalls near the station.