外流城市改寫香港灣仔舊區地景的服務式住宅生產
Other Title
Expatriation of the City The Creation of Serviced Apartments Landscape in Wanchai, Hong Kong
Journal
地理學報
Journal Issue
80
Start Page
55
End Page
80
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
Abstract
近年香港舊區地景快速改變，藏於亮麗景觀下是投資、置產、租務關係交織構成的居住地景震盪。本研究考察香港都市再發展經驗，尤其是一般研究視為例外的「新住宅空間生產」和「新城市住民」，亦即服務式住宅和外派人士，試圖提出新的研究主題和新問題。藉由考察灣仔區的服務式住宅案例，本文由租的空間實踐來描繪「服務式住宅」所相關連的居住與就業、文化想像。作者處理的問題是，資本和空間如何悄悄地流出了城市治理範疇？哪些作用者參與其中？經過什麼機制？「新城市住民」從何而來、是何等面貌？作者結合檔案研究、參與式觀察及訪談四十位「外派專業人士」而試圖作較整體了解。本文分析長期租戶如何為跨國消費者所取代，而「居住」則經一層層作用者轉化包裝為專業服務商品，基層勞動卻遁形於空間生產中。藉服務式住宅之考察，可見城市地景如何被跨國企業彈性化運作邏輯影響，也凸顯了香港成就於他方人力外流和在地空間外流化，與其說全球城市，不如說是「外流城市」更能凸顯其作為跨國城市過程之一部分所面臨之挑戰。
The urban landscape in Hong Kong has transformed significantly in recent years. A serious reorganization of property, housing, and rental relations underlies the physical changes. This study considers the redevelopment of Hong Kong city, especially serviced apartments for expatriates, who are particular new urban residents. Based on a research into serviced apartments developed in Wanchai, this research traces the competition for rent in various spatial practices in relation to changing arrangements in employment, housing and cultural imageries. The research focuses on the following man issues: The clandestine flow of capital and urban space beyond the scope of urban governance; the people and mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon, and the origins of the new residents their role in transforming the city. These research issues are addressed via archival research, and from first-hand data collected by participatory observation and by interviewing 40 expats in Wanchai District in Hong Kong. This study elucidates the processes whereby long-term tenants were replaced with transnational consumers (expatriates), who have established a conspicuous presence in the redeveloped neighborhoods. Transnational agencies have professionalized the servicing of housing needs based on exploitation of care work provided by the underclass, whose cheap labor was mostly invisible in the making of serviced housing. The investigation on service apartments reveals how the corporate logic of flexibilization has dominated the urban landscape. It also exposes how the apparent success of Hong Kong is the result of brain drains from other countries and the expatriation of local space. This studyconcludes that to best understand all the challenges triggered by transnational urbanism, Hong Kong shoule be considered as ＂embodying expatriation of the city＂, rather than a global city.
Subjects
服務式住宅
住屋
香港
外派人士
空間外流
serviced apartment
housing
expatriates
expatriation of space
Hong Kong
Type
journal article