Liber Research Community
Liber Research Community is a Hong Kong non-governmental research organization focused on land, housing, development, and public-policy issues.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Liber Research Community is a Hong Kong non-governmental organization that researches land use, housing policy, development planning, government land management, and related public-interest questions. It was established in 2009 by postgraduate researchers, including geographer and planning scholar Chan Kim-ching. The organization operates primarily through data collection, mapping, field investigation, policy analysis, and publication of research reports intended to inform public debate in Hong Kong. The group’s work is particularly associated with scrutiny of land resources and development claims in the New Territories. Its research has examined brownfield sites, vacant or underused government land, village-type land, the Small House Policy, and suspected transfers of indigenous-dwelling rights. In 2017, Liber reported that approximately 9,800 houses in the New Territories appeared to be connected to suspected illegal trading of ding rights. It identified a further 800 village houses in 2020 that it said appeared to have been illegally traded during the preceding two years. These investigations placed the relationship between indigenous land rights, village development, and property speculation at the center of public discussion. Liber has also challenged official estimates of land availability. A 2018 study estimated that brownfield sites in the New Territories covered approximately 1,521 hectares, compared with a government estimate of about 1,300 hectares. In the same year, the organization reported that roughly 300 hectares of government land was underutilized. Its 2021 collaboration with Greenpeace East Asia, titled Missing Brownfields—Hong Kong Brownfields Report 2021, identified approximately 1,950 hectares of brownfield land, or 379 hectares more than the amount previously located by the government according to the report. Housing and property taxation are additional areas of activity. In 2019, Liber published research estimating that approximately HK$9.4 billion in stamp duty had been exempted over the previous decade through transactions in which buyers used companies and transferred shares rather than directly transferring property. In 2021, it examined the growth of nano flats, defining them as units smaller than 260 square feet. The research concluded that such units represented about 13 percent of new units completed in 2019 and linked their development to planning and building-policy choices, including changes affecting window requirements. The findings were subsequently discussed in commentary advocating tighter limits on nano-flat construction. In May 2021, Liber published Research Report on Development Potential of Vacant Small House Land. It assessed 3,380 hectares of village-type land and classified 1,548.8 hectares as idle privately owned land and a further 932.9 hectares as idle government land. Within the privately owned portion, the report identified 149.1 hectares that appeared to be earmarked for potentially illegal Small House Policy development and suggested that collusion between developers and villagers might be involved in some cases. The organization describes five principal research areas: Hong Kong land research, housing-policy research, open-government research, food-safety research, and Hong Kong–China relations research. Its role is that of an independent research and advocacy-oriented organization rather than a conventional consumer brand. Liber’s public identity is built around evidence-led investigation, open data, geographic analysis, and criticism of policies or practices that it believes obscure land supply, housing affordability, public resources, or accountability. Publicly available material does not establish a corporate parent, listed status, commercial ownership structure, or a broader international operating network.
History
Liber Research Community was formed in Hong Kong in 2009 by postgraduate researchers, including Chan Kim-ching, whose academic backgrounds included geography and planning. From its beginning, the organization concentrated on questions of land supply, planning policy, housing, and the use of public resources. Rather than functioning as a commercial property consultancy or developer, it developed a public-interest research role, publishing investigations and using spatial and documentary evidence to challenge official assumptions about Hong Kong’s land and housing conditions. A major early strand of its work concerned the New Territories and the legal and informal markets surrounding indigenous-dwelling rights, commonly referred to as ding rights. In 2017, Liber published research covering roughly 9,800 houses that it suspected were connected to illegal trading of such rights. The organization returned to the subject in 2020, reporting approximately 800 more village houses that appeared to have been illegally traded within the preceding two years. These studies contributed to wider debate over the Small House Policy, the role of villagers and developers, and the difficulty of regulating land transactions involving indigenous rights. Land availability and brownfield development became another central theme. In 2018, Liber argued that official estimates understated the scale of brownfield sites in the New Territories. Its estimate of approximately 1,521 hectares exceeded the government’s estimate of about 1,300 hectares. The organization also reported that around 300 hectares of government land was underused. In 2021, it worked with Greenpeace East Asia on Missing Brownfields—Hong Kong Brownfields Report 2021. That report placed the total area of brownfield sites at about 1,950 hectares, which the collaborators described as 379 hectares more than the government had previously located. Liber’s research has also addressed the financial and regulatory structure of Hong Kong’s property market. In 2019, it estimated that approximately HK$9.4 billion in stamp duty had been avoided or exempted during the preceding decade through arrangements in which property buyers acquired or transferred companies holding property, using share transactions instead of direct property transfers. The research raised questions about the effectiveness of stamp-duty rules and the treatment of corporate property transactions. Housing design and affordability formed a further area of investigation. In 2021, Liber studied nano flats, defined in its research as units smaller than 260 square feet. It concluded that these units represented about 13 percent of all new units in 2019 and connected their growth to government policies and changes in building requirements, including rules concerning the amount of window area in apartments. The research was later discussed in published commentary calling for limits on the construction of extremely small homes. In May 2021, Liber issued Research Report on Development Potential of Vacant Small House Land. The report examined 3,380 hectares of village-type land and identified 1,548.8 hectares of idle privately owned land alongside 932.9 hectares of idle government land. It further identified 149.1 hectares of privately owned idle land that appeared to be scheduled for potentially illegal Small House Policy development, suggesting that collusion between developers and villagers was likely in some cases. The report connected land vacancy, development pressure, indigenous rights, and enforcement challenges. The organization’s stated research portfolio comprises five areas: Hong Kong land, housing policy, open government, food safety, and Hong Kong–China relations. Across these topics, Liber’s method combines research reports, field investigation, mapping, public records, and policy critique. Its publicly documented work has focused overwhelmingly on Hong Kong. Available reference material does not identify a parent company, commercial owner, stock-market listing, or formal international network. The organization is best understood as an independent research and advocacy platform whose public profile comes from investigations into land governance and housing policy.
- 2021
Research on nano flats
[1]Liber reported that sub-260-square-foot units accounted for about 13 percent of new units in 2019 and analyzed policy factors associated with their growth.
- 2021
Vacant Small House land report
[1]The organization published a study of idle village-type land and potential illegal Small House Policy development.
- 2021
Joint brownfield report with Greenpeace East Asia
[1]Liber and Greenpeace East Asia published a report estimating Hong Kong brownfield sites at approximately 1,950 hectares.
- 2020
Follow-up study of village-house transactions
[1]The organization identified approximately 800 further village houses that appeared to have been illegally traded during the preceding two years.
- 2019
Stamp-duty research
[1]Liber estimated that approximately HK$9.4 billion in stamp duty had been exempted through company share-transfer structures over the prior decade.
- 2018
Brownfield and underused-government-land research
[1]Liber estimated 1,521 hectares of New Territories brownfield land and reported around 300 hectares of underused government land.
- 2017
Investigation of suspected ding-right trading
[1]The organization reported approximately 9,800 New Territories houses that it suspected were connected to illegal trading of indigenous-dwelling rights.
- 2009
Organization established
[1]Liber Research Community was created in Hong Kong by postgraduate researchers, including Chan Kim-ching.
Products and positioning
An independent Hong Kong public-interest research organization using mapping, fieldwork, and policy analysis to examine land governance, housing, development, and government transparency.
Research program
Hong Kong Land Research
Research on land supply, brownfield sites, vacant land, government land, village-type land, and development patterns in Hong Kong. The work commonly uses mapping, field surveys, public records, and comparisons with official land estimates.
Research program
Housing Policy Research
Analysis of housing policy, housing affordability, apartment sizes, nano flats, property transactions, and the regulatory conditions shaping residential development in Hong Kong.
Research program
Open Government Research
Public-interest research focused on government information, land administration, public resources, transparency, and the comparison of official data with independently collected evidence.
Research program
Food Safety Research
A stated research area examining food-safety questions and related public-interest policy issues. The available reference material does not provide enough detail to identify specific publications or campaigns in this area.
Research program
Hong Kong–China Relations Research
A stated research area concerning relations between Hong Kong and mainland China. The available reference material does not specify particular projects or publications.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Missing Brownfields—Hong Kong Brownfields Report 2021
Hong Kong
Liber collaborated with Greenpeace East Asia to document and estimate the extent of brownfield land in Hong Kong.
Outcome. The collaborators estimated approximately 1,950 hectares of brownfield sites, highlighting a gap between independently mapped land and earlier government estimates.
Brand decisions
2021
Expand research focus on vacant Small House landStrategyBackground
Land availability and development pressure made village-type land and the Small House Policy significant subjects in Hong Kong’s housing debate.
Action taken
Liber published Research Report on Development Potential of Vacant Small House Land, analyzing idle private and government land and suspected illegal development scheduling.
Aftermath
The report added detailed land-use evidence to debate over vacant land, indigenous housing rights, enforcement, and possible developer–villager collusion.
2021
Use joint research to challenge brownfield estimatesStrategyBackground
Liber had previously argued that official estimates understated the extent of brownfield land in the New Territories.
Action taken
It partnered with Greenpeace East Asia on a territory-wide brownfield assessment.
Aftermath
The joint report estimated 1,950 hectares of brownfield sites and strengthened public discussion of land identification and development policy.
Recent events
- 2021
Research links nano-flat growth to housing policy[1]
Regulation · Other
Liber reported that units below 260 square feet made up about 13 percent of new units in 2019 and associated their growth with government policy and building requirements.
- 2021
Report assesses vacant Small House land[1]
Regulation · Other
A May report assessed idle privately owned and government village-type land and identified areas that appeared to be scheduled for potentially illegal Small House Policy development.
- 2021
Liber and Greenpeace publish Hong Kong brownfield report[1]
Other
The collaborative Missing Brownfields—Hong Kong Brownfields Report 2021 estimated total brownfield land at approximately 1,950 hectares.
- 2020
Liber identifies suspected illegal village-house transactions[1]
Other
The organization reported approximately 800 additional village houses that it believed had been illegally traded during the preceding two years.
- 2019
Research examines stamp-duty exemptions through share transfers[1]
Regulation · Other
Liber estimated that approximately HK$9.4 billion in stamp duty had been exempted over ten years through property transactions structured as transfers of company shares.
- 2018
Liber challenges official estimate of New Territories brownfield land[1]
Other
Liber estimated that brownfield sites covered about 1,521 hectares, exceeding the government estimate of approximately 1,300 hectares, and separately identified around 300 hectares of underused government land.
- 2017
Liber Research Community reports suspected illegal trading of ding rights[1]
Other
The organization reported that approximately 9,800 houses in the New Territories appeared to be associated with suspected illegal trading of indigenous-dwelling rights.
Sources2 sources
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