11 crazy photos of micro-apartments around Hong Kong

Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Just over a year ago, Hong Kong politician and then-chief executive Leung Chun-ying made a dire announcement about his territory's lack of affordable housing, calling it "the gravest potential hazard" to society.

Roughly 7% of land in Hong Kong is zoned for housing, most of it going to wealthier families. (For perspective, 75% of New York City is zoned for housing.)

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The shortage has led to young people, the elderly, and families sometimes living in squalid conditions where they pay hundreds of dollars per month for less than 100 square feet of living space.

Here's what the crisis looks like up close.