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The dense urban development on a hilly terrain, together with intense seasonal rainfall, gives rise to acute slope safety problems in Hong Kong. This is reflected by a death toll of over 470 fatalities due to landslides since the 1940s. Site formation works form an integral part of infrastructure and building development in a steeply sloping terrain. In the mid-1970s, the Hong Kong government embarked on a slope retrofitting programme, known as the landslip preventive measures programme, systematically to reduce landslide risk by upgrading substandard man-made slopes to modern safety standards. By 2010, some 4500 high-risk government man-made slopes had been upgraded through the implementation of engineering works. In 2010, the government launched the landslip prevention and mitigation programme to dovetail with the completion of the previous programme. The new rolling programme aims to contain the overall landslide risk to an 'as low as reasonably practicable' level by upgrading the remaining substandard man-made slopes and systematically mitigating the landslide risk posed by vulnerable natural terrain catchments. In this paper, the advances and innovations arising from this unique systematic slope safety programme are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious landslides have occurred in Hong Kong from time to time with loss of life and significant socio-economic impact on the community. The systematic landslide investigation programme implemented by the Hong Kong government's geotechnical engineering office has proved to be an important asset-management tool in contributing to enhanced landslide-risk management and professional practice. This paper reviews the evolution of forensic landslide investigations in Hong Kong and presents the framework of the systematic landslide investigation programme, together with the key lessons learnt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]