[pirocks]

There is a belief among many that the current situation in Hong Kong is caused by the housing situation in Hong Kong. Part of why taxes are so low in Hong Kong is that the government profits from the housing situation(by owning most of the land and/or having arrangements with those who own all the land).

Additionally your two examples are both high density countries, and may not generalize to a country like the UK. Also worth noting that these countries give up a fair bit in civil liberties.