Since the end of the 19th century, the Kowloon Peninsula has undergone numerous land reclamations, demolitions, and redevelopment of old areas, and the cityscape has been constantly changing.

In the 1860s, the British built Robinson Road (renamed Nathan Road in 1909), the first major road in Kowloon. It was completed in 1886 and rebuilt in the 70s into a number of new buildings in the Marine, Starlight and Harbour City.

With the rapid development of the post-war society, a number of new high-rise buildings, including the Man Man Building, were completed in 1956 after the completion of the large-scale sewage duct in the area of the current high-speed rail station. In 1949, the vast Oriental Tobacco Factory and Garden Lot in Mong Kok were spun off and sold, and more than 10 new buildings including Sino Centre were built. After the fire at Shek Kip Mei, H-shaped buildings were built in various districts.