HONG KONG – Hong Kong lawmakers passed a bill Friday mandating a minimum size, an exclusive bathroom and other standards in subdivided apartments — a common living arrangement in one of the world’s least affordable cities.

About 220,000 people live in dwellings created by dividing regular apartments, including migrants, workers, students and young professionals. Some of the spaces have a toilet bowl next to the cooking area, no bathroom sink or washroom shared among neighbors.

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Beijing, which sees the city’s housing problems as a driver of the 2019 anti-government protests, wants it to phase out subdivided apartments by 2049.

Housing Secretary Winnie Ho said it was painful to see people living in substandard conditions and these sufferings should not occur in Hong

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