YouthVolume 7 Number 3 September 2015a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups

H O N G K O N G

Publisher :

The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups hkfyg.org.hkm21.hkYouth Hong Kong: 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong

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RETHINKThe Hong Kong Youth Service Award was launched by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups to honour, acclaim and

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City

YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly

by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

EDITORIAL BOARD

Rosanna Wong Elaine Morgan (Editor) Ada Chau (Assistant Editor) Angela Ngai Lakshmi Jacot William Chung Henry Poon

CIRCULATION (unaudited)

11,000-12,000 in Hong Kong, throughout the region and overseas

VIEWS EXPRESSED are the authors and interviewees, may come from official sources, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or publisher

REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited

INTERVIEWS

Elaine Morgan Alex Lee Ka-chun Sammantha Leung Wing-sum

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

Ling Kong Howard Chan Sam Ip Cindy Liu Virginia Addison Freddy Law & Till Kraemer Phoebe Tong Ada Chau HKFYG Youth Research Centre Hazel Tse

TRANSLATION

Ada Chau & Angela Ngai

PHOTOGRAPHS

Edited by Suki May and Sam Suen

Photo essay: Lee Fook Chee

Ed Stokes & The Photographic Heritage Foundation

Other photographs acknowledged as captioned, stock images or in public domain

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4-7OVERVIEW

28-33PHOTO ESSAYLee Fook Chee

YOUTH WATCH

34-42ARTS & CULTURECITY SPACE

43-55HKFYG

Contents

Youth Ho n g K o n g

September 2015Volume 7Number 3

6-18INTERVIEWS Paul ChanComment: Alex LeeNicholas BrookeLawrence Lai

19-27YOUTH WRITESammantha LeungLing KongHoward ChanSam IpCindy Liu

Cover image

Wanchai by Peter Cookson Smith

4 Rethinking land useElaine MorganINTERVIEWS6 Demand for landPaul Chan Secretary for Development, HKSARG10 Small House PolicyAlex Lee12 On the waterfrontNicholas Brooke Harbourfront Commission15 Stepping stonesLeung Wing-sum16 Land hungerLawrence Lai HKU Dept of Real Estate & ConstructionYOUTH WRITE19 Waking up from a daydream Sammantha Leung Wing-sum20 Compulsory sales and startups Ling Kong22 Conflicts for built heritage Howard Chan plus Lee Ho-yin24 City breathing space Sam Ip26 Green city Cindy LiuPHOTO ESSAY28 Then & now Lee Fook CheeYOUTH WATCH30 Cities today Jennifer LamARTS & CULTURE34 Melting ice Freddy Law & Till Kraemer36 Frogcesco musical Lee Shau Kee Primary School37 Inside Out: the movie Ada ChauCITY SPACE38 Organic farming Phoebe Tong40 Runners journal, running life with Mandeep, Rita & AnthonyHKFYG43 New books from HKFYG44 Youth Trends in Hong Kong 201547 Youth Think Tank48 New primary school principal: Hazel Tse50 Youth leadership development51 Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 201552 Youth Business Award53 Youth Service Award54 Gala premiere: The Little Prince55 HKFYG Christmas Tree

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The first image of Hong Kong that comes to mind is a majestic skyline seen across the harbour, with skyscrapers sandwiched together. The second is milling crowds, competing for space. In both cases, the impression is of an entirely urban city, dense, short of land.

In fact, according to official statistics, of Hong Kongs 1,104 square kilometres, less than a quarter of the land is developed, with nature reserves and country parks taking up 40% of the land. However, while not short of land as such, land for affordable housing is in short supply, a matter that affects young people deeply.

Do we need more land to build more homes? Some would argue for, where others would claim that green spaces and areas for leisure and sports must be conserved. There are those who want more attention paid to revitalization of heritage sites or access to the waterfront. Other groups decry the loss of agricultural land.

Given the varying points of view, priorities and choices, Youth Hong Kong has begun a conversation. How can the citys land best be developed and how can it be made sustainable for the future? Write to youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk and let us know your thoughts. Join the conversation on a city rethink.

Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP

Executive Director, HKFYG

September 2015

Youth Hong Kong

Editorial September 2015 |

3

Hong Kongs landscape is full of contrasts: dense residential and commercial towers beside mountainous country parks; sub-tropical greenery verging on open water; urban renewal rubbing shoulders with built heritage. Bustle, horizons and bulldozers aside, how are urban planners confronting the practical problems of land use? Can they create enough affordable housing while leaving space for leisure and relaxation? Is there scope in the city for children to grow up in more spacious surroundings?

Concern is not only about housing, but factors such as traffic flow, revitalizing heritage sites, creating tourist attractions, preserving green spaces and encouraging agriculture. How can everything the community needs and wants be fitted into a territory of 1,104 sq. km. where developed land is less than 25% and country parks and nature reserves occupy 40%?1 Can it be done without encroaching on the citys green lungs or reclaiming more of its coastal waters?

How does Hong Kong compare?

Hong Kong is a crowded city with 7.24 million people living at a density of 6,650 persons per sq. km.2 This seems to compare well to Singapores density of 7,615 for a total population of 5.47 million in a total land area of 687 sq. km. However, only 24% of Hong Kongs land is built up so if the calculation is confined to the built-up area, population density rises to about 25,900 individuals

per sq. km., or four times the overall density of the territory and nearly four times the density of Singapore.3 Where the living space per person is 4.44 sq. m. in Hong Kong's subdivided flats, each Singaporean has about 27.56 sq. m. of space.4

Government-managed housing units in Hong Kong now number about 1.18 million accommodating nearly half of the population, but there is a target of 480,000 new housing units by 2023.5 Whether we really need to massively increase the supply of land to build them depends on a number of factors and primarily the accuracy of population growth projections. If building is to go ahead, the means to create new land involve everything from freeing up space by transforming brownfield sites and former industrial premises to flattening hills and islands.

Priority concerns

There are no quick fixes for Hong Kongs land issues and finding consensus is only the first milestone on the way to solutions. But solutions there must be if young people are not to feel deprived. So what are the priorities? The first is clear: everybody deserves a home. The approach of governments since World War II has been a massive attempt to provide shelter for succeeding waves of immigrants which led to explosive growth in demand for housing which in turn pushed prices up and up. Whether home ownership can be made affordable for young people is the real question.

Rethinking land usefor living, leisure and conservationby Mich

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by Elaine Morgan

Youth Hong Kong

Overview| September 2015

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Social economist Richard Wong, while believing that Hong Kongs housing strategy has lacked forward-looking goals in the past, thinks it should not be out of the question for 80% of the population to become bona fide home owners in future. The strategy, he says, is threefold: sell public rental housing to its current tenants; make government-subsidized homes cheaper; and reform the public housing programme to follow Singapores example of government-built flats which can be resold or leased on the open market.6

Sustainable strategies

City planners must also consider infrastructure, commercial and business districts that provide work, land for educational institutions, parks and recreation facilities, and heritage sites which preserve cultural memory. All while bearing in mind the environmental impact of development. How these affect the public interest must always be uppermost in planning.

The problems Hong Kong faces today are not new but they do involve some unique paradoxes. The inequitable Small House Policy for indigenous male villagers in Hong Kongs New Territories is one example. Others are encroachment on the country parks to create new land for housing, debates about reclamation for artificial islands outside the

harbour limits, and providing land for agriculture. At each step, the discussion returns to housing, to the hegemony of developers and their relationship to policy-making. Yet the need for ever more flats is based not only on unaffordable present-day prices. It also reflects demand for property as a form of stored capital wealth as well as statistics for population growth that may be inaccurate.

In his new book7, Richard Wong concludes that, Land, property and housing are the critical nexus for unlocking some of societys deep contradictions. The solutions are not difficult to execute but they need the political will to build broad consensus. Gaining that consensus in the face of the controversies and incongruities outlined in the following pages is a hurdle indeed. A rethink and long-term vision are needed to make Hong Kong into a sustainable, liveable city that its people can be proud of 50 years from now.

1,10425%40%

Sources1. http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/facts.htm

2. http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/population.pdf

3. https://arhitectura2tm.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/understanding-density-and-high-density.pdf

4. singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest-data#14. For more comparative statistics see pages 30-33.

5. http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/housing.pdf

6. Wong, Richard Yue-chim. Hong Kong Land for Hong Kong People: Fixing the failures of our housing policy. HKU Press, 2015

7. ibid

by Elaine Morgan

Youth Hong Kong

Overview September 2015 |

5

Increasing land supply for housing

Providing affordable housing is our number one challenge and we have a multi-pronged strategy with short, medium and long-term planning, Mr Chan begins. In the short to medium term there is to be increased development intensity where planning terms permit; land use reviews such as rezoning of government, institution and community sites; property development over MTR stations; urban renewal projects; development at the former Diamond Hill Squatter area and ex-quarries; and, if in the public interest, relaxing the moratorium which restricts development in Pok Fu Lam.1

Making land available to meet the current government target of 480,000 new units in the next 10 years will inevitably affect communities near the sites concerned. 11 years are normally required for the whole land and housing development process when opening up new land. So change will be slow. In the long term, new housing is planned for the Northwest, North and Northeast New Territories, in rock cavern and underground space development. For now reclamation in five areas (see red dots on map) is targeted.

Demand for landcontroversy not consensus

I n this interview about strategy for land use Paul Chan, Secretary for Development, talks to Lee Ka-chun, student of urban planning. He emphasizes

that in future the spotlight will be on Lantau Island.

Demand for landcontroversy not consensus

n this interview about strategy for land use Paul Chan, Secretary for Development, talks to Lee

, student of urban planning. He emphasizes that in future the spotlight will be on Lantau Island.

Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau Bridge

Tuen Mun

Conservation, leisure, cultural & green tourism

Economic & housing development

Lantau Island

Lung Kwu Tan

Siu Ho Wan

Sunny Bay

Youth Hong Kong

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Interviews| September 2015

Five potential reclamation sites

Lantau development areas(Proposed)

New road links

Kau Yi Chau

"East Lantau Metropolis: third core business district"

Northeast Lantau : leisure & tourism

Planning DepartmentLand Use categories

Lamma Island redevelopment

Ma Liu Shui

Tsing Yi Southwest

Youth Hong Kong

Interviews September 2015 |

7

Country parks and the Small House Policy

In the meantime, a number of other controversial issues related to housing have resulted in deferred decision-making. First, there is the Small House Policy (see pages 10-11) which allows every male descendant of a New Territories indigenous villager to build his own house during his lifetime. Mr Chan believes that there is a need to review this policy, telling Lee Ka-chun, There have been significant changes to the rural setting as well as the community as a whole since the policy was introduced more than 40 years ago. But it will be very difficult to build consensus. He added that the growth in numbers of small houses is being constrained by the limited availability of land. Although the villagers can apply, the queue is already very long, and applications are processed slowly.

When asked about the mooted, highly contentious development of country parks for the purposes of housing, Mr Chan said this had also been put on one side and was not being considered by the current administration. However, he did not rule out the question being raised once more as of 2017, shifting decision-making to the medium term.

Building artifi cial islands

In the long term, Lantau Island and nearby areas take centre stage. Four themes are involved: economic growth and housing in northern Lantau; leisure, entertainment and international tourism in the northeast; conservation, cultural and green tourism for Tai O and the central and southern part of Lantau;

Fourth, the so-called East Lantau Metropolis is for strategic growth with a new core business district east of Lantau (see map on pages 6-7).A strategic study for this, including a major reclamation project, will start very soon.

The concept rests on a more balanced distribution of both job opportunities and housing than has hitherto been achieved in new towns. The new urban area of the metropolis would consist of one or more artificial islands to be reclaimed between Lantau and Hong Kong Island. The uninhabited island of Kau Yi Chau (see map and photo below) is a target.

25 hotly debated sites for reclamation outside Victoria Harbour were proposed in 2012 but no unequivocal consensus was reached.2

p Tung Chung and Chek Lap Kok: more development coming

p Uninhabited island: Kau Yi Chau potential reclamation site

Fewer of these

and more of this

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Interviews| September 2015

New commercial land use is proposed both in north and northwest Lantau. New roads include the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and the Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok Link connecting northern Lantau with NWNT now under construction. In planning for the East Lantau Metropolis, transport infrastructure linking artificial islands with Hong Kong Island and the western part of New Territories will also be considered. Clearly, infrastructural and engineering issues, massive though they are, are not considered insurmountable.

Adaptive re-use and revitalization

On a less controversial topic, Mr Chan speaks of Hong Kong as being a late starter in the field of built heritage conservation. So far, there have been over a dozen successful projects, including the Tai O Heritage Hotel on Lantau. Since the Revitalizing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme was launched in 2008 for application by non-profit-making organizations (NPOs), built heritage on 15 sites has been put back into action. There must be a viable business case so that proposed social enterprises can be self-sustaining, Mr Chan notes. HKFYG already runs one such fruitful enterprise at the former Police Married Quarters (PMQ) on Hollywood Road.3

However, Mr Chan reminds us, Success comes with lessons learnt. During the design and renovation stages, NPOs need assistance. Government building and safety requirements are strict and distinctive features have to be preserved. Completing projects within budget and timeframe are daunting tasks as they fall outside the expertise of many NPOs. That said,

it is encouraging that HKFYG has permission to develop a leadership institute at the Former Fanling Magistracy.4 Mr Chan appeals to professionals and experts to contribute your skills to the NPOs as far as possible. Your involvement will surely benefit the heritage and legacy of Hong Kong.

Keeping Hong Kong land for Hongkongers

Rounding off, Mr Chan tells Lee Ka-chun, We are keeping a very close watch on the question of Hong Kong Land for Hong Kong People. This government pilot programme, launched in 2012 to curtail property price rises resulting from speculative buying by non-Hong Kong residents, resulted in only one development being selected. Conditions were written into the sales terms for 1,100 residential flats at Kai Tak, the old airport site near the new cruise ship terminal. They required developers to sell only to Hong Kong permanent residents, with a further 30-year resale restriction and were welcomed by local people. The proportion of non-Hong Kong people buying new properties, both domestic and commercial, is very low, Mr Chan assures, insignificant enough to affect resident Hong Kong buyers apparently. While not ruling out a re-launch in future it was deemed unnecessary at present.

Sources1. thb.gov.hk/eng/policy/housing/policy/lths/LTHS201412.pdf and legco.gov.hk/yr14-15/english/panels/dev/papers/devcb1-407-1-e.pdf

2. cedd.gov.hk/eng/landsupply/doc/Report%20on%20Stage%201%20Public%20Engagement%20-%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

3. pmq.org.hk/shop/jade-art/

4. heritage.gov.hk/en/rhbtp/former_fanling_magistracy3.htm

Meanwhile, plans for development on Lamma Island are proceeding

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Paul ChanSecretary for Development

Youth Hong Kong

Interviews September 2015 |

9

Hong Kongs Small House Policy (SHP) allows each male descendant of indigenous New Territories (NT) villagers to apply to build a 3-storey, 700 sq. ft. house as of the age of 18. Flats of 500-700 sq. ft. in Hong Kong are considered normal but one of these small houses in the NT can be up to 2,100 sq. ft. Unsurprisingly, this policy has become increasingly controversial as the demand for housing has increased.

The policy, which protects the traditional rights and interests of indigenous inhabitants, relied originally on government rules based on custom. It has subsequently been enshrined in Article 40 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The policy involves wealth transfer based on birth and gender and so raises many questions. For example, the policy applies irrespective of a native villagers country of abode.

T he controversial Small House Policy was introduced to address housing needs of villagers in Hong Kongs New Territories. It allows males to build houses at a fraction of the normal cost on scarce land. Alex Lee

discusses the complexities involved.

The Small House Policy a dilemma for Hong Kong

The SHP commitment is open-ended and Hong Kong will run out of land if it continues to fulfil the unlimited demands of indigenous villagers descendants. The policy is debatable. Not only is it discriminatory, especially to women an exception had to be included in the Sex Discrimination Ordinance to allow for it it is also open to speculative development because these small houses can be resold.

This is a complicated yet highly sensitive issue. To remedy the situation, various measures have been proposed. A moratorium on the resale of small houses is one possibility. Another is strictly enforced residency requirements to prevent long-gone emigrants from building small houses only to re-sell them. A third is the establishment of a formal registry of eligibility. At present, a declaration of entitlement signed by a Rural

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Comment

Youth Hong Kong

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Interviews| September 2015

Southern Sung Dynasty ancestors of todays indigenous villagers owned title deeds for land in what became Hong Kongs New Territories (NT). They and their sons built houses there until the early 1970s when Sir Murray MacLehose, then Governor of Hong Kong, introduced a 10-year housing programme to relieve a serious shortage. Land was needed and complex negotiations with the Heung Yee Kuk, a statutory advisory body representing establishment interests in the NT, led to Executive Council approval of the SHPs Private Treaty Grant and Free Building Licence. The former states that indigenous villagers with ancestors who had lived in the NT in 1898 when the lease was signed have a once in a lifetime entitlement to apply for a concessionary grant of land to build a village house, subject to certain restrictions and location. The Free Building Licence states that small houses built on this land are exempt from the Buildings Ordinance but have to be in the environs of villages.

Committee official suffices. Fourth, villagers could be made eligible for public rental housing or subsidized home ownership. However, although this could effectively increase land use efficiency and address housing needs, a daunting negotiation process could ensue and neither the general public nor villagers might accept the outcome. Also possible are vertical villages with increased density of population per sq. m.

The idea of putting a halt to the policy has been raised and was mentioned in the interview with the Secretary for Development (see previous article). If there were a deadline for the application to build small houses, the commitment to SHP would no longer be open-ended and the dilemma would be resolved. However, it may seem unfair and could stir up strong discontent with disastrous legal consequences.

None of these suggestions can truly strike a balance between the stakeholders. The interests of one side or the other will inevitably be sacrificed in the process. The government recognizes the need to review the policy and it should take great care to examine every possible option and handle the problem with delicacy.

Two indigenous villagers in their 20s and 30s have their say

Tang (Yuen Long)

If this policy was cancelled, I wouldnt ask for compensation but those like me who have already filed an application should get their land. I applied for it in 2011, thinking I would have it within five years. It hasnt happened yet but it is still a right granted by the government. Those who havent yet applied should get a grace period.

Alex Lee Year 3 The University of Hong Kong

Bachelor of Science in Surveying Studies

Sources and further reading

Lai, LWC. Housing indigenous villagers in a modern society: an examination of the Hong Kong small house policy. Third World Planning Review, 2000. 22(2), 207-230.

Lai, LWC & Ho, WK. Small is beautiful: a probit analysis of development control of small houses in Hong Kong. Environment and Planning B, 2001. 28 (4), 611-622.

law.lexisnexis.com/webcenters/hk/Blogs--Analysis/Not-Entirely-Legal---Part-52

law.lexisnexis.com/webcenters/hk/Blogs--Analysis/Not-Entirely-Legal---Part-54

History of the Small House Policy

p Chinese Commissioner Wong Tsun-shin and British Commissioner Stewart Lockhart fixing the first New Territories boundary mark at Starling Inlet in 1899

1899

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Wei (Tai Wei)

People like me are not eligible for public housing or the Home Ownership Scheme. Instead I joined the queue for land to build a house when I was 18 and have been waiting for 15 years. In the meantime I have had to rent. If the government had a good reason to take back this right, I think it would be OK but I would expect fast track for public housing.

Comment

Youth Hong Kong

Interviews September 2015 |

11

N icholas Brooke, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission, came to Hong Kong nearly 40 years ago via the Middle East. Youth Hong Kong student interviewer Leung Wing-sum asks why he gives so much

energy to Victoria Harbour.

For me, the harbour embodies the heart, the history and the future of the city. But dont forget, this is your harbour, Nicholas Brooke says to Leung Wing-sum. Its a working port, with a thriving maritime community, but it is also a source of recreational and spiritual pleasure. My aim is to connect people with the waterfront so that they can enjoy it in all its diversity and vitality.

To achieve this, requires moving from the cant do to the can do model, and that is exactly what he has in mind for the proposed Harbourfront Authority (HFA).

Where today you find signs that say you cant walk on the grass, you cant play ball, you cant bring your dog, and you cant fish, I would like to see people mixing and mingling. Instead of railings to stop you falling in I would like to see steps right down into the water.

People on the waterfrontright up close

Youth Hong Kong

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Interviews| September 2015

Kwun Tong

Eastern Island Corridor

Wan Chai

New Central Harbourfront

Hung Hom

The water/land interface is very important. We should share it and we have to be careful not to create sterile areas. However, given that 50km of the 73km of the harbourfront belong to the government, he is confident that a phased approach will work. The HFA would provide use of the land and we would seek partners to provide expertise and investment on a public-private model.

The new HFA would have its own bye-laws and the executive powers to get things done, he says. The first step would be to remove the main weakness and increase waterfront activity. That means getting people to it and along it. Some of the more

progressive district councils on the harbourfront, like Central & Western and Tsim Sha Tsui, want to provide an integrated solution and a series of pilot projects is planned for the first five years of the HFA. I expect to see developments start by mid-2016 and significant changes by 2020.

There will be nine sites for priority attention, in Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Quarry Bay and North Point, Hung Hom, Kwun Tong and Kai Tak. They include a walk- and cycle-way under the Eastern Island Corridor. The HFA will directly develop and manage the sites. In effect, ownership of harbourfront land would be transferred to it.

Quarry Bay

Youth Hong Kong

Interviews September 2015 |

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An example of a recreational-cum-educational development that Nicholas Brooke has in mind is a permanent home for the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. It would be part of a maritime centre with provision for historic vessels to berth. The location in mind is a man-made bay west of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, if the problem of wash caused by shipping can be solved with breakwaters.

This raises the question of reclamation. At present, according to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, nothing can be touched unless there is an overriding public need. Even if you cast a shadow it can be deemed to be reclamation. I see the HFA being the champion for change with the anti-reclamation lobby, perhaps by using a no net gain, no net loss formula with the overall objective of providing a range of facilities for public benefit, largely driven by community aspirations.

Community? But many students feel their voices are not heard. Perhaps their frustration can be eased by the openness of the Harbour Commission, and subsequently the HFA. Nicholas Brooke says the Harbour Commission has many young people on its committees and working groups. When making decisions, we have to decide how to reflect the social agenda, and that involves funding.

The Kai Tak Nullah project, with its proposed water sports facilities, is also on the agenda. Success depends on a pull factor at the end of the old runway. The cruise ship terminal is not enough but the Kai Tak Fantasy needs to be a real Hong Kong fantasy. Something homegrown that is world class.

How about dreams for further into the future?

I would love to put an elegant, elevated footbridge arching across from Chai Wan to Lei Yue Mun. And then we could have a themed underground walkway from central to TST. What an experience, 1,300m long, connecting ferry piers at both ends. At the moment we say West is work, East is play, but life is never really that simple.

What does he think are the best features of the harbour? The water itself, and the spectacular views across it. And the worst? The rigid straight lines. Thats why I talk about sculpturing sea walls. The areas where there is ongoing reclamation for the Central-Wanchai Bypass would be my first target.

So far the Harbour Commission has been effective as a watchdog. It has not had the authority to create, but Nicholas Brooke wants to see the growth of social enterprise and NGOs as partners of the HFA as well as commercial opportunities. He sees waterfront destinations that will attract locals and tourists alike, with a distinctive Hong Kong flavour, soft landscaping and greening. Genuine public representation on the HFA will be needed. Creating a master vision out of the jigsaw that is now the harbourfront would be the priority and connectivity will be the key.

Nicholas Brooke, JP, BBS, PPRICS, FHKIS, RPS (GP),

Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission and of Professional Property Services Limited

Nicholas Brooke

Youth Hong Kong

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Interviews| September 2015

Like many people of my generation, I sometimes feel insignificant and ignored. Even though Id like to make a difference to my city, I am not sure I have anything concrete to offer. It seems as if we young people are weak or just absent from the agenda. Despite this, we want change: political, economic and social.

Maybe these feelings are reflected in Victoria Harbour, to which most Hongkongers are strongly attached. Will there be more reclamation? More forgotten shorelines? Will more buildings be demolished? Will others fade into obscurity and oblivion?

When I talked to Mr Nicholas Brooke I asked what the government had in store. Would young peoples ideas be heard? His answer was so positive it made me think that perhaps what is needed is a change in attitude. When we go abroad, suddenly we become beach and sea lovers, spinning on a ferris wheel in Santa Monica, sipping clam chowder on Fishermans Wharf, loving the seascapes of Okinawa and Kenting.

But when we come back home, suddenly the sea seems so distant. The waterfront is an obstacle, not a destination. A wall of concrete with a fence around it. Not something to be enjoyed.

How can we take the first step to knowing it better, a step that takes us out of the box that has packed us so close together in the city and kept us from the water for so long? How can we take better advantage of the natural blessings it offers?

What we need is a strong desire for change and the courage to speak up. After all, as Mr Brooke says, it is our harbour and we will be working for our generation and our future.

Action always speaks louder than words and one of the strongest impressions left with me was a passion for action, for transformation. When you love a place, you try everything to protect and preserve it, so instead of taking for granted the stunning views across the harbour, we should get involved, get organized and get things done. We should stop thinking in terms of stumbling blocks and see stepping stones instead.

Reflections on the water

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We need forward planning for new land and we need it now. Planning must go well beyond 2030, Professor Lai begins.

At present, 2030 is the expiry date for the citys planning strategy, a time horizon far shorter than usual, although a framework for a planning extension has been announced.

Town planning involves not only professional planners but urban designers, engineers, surveyors, environmental scientists, sociologists, lawyers and finance specialists. Despite this complexity, fundamentally, it is a very local activity. It can only be explained and understood in terms of local conditions and history and those who are fully engaged in it must really care about Hong Kongs future.

However, by the late 1980s, Hong Kongs forward town planning went only as far as 2010. By then, it was thought that enough provision for housing and the new knowledge economy had

been made. But time doesnt stop and nobody realized China would grow so fast. Meantime, while a continuous inflow of migrants from mainland China has taken place at the rate of 150 people a day, the planning time horizon for Hong Kong has shrunk. Today it is just 15 years away.

In one of his many works, Town Planning Practice, Professor Lai wrote, the physical planner of Hong Kong is confronted with two main problems. The first is posed by the concept of sustainable development supposed to resolve not only the perennial problems of immigration and population growth, but also an increasing regional air pollution crisis. The second challenge is the need to respond to globalization, the growth of the Chinese economy and the revolution in information technology.

P lanning for Hong Kongs high-rise, high-density built environment is an intriguing challenge. Soaring skyscrapers are

juxtaposed with dense sub-tropical mountainsides. Orderly new towns rub shoulders with a jumble of low-rise villages. No wonder if it seems like planning never took place. Professor Lawrence Lai talks about making sense of this seemingly chaotic development and how Hong Kongs planners can create a strategic master plan for the future.

There are only two logical options: opening up agricultural land and brownfield sites in the Northeast New Territories or reclaiming outside Victoria Harbour.

lanning for Hong Kongs high-rise, high-lanning for Hong Kongs high-rise, high-density built environment is an intriguing density built environment is an intriguing density built environment is an intriguing

juxtaposed with dense sub-tropical mountainsides. juxtaposed with dense sub-tropical mountainsides. Orderly new towns rub shoulders with a jumble Orderly new towns rub shoulders with a jumble of low-rise villages. No wonder if it seems like of low-rise villages. No wonder if it seems like

Land hungerhow to satisfy it

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These challenges add up to a pressing need for a clean, sustainable cybercity that can continue to grow while maintaining respect for its ecology, cultural heritage, and private property rights. Describing a strategic road map for future development, he says that if the country parks are considered untouchable and height restrictions on tower blocks remain constant, there are only two logical options: opening up agricultural land and brownfield sites in the Northeast New Territories or reclamation outside Victoria Harbour.

Taking official figures for mainland immigration, the population of Hong Kong could grow by over half a million every decade, although past estimates have been inflated. The latest figures from the Census and Statistics Department lead us to suppose that Hong Kongs population might grow from the current 7.19 million to 8.47 million by 2041, a rate of 0.6% per annum, but this is perforce a rough estimate.

No piecemeal, ad hoc short-termism

Whatever growth rates turn out to be, piecemeal, ad hoc short-termism will not work. Instead, whats needed is a comprehensive plan. There is no doubt in my mind that reclamation is the best strategy to accommodate the citys growing population. It can bypass the complicated webs of local interests and

development controls. However, he stresses that this does not mean drawing straight lines and just filling in natural bays along the territorys coastline. Nor does it mean losing the scenic value of the skyline or the landscape. Instead, it requires vision.

We should start with reclamation in the Northwest New Territories, west of Tuen Mun in Deep Bay (Shenzhen Wan). Artificial, landscaped islands of sufficient scale should also be created, says Professor Lai. There is plenty of space for these within Hong Kong territorial waters and, intelligently sited, they would minimize adverse effects on the ecology, marine fauna, tide and currents. Looking at the map, he points at the area northwest of Peng Chau, as well as the Soko Islands, south of Lantau Island. If population projections turn out wrong then reclamation projects would be easier to scale back than projects involving rezoning.

Reclamation in the Northwestern New Territories (NWNT) was in fact proposed by the government in the early 1990s. That was on the basis of projected high tech industrial growth at the time. Even though there were no objections, actuality fell short of those projections and the proposal was dropped. More recently, other controversial reclamation projects have also been dropped in the face of widespread public protest and the enactment of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance.

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Short timeline: major strategy documents post-1980s

1984 First Territorial Development Strategy (TDS)

1989 The Port and Airport Development Strategy (PADS)

1991Hong Kong Government Planning, Environment and Lands Branch, Comprehensive Review of the Town Planning Ordinance

1998 TDS Review Final Report

2007 'Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy'

2014'Hong Kong 2030: Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030 [announcement]

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Professor Lawrence Lai Wai-chung, now at the Dept of Real Estate and Construction, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, has been a Specialist Advisor to the Planning Department of the Hong Kong Government, a Town Planner with the Hong Kong Lands & Works Branch, and an officer of the Environmental Protection Department. He is qualified both in the law and in town planning and his PhD was in land zoning.

Works by Prof LawrenceLaiWai-chung incudeTown Planning in Hong Kong: a critical review. City University Press, 1997.

Town Planning Practice. Hong Kong University Press, 2000. [Co-authored with Ki Fong]

The Prospect of Town Planning in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly. August 2011, pp 6-8. [In Chinese.]

Beyond 2047: [Artificial islands in Hong Kong.] Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly. April 2012, pp 130-132. [In Chinese.]

Further readingAbercrombie, Patrick. Town and Country Planning. Oxford University Press, 1933.

Barron, William F & Steinbrecher, Nils. Heading towards sustainability? University of Hong Kong. Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management. 1999.

Bristow, Roger. Land Use Planning in Hong Kong. Oxford University Press, 1984.

Home, Robert. Of planting and planning the making of British colonial cities. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2013.

Pryor, Edward George, Housing in Hong Kong. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 1983.

However, reclamation would mean no compensation to be made to indigenous villagers, no relocation of occupants, and no compulsory land sales. Concerns about engineering and the stability of the reclaimed land would be far fewer than in the past because of advances in geo-engineering. Both ecological and aesthetic issues are solvable, looking at recent projects in the Middle East and Australia.

A realist, for all the scope of his long-term vision, he concludes, with a hint of irony, by pondering a name for the future Hong Kong.

He asks, Shall we call it Utopia?

Reclamation stopped in the harbour...More than 60 sq. km. of land - an area almost as big as Hong Kong Island was reclaimed before the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance was enacted in 1999 as a result of lobbying by the Society for the Protection of the Harbour, founded by Christine Loh, now Under Secretary for the Environment in Hong Kong, and Winston Chu, former Town Planning Board member. Several major reclamation projects were blocked as a result, but interpretation of the Ordinance meant that minor works, such as new public piers and harbourfront promenades were blocked as well. In fact, any structure that casts a shadow on the harbour can be blocked. In response, Chu introduced the so-called Proportionality Principle to serve as a new guideline, but to date, it has not been used. It allows for reclamation that is justifiable in terms of enhanced value in the public interest. Source legislation.gov.hk/blis_pdf.nsf/6799165D2FEE3FA94825755E0033E532/A6F680241E02ADBD482575EF00152C69/$FILE/CAP_531_e_b5.pdf

p Reclamation coming here one day soon

... but not outside harbour limits

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W hile some Hong Kong people dream of new land for the future, Sammantha Leung refl ects on the disappearing past. Government projects like Energizing Kowloon East aim to change the old industrial

environment of places like Kwun Tong but as their original communities decline, the gentrifi cation leaves young people with lingering doubts.

I remember when my parents took me wandering around Kwun Tong. Back then, I could get a taste of old Hong Kong. I remember the factory buildings standing out like faceless soldiers. I seemed so small, walking along the congested steets while they seemed to watch over us. At the time it made little sense, but the place left an indelible impression.

The government wants to build yet one more prime office location, but I am aware of the distinction between urban renewal and urban redevelopment. People like me want the former, which should inject energy into old districts. The second means removing historical colour. It creates empty building sites, bereft of social capital and traces of intangible culture.

Slowly but surely, the old industrial community of Kwun Tong is being diminished. In its place, luxury housing is likely to emerge and many older inhabitants will have to move. The small shops they ran will also be driven out by rising rents and high land prices. Within a few years the old culture will vanish.

When I travel abroad I like to experience another side of urban life and understand how history has changed cities I visit. Most of us forget that travelling in time like this can also be done at home. Urban renewal is inevitable but it should remind us of the beauty and character of old districts and teach us about Hong Kongs history. It should not obliterate it.

Waking up from a daydream

Sammatha Leung Wing-sumYear 1

The University of Hong Kong Master of Science in Urban Planning

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For more about industrial land use in Hong Kongs past visit these websites:

Go to Industrial History of Hong KongHong Kong Heritage ProjectHong Kong Memory

Youth Hong Kong

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Imagine the best appointed boutique in Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kongs oldest districts. A narrow door in pristine white with dyed wooden handles opens onto a brick tiled floor leading into a shop with polished cherrywood showcases. With an embroidered silk sofa in the centre of the small atrium, it has a spacious feel with high ceilings.

The stunning design belies its location. Instead of being in a huge modern shopping mall, it is on the ground floor of a pre-war tong lau, an old shophouse with a history of over 60 years. The owners are three post-80s youngsters. They chose to buy here simply because the sale price was low and by renovating they have transformed it, from a dilapidated old place into a beautiful boutique.

Old shophouses a way out?

Land is terrifically costly in Hong Kong. With the rapid growth of property prices over the past few decades, young people can hardly keep up with the rise in the cost of living, let alone housing and starting up in business. Both renting and purchasing are unaffordable for the majority and so opportunities seem limited, even for the most passionate young entrepreneur. But then, someone saw a glimmer of hope in the low price of old tenements.

Most of the traditional Hong Kong tong lau in low-rise buildings are primarily residential, with the ground floor used for trade. Many are dilapidated, so sale and rental prices are usually far lower than for new buildings. This makes them very attractive to small businesses. The monthly rent could be less than HK$30 per sq. ft. compared to over HK$100 per sq. ft. for the average modern unit in a large shopping mall. What a difference! In fact, some young newcomers in the retail trade prefer them. They refurbish, open a shop and quickly start trading.

Compulsory sales a threat to young startups

W riting about the adaptive reuse of Hong Kongs shophouses, tong lau in Cantonese, Ling Kong describes the disappointment of young startups who move in, renovate and then have to move out

because of redevelopment.

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No protection from compulsory sale

However, there is a snag. As shopkeepers, these young peoples rights may not be fully protected. For old tong lau there may be a risk of forced sale under the Land (Compulsory Sale for Redevelopment) Ordinance (Cap. 545 of the Laws of Hong Kong). The Ordinance allows majority owners, or those who hold a large proportion of shares in the building, to legally apply for orders which require all other owners to sell.

The Ordinance came into force in 1999 and encouraged redevelopment of dilapidated buildings. At the time it was considered to be the solution to cases involving defective titles. Formerly, to make an application for an order to sell, the majority had to own not less than 90% of undivided shares. Then, in 2010, the threshold dropped from 90% to 80% for old buildings which fulfilled certain conditions.

The Ordinance was enacted ostensibly for public benefit land redevelopment. But has the intention survived in reality? Possibly not. Although the Ordinance has taken a crack at protecting property owners from forced land acquisition, its terms are wantonly invoked, ostensibly for taking over land for redevelopment but then leaving property idle.

Forced closure of noodle shop

One case was the decades-old traditional noodle shop. It faced closure because a private developer won a bid for compulsory sale for redevelopment. At first the shop owner refused to give in. The developer then combined three flats on each floor, thus raising the percentage of his undivided shares and fulfilling one of the requirements for a compulsory sale. The plan worked, although the shop owner alleged that the developers action exploited loopholes.

Some may argue that compensation will be paid to affected owners so that they can resume business elsewhere. However, it may not be easy to find a similar unit in the same district and the same problem could arise again, leaving them furious and hopeless. It is ironic that what was perceived as an urgent necessity for redevelopment when the compulsory sale Ordinance was enacted has proved to be substantially ill-conceived.

It is also unfortunate that the government relies increasingly on the rulings of the Lands Tribunal, even when the public advantage brought about by compulsory sale has proved illusory. For example, when land is sold for housing the middle-class, but not to provide affordable housing or infrastructure for the majority of the community.

On the one hand, the government encourages young people to be innovative and to start up in business. On the other hand, the cost of land, the use of property as a form of stored wealth, and land use policy in general push them out of affordable locations. Their hopes are gradually dimming. Where else can they look? Can space be found to help them survive? These are big questions for young people today and they are questions that the government should answer.

Ling Kong Year 3

The University of Hong KongBachelor of Science in

Surveying Studies

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Conflicts for built heritage

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T he preservation of built heritage has won widespread community approval. Howard Chan, an intern on the HKFYG Cultural Heritage Ambassador programme, looks

at how it is currently used. Questions arise about whether commercialization on such land can be justified.

Revitalization projects in Hong Kong have often been accused of incorporating overwhelming commercial elements and a conflict between comprehensive preservation and commercialization in such projects is common. Even if the external structure of heritage buildings and monuments is well maintained, it does not necessarily remind the public of the original function of the buildings nor of their historical value. What can be done?

Perhaps we should begin by analysing the problem.

UrbanrenewalprojectsinHongKongareusually conducted by developers whose top priority is profit-making, not the preservation of historical value. Although they must follow regulations for monument preservation, they prefer to go no further than is strictly necessary.

Thereisanurgentneedforlandinthecentral business district in order to sustain economic growth. For new structures to be built, old buildings need to give way. Heritage buildings are no exception.

HongKongisametropolisanddevelopmentin the city continues non-stop. Over the years, most, if not all the land in the urban area has been redeveloped at least once.

Thegovernmenthasrepeatedlyemphasizedthat shortage of land is a major concern. Urban areas in the New Territories and on Lantau Island have great development potential.

In fact, the only solution that has been found so far is a compromise, where revitalization projects actually become commercial premises in order to meet the goals of developers.

1881 Heritage, the Former Marine Police Headquarters, originally built in 1884, is a typical example. It was a declared monument but its renovation seems disproportionately commercial. Located in the centre of Tsim Sha Tsui, part of Hong Kongs main business area, it was transformed from a typical old colonial building into a hotel, restaurant and shopping mall.

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Conflicts for built heritage

Howard Chan Year 3, University of Hong Kong

Social Sciences, (Government and Laws) and LLB

History should not be destroyed. It should be preserved. Classified heritage buildings should be upgraded not degraded. This should always be the top priority in any revitalization project and the concept needs public support if it is to receive serious government consideration.

It is time to call for a change in the fundamental principles behind revitalization and it is the responsibility of us youngsters to fuel the debate and rally public support.

Despite the fact that the faade and some of the interior of the building has been well-preserved, the hotel section is effectively closed to the public. Guided tours provide public access to the rest of the building in limited numbers but in fact it is difficult for visitors to see the historic importance of the building now the revitalization is complete.

Without doubt, we need to balance the costs of complete preservation and commercialization. Nonetheless, the balance should favour preservation. This is, after all, the ultimate purpose of revitalization. For this, the government should take active responsibility.

Further restrictions should be placed on private developers handling any revitalization project. For example, all requirements for such preservation should be clearly detailed in tender documents. Continuous official monitoring of projects is also needed, to ensure that specifications are met. To increase incentives for developers, specific financial subsidies could be considered to encourage the retention of historical features.

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A beautiful example of a Grade I listed building is a tong lau shophouse called the Lui Seng Chun building in Mong Kok. Designed by architect WH Bourne before World War II and originally a Chinese medicine shop, it reopened after renovation as a traditional medicine and health care centre belonging to the Hong Kong Baptist University. Its original role in the community was intact.

Dr Lee Ho-yin, director of the University of Hong Kongs Architectural Conservation Programme, comments, When you enhance the value of the building through use, it adds heritage value to the building. However, the Hong Kong development approach is high land property prices and big development ... We have to change people's thinking so that [renewal projects] do not just cater to big developers.

scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1296139/bring-past

Dr Lee Ho-yin

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T he annual government Sport for All Day each summer promotes sports and encourages people to lead healthy lives. Most public facilities run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) are free of charge

that day and the event is welcomed by many. However, Sam Ip says that many people are also dissatisfied.

Recreation and sport are always spoken of as essential for quality living but limited land is used as an excuse for failing to provide more sports facilities and I think that policymakers could strike a better balance in their provision.

Increasing demand

Swimming is recognized as one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong and according to LCSD, attendance at swimming pools increased 20% from 2012 to 2015. 1 There are currently 43 public pools. Most are open 180 days a year and on average there were nearly 1,700 people at each of them every

City breathing space

day in 2014/15, reflecting the sports high profile. Furthermore, given the alleged reports of growing numbers of mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong to swim because the pools are better here, it can be foreseen that pressure will continue to grow.

Booking system

Another cause for concern is the booking system for LCSD facilities. At present, individuals can make bookings 10 days in advance on a first-come-first-served basis.2 Since facilities such as football pitches and badminton courts far from satisfy needs, a so-called black market has been

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The first Victoria Park swimming pool opened in 1957 and had 360,000 swimmers in its first year. Today, Kowloon Park is probably the busiest, with equivalent numbers. It has indoor and outdoor pools with the latter linked by waterfalls. A new Victoria Park swimming pool opened in 2013. Eight other new pools have opened since 2011 and five more are currently on the drawing board.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_swimming_pools_in_Hong_Kong

created. For example, booking of football pitches is done online for over HK$600 per session, compared with the standard LCSD rate of HK$144. Faced with the black market, people give up trying to make conventional bookings. However, according to the Census and Statistics Department, 65.7% of respondents are satisfied with booking arrangements for government sports facilities, whereas the satisfaction level for private organizations or clubs is 80%.3

Elite facilities

Some professional sportsmen say Hong Kong has good facilities, but feedback varies. There have been positive signs for the professional rugby player in Hong Kong, says Bryan Rennie, General Manager of Hong Kong Scottish. In England there are 12 premiership clubs with world-class facilities and around 10 championship clubs which also have very good facilities. As Hong Kong is only catering for one international team and around 40 professional players, there should be enough facilities for them. Rugby is lucky, but professional training facilities far from satisfy needs for sports which are not designated as elite.

The Hong Kong Sports Institute has been redeveloped and became fully into operation in 2013. Now the government should put more effort into turning Hong Kong into a world-class city for sport. Our city has produced many top-class sportsmen and women in recent years and it would be a big thing for the community to have more encouragement. The Kai Tak sports hub, still waiting for approval at the Legislative Council, is just one example.

Sam Yip Year 3

Hong Kong Shue Yan University Economics & Finance

Sources and notes1. LCSD: Statistics Report. Retrieved from csd.gov.hk/en/aboutlcsd/ppr/statistics/leisure.html

2. There are 230 hard-surface soccer pitches in Hong Kong and 605 badminton courts.

3. C&S Department, HKSAR, Public Views on the Provision of Sports Facilities (2011). statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302472011XXXXB0100.pdf

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Green city

A lthough Hong Kong is often thought of as nothing more than a bustling metropolis, in fact more than 40% of its land consists of country parks. The government department in charge of them notes that few countries

have even 10% of their land protected in parks. Now, as Cindy Liu explains, they are under threat.

Establishment of the 24 country parks began in the 1970s and the Country Park Ordinance was enacted in 1976. They are intended specifically for nature conservation, countryside recreation and outdoor education. Rainfall catchment areas around reservoirs, considered of low development potential, were also drawn into the country park areas to protect and preserve Hong Kongs water sources.

The country parks cover a total area of 440 sq. km. of hills and mountains, woodlands, reservoirs and coastline. Records put the number of visitors in 2014 at about 11.2 million, mostly taking exercise, camping or having picnics and barbecues. The New Nature Conservation Policy, formulated in 2004, included a plan to partner non-government organizations to work to protect designated areas of high ecological value that remained unmanaged. These areas were promised protection in the 2010-2011 Policy Address. In May 2011, the Convention on Biological Diversity was formally extended to include Hong Kong. It signifies a formal commitment by the HKSAR to uphold conservation principles.

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Designated Country Parks in Hong Kong

No. Location Area (ha)

1 Shing Mun 1400

2 Kam Shan 339

3 Lion Rock 557

4 Aberdeen 423

5 Tai Tam 1315

6 Sai Kung East 4494

7 Sai Kung West 3000

8 Plover Cove 4594

9 Lantau South 5640

10 Lantau North 2200

11 Pat Sin Leng 3125

12 Tai Lam 5412

13 Tai Mo Shan 1440

14 Lam Tsuen 1520

15 Ma On Shan 2880

16 Kiu Tsui 100

17 Plover Cove (Extension) 630

18 Shek O 701

19 Pok Fu Lam 270

20 Tai Tam (Quarry Bay Extension) 270

21 Clear Water Bay 615

22 Sai Kung West (Wan Tsai Ext) 123

23 Lung Fu Shan 47

24 Lantau North (Extension) 2360

Total Area 43455

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Nearly 40 years later, the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, began a public discussion on the possibility of developing country parks for housing. This opened a Pandoras Box, starting a heated argument over the question of rezoning. Now, facing an acute shortage of land for housing, the government has country parks in its sights, triggering a lively debate over the conflict between private developers and public interest.

The debate continued until it was announced in July this year that no part of any country park would be developed for either residential or commercial purposes in the coming two years.

Looking for alternatives

The potential encroachment on the green belts reflects the level of government ambition in addressing the lack of land supply. Yet it is important to think carefully about whether this

is the best solution. The question remains about what will happen in two years time. For now, the country parks remain under the protection of the Country Parks Ordinance. Even if the government did have plans, development could not take place quickly because a change in use of green belt land involves lengthy legislative procedures and public consultation.

There are alternative ways to solve the problem in the short run which would involve no destruction of country parks. Changing the use of brownfield sites and abandoned industrial buildings to make them available as temporary housing is one example. Urban renewal is another.

Save them for recreation and tourism

The country parks are the citys green garden, forming a backdrop to our hustle, bustle city. For many people in Hong Kong, they are the best recreational facilities the territory has. They also serve as an educational medium by raising awareness of the need for environmental conservation. They have even gained a reputation as a popular tourist destination in recent years and many hikers from other countries come to visit our precious green places so close to the concrete jungle.

No other city in the world has such a high proportion of land preserved as natural countryside in a green belt. Hong Kong is unique in the way it shows off well-developed cityscapes beside large areas of natural landscape. Other cities like Singapore and Shanghai are learning from us, making larger areas of greenery in their city, even if they are artificial. Our quota of natural green is precious, something that every one of us should cherish and be proud of.

cityu.edu.hk/hkhousing/pdoc/LTHS_Implementation_Milestones_2014.12.16_e.pdf

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Cindy Liu, Year 4

The University of Hong Kong, BSc in Surveying

Land Use on Hong Kong Island Crowds & Spaces Then & Now

L Compare the black and white 1950s photos to the colour ones taken this year. Whats

changed? The visible skyline, the size and density of buildings, people, traffi c, but in most places there are also more trees.

p DAguilar Street: today more cars than people then, more people than cars

p Statue Square: todays big banks even then one bigger than the rest

p Causeway Road: trams, buses, taxis and trees then, trams, and sky above

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Photo essay| September 2015

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Lee Fook Chee was a young entrepreneur when he took his black and white photos. At the time, the citys population was 1.2 million, the average unskilled wage was about HK$2 per day and monthly rent for a shack in Tai Hang was HK$25. These images, redolent of change in the city, teach us to Treasure the past, treasure Hong Kong, as Lees nephew says in this new book.

1950s photographs by Lee Fook Chee Estate of Lee Fook Chee

2015 photographs by Rogan Coles Rogan Coles

p Hennessy Road: Then, three people crossing now crowds beneath huge hoardings

p Repulse Bay: Then, the old hotel backed by hills now obscured by luxury fl ats

HKFYG acknowledges with thanks

images from

LEE FOOK CHEES HONG KONGPhotographs from the 1950s

Published by

The Photographic Heritage Foundation

& The Commercial Press

2015

Available in Hong Kong bookstores especially The Commercial Press, Joint Publishing Company

and Chung Hwa Book Company stores. ISBN 9789620756573

Purchase online at superbookcity.com/9789620756573.html

Researched and written by Patricia Chiu in collaboration with Edward Stokes

Foreword by Bernard Charnwut Chan

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29

A s most of the worlds cities become more crowded but more conscious of liveability, Jennifer Lam looks at ratings for ten of them, plus Hong Kong. These ratings include population density, green space per person

and environmental quality. Data from two Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) indexes

1 and assessments from ECA International2 form the basis for comparison.

City liveability

Hong Kong Ranks 3rd in Asia and 46th in the world according to the 2015 EIU liveability index.i

Rates 33rd according to ECA Internationals global ranking.ii

Population density is 6,650 people per sq. km. but built up areas account for only 24% of total land area. Total population 7.24 million.iii

Official figures for living space per capita in public housing is 13 sq. m.iv However, the average living space per person in subdivided flats is 4.4 sq. m. according to a recent independent study. v

Ranks above average according in the EIU Asian Green City Index with 105.3 sq. m. of green space per capita. vi

CHINABeijing

The EIU liveability index rates Beijing 69th.

Beijing is one of the most liveable cities in China according to ECA. 3

The EIUs Asian Green City Index says it has serious air quality challenges.4

In 2012 population density was 1,069.4 people/sq. km.5 Total population estimated at 17.6 million.

There is a legal 10 sq. m. minimum for a unit and the overall average housing area per capita is 28.8 sq. m. per person, but many people live in much smaller spaces.6

Beijing has 88 sq. m. of green space per inhabitant.

Shanghai

Rated 78th by the EIU for liveability and 13th in Asia by ECA.7

The EIUs Asian Green City Index rates Shanghai as average. 8

In 2013, population density was 3,700 people/sq. km. Total population estimated at 23.9 million. 9

Shanghai offers 18 sq. m. of green space per person.

A 2015 survey found Shanghais per capita living space was 24.16 sq. m, with average flats of 71 sq. m. 10

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SINGAPORE Ranks 49th in the EIU liveability rankings.

19

ECA rated Singapore as the world's and Asias most liveable location.

20

The EIU Asian Green city index estimates Singaporeans have 60 sq. m. of green space each.

In 2014 population density was 7,615 per sq. km. Total population was 5.47m.

21

In 2014 living space per capita was around 27.56 sq. m. 22

PHILIPPINES Manila Ranks 104th out of 140 cities on the EIU

15

most liveable cities list for 2014.

In 2015 ECA rated it 37th in Asia and globally 178th. The EIUs Asian Green City Index rates Manila as below average.

Metro Manila has a population density of 18,165 people per sq. km.

16 and is the

world's most densely populated city. Total registered population 12 million.

17

Manila provides 5 sq. m. of green space per person.18

City liveability JAPAN Tokyo Ranks 15th in the EIU liveability index.

11

The EIU Green City Index says it has highly efficient energy consumption and strong policies on energy and climate change.

Tokyo ranks above average overall in the EIU Asian Green City Index. The population density is 5,946.9 people per sq km. Total population

13 million.12

Greater Tokyo has a population of about 36 million and is the most populous metropolitan area in the world.

13

The city has 11 sq. m. of green space per person.14

One-bedroom flats vary from 18-60 sq. m. by Gok

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SOUTH KOREA Seoul Ranked 58th in the EIU liveability index.

23

Rates 10th in Asia according to ECA. 24

The EIUs Asian Green City Index rates it above average but air pollution is causing health problems.

25

In 2013, Seoul had a density of about 17,000 people per sq. km.

26 Total population 10 million.

Seoul's green space accounts for 27% of the metropolitan area.27

Seoul is the world's most wired city. 28

The size of an average apartment is 45 sq. m.29

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VIETNAM Hanoi 32nd in the ECA liveability rankings for Asia and 159

th worldwide.

Rated 118th by the EIU for liveability

Overall the Asian Green City Index rates it below average.

34

Population density is 1,935 per sq. km. 35

Total population 6.5 million, expected to triple by 2020.

36

30% of Hanois population are living in very crowded conditions with living space per capita under 3 sq. m.

The government aims to raise Hanois per capita average housing area to 23.1 sq. m. by the end of 2015.

37

Hanois green space per person is 1 sq. m.38

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Liveability Index140 cities (2014)The ranking provides scores for lifestyle challenges and asks participants to give relative comfort marks ranging from acceptable to intolerable over 30 indices in 5 sectors: stability,healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

ECA International450 locations worldwide (2015)ECA produces annual ratings system evaluating factors including climate; availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; personal safety; political tensions and air quality.

Sources: Hong Kong

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THAILAND Bangkok Ranked 102nd out of 140 cities in the EIU index.

30

The EIUs Asian Green City Index says it has a relative lack of green spaces, with 3 sq. m. per person across the metropolitan area. It rates Bangkok as average.

In 2014 the population density was 3,607 people/sq. km.

31 Total population 8.5 million.

32

The biggest share of the housing market consists of one-bedroom apartments of approx 60 sq. m.

33

Bangkok is among the world's top tourist destinations.

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EIU Asian Green City Index

22 Asian cities (2011)This measures and rates environmental performance in eight categories: energy and CO2, land use and buildings, transport, waste, water, sanitation, air quality and environmental governance. The cities are placed in one of five performance bands, from well below average to well above average.

i. edition.cnn.com/2015/08/17/travel/most-liveable-city-2015/

ii. scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1689476/hong-kong-falls-out-top-30-annual-liveability-rankings?page=all

iii. gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/housing.pdf

iv. housingauthority.gov.hk/en/common/pdf/about-us/publications-and-statistics/HIF.pdf

v. scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1833252/hong-kong-must-do-more-ensure-adequate-living-space-its

vi. sg.siemens.com/city_of_the_future/_docs/Asian-Green-City-Index.pdf

Youth Hong Kong

Youth watch| September 2015

32

AUSTRALIA Melbourne Top of the list in the EIUs index of livability across 140 cities.

In 2013, population density was 440 people per sq. km. Total population 4.35 million.

39

Melbournes open spaces were set aside from 1842 onwards on the outskirts of the central city as part of a green belt of parks. Over 14% of the total municipal area is open space. 40

Melbourne is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the municipality to zero by 2020.

41

Typical new one bedroom flats are between 45-50 sq. m.

42

CANADA Vancouver Rated 3rd in the EIUs 2014 liveability index and among the top five for five consecutive years.

Population density is more than 5,249 people/per sq. km. Total population 2.4 million.

Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada, with 52% of its residents having a first language other than English.

Vancouver has approximately 1,300 hectares of parks, which represents 11% of the city's total area, the highest for any major Canadian urban centre.43

In 2010, Vancouver announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33% by 2020.

44

In downtown Vancouver some flats are under 65 sq. m. but the bulk of 2-bedroom condos average 93 sq. m.

45

1. EIU Liveability Index 2015. media.heraldsun.com.au/files/liveability.pdf

2. eca-international.com/myeca/surveys

3. china.org.cn/top10/2015-01/26/content_34646204.htm

4. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

5. ibid

6. lincolninst.edu/pubs/PubDetail.aspx?pubid=2466&URL=Hidden-City--Beijing-s-Subterranean-Housing-Market&Page=2

7. liveablecities.org.au/asian-city-liveable/

8. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

9. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/shanghai-population/

10. gbtimes.com/china/capita-living-space-24-square-meters-shanghaiLiving space

11. bobinoz.com/blog/15440/the-worlds-top-five-most-liveable-countries-2014/

12. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

13. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/tokyo-population/

14. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Property_(Japan)

15. bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Property&title=Manila-climbs-one-place-in-EIU-%E2%80%98Livability%E2%80%99-ranking-for-2014&id=93152

16. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

17. manilatimes.net/smart-green-and-livable-cities-of-the-future/162443/

18. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

19. news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/spore-fourth-most-liveable-city-asia#

20. eca-international.com/news/press_releases/8127/Gap_with_Singapore_widens_as_Hong_Kong_falls_on_global_liveability_index#.VaTOdPmqpBc

21. singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest-data#14

22. teoalida.com/singapore/hdbstatistics/

23. english.seoul.go.kr/get-to-know-us/the-ranking-of-seoul/city-competitiveness-index/2-liveability-eiu/

24. liveablecities.org.au/asian-city-liveable/

25. countriesquest.com/asia/south_korea/land_and_resources/environmental_issues.htm

26. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/seoul-population/

27. english.seoul.go.kr

28. travel.cnn.com/seoul/life/50-reasons-why-seoul-worlds-greatest-city-534720

29. yourultimateapartment.com/korean-apartment-size/

30. bangkokpost.com/print/427613/

31. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

32. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/bangkok-population/

33. propertydata.asia/portfolio/bangkok-q2-2013-property-market-survey-apartment-rent/

34. sg.siemens.com/city_of_the_future/_docs/Asian-Green-City-Index.pdf

35. vietnamonline.com/az/hanoi-population.html

36. siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPURBDEV/Resources/vietnam-Urbanisation.pdf

37. en.hanoi.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Hanoi-plans-to-raise-per-capita-average-housing-area/20146/3595.vnplus

38. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

39. abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/3218.0~2012-13~Main+Features~Victoria?OpenDocument

40. melbourne.vic.gov.au

41. ibid

42. news.domain.com.au/domain/architectural-styles/apartment-sizes-shrink-as-prices-soar-20140514-zrbhg.html

43. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_parks_in_Canada

44. siemens.com/press/pool/de/events/2012/corporate/2012-06-rio20/gci-report-e.pdf

45. rew.ca/news/2-bedroom-condo-prices-biggest-bang-for-buck-1.1341716#sthash.nHxsGAvX.dpuf

Note: Where per capita living space is not available the size of the median popular sized flat is given.

Sources: other cities

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I CE, or InterCultural Education, helps people of varying backgrounds communicate better. The company holds workshops, camps and skills programmes for schools with a team of international trainers from

around the world. Founder Freddy Law and General Manager Till Kraemer, who joined ICE in 2011, talk about their work.

ICE offers a range of learning programmes for young people. To secondary school Intercultural Learning Workshops, they bring a team of young trainers from different countries. They can be Chinese, German, Singaporean, Korean, Japanese, Cameroonian, Nepalese, South African, Yemeni, Pakistani or Australian. This wide range of nationalities means they can effectively offer interactive activities in the school environment for students to learn face to face about different cultures. As Freddy explains, On the one hand, the students perspective gets broader so they see the wider world more clearly. On the other hand, they are learning through the medium of English and this increases motivation, providing an authentic context for using English.

High Flyer sessions for students take the process a step further with themes related to worldwide problems and self-discovery. The students explore, interact with trainers from multiple nations and begin to understand better who they are, what they like and what they want to do in the future, says Till. We usually recruit and mix participants from Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan so the interaction can be quite interesting. By confronting youth with issues such as identity within both a Chinese and a global context, we help them understand themselves and their role in society and the world.

Melting ice

Youth Hong Kong

34

Arts & culture| September 2015

On Social Innovation Learning Trips, the concept used by ICE involves finding effective solutions to pressing social problems like poverty, environmental issues and discrimination. We bring students together to explore what is possible in the urban environment, teach them tools for social innovation and let them discover how to innovate for the sake of society, says Freddy. We introduce them to social enterprise managers and by interacting with them the students gain inspiration and motivation.

Most of the non-Hong Kong students at ICE come from the Greater China region. Sometimes we serve international schools like the Li Po Chun World United College but we also serve local schools in Tuen Mun with classes of ethnic minority South Asian students, some of whom were born in Hong Kong, speak fluent Cantonese and yet suffer widespread discrimination in daily life, Freddy continues.

Till describes how students with ICE learn. In one training project we had a mix of local and ethnic minority students. They worked with each other, learning about their differences and fi