A deeper look at new towns

By Mimi Lok

T he traffic congestion that oc- curred in Tuen Mun in Sep- tember left the Tuen Mun residents with grievances. Some people came to doubt that the concept of new towns, the alleged self-contained cities, even works.

The objectives of planning new town were to ease the housing needs for the increasing population and to supply land for industrial development.

The concept can be traced to the early ’60s, when the population increased rapidly because of the flood of refugees from China. The first problem raised was the housing problem.

The government started to plan new towns. In 1972, it started the 10-year housing proposal.

A spokesperson of the New Territories Planning Board of the Planning Department said, “We want the new town to be self-sufficient and develop in a balanced way.”

According to the Planning Board, town planning is the process of guiding and controlling the development and use of land. It aims at promoting the health, safety, convenience and general welfare of the community.

The spokesperson said, “The new town planned that time included industrial development. An industrial area was introduced in each new town, as most people worked in factories in the early ’70s.

“Factories provide job opportunities which is for the convenience of the residents.”

However, the present picture is not the one that was planned.

Said Miss Ma Kim Yan, 19, of Tuen Mun: “Apparently, many Tuen Mun residents go out to work. No one is willing to work in the factories.”

“Nearly all the residents who moved to Tuen Mun came from urban areas. They were unwilling to forgo their jobs in the cities. The government should note the problem and find ways to solve it.

“I just wonder why the government does not take any action to attract more offices to Tuen Mun,” said Miss Ma.

The Planning Board replied that this is because of the non-intervention policy. Therefore, the government has no special action on this matter.

“All we can do is to supply land, labour force and essential infrastructure,” said the Planning Board.

The spokesperson of the Planning Board added: “We are now having two millions people living in eight new towns. If there were no new town, people would have lived in an extremely congested way.

“In addition, new towns are better than the old areas, like Mongkok and Sham Shui Po. We must admit that new town planning is important and has its contribution.”

Professor Anthony Yeh, assistant director of the Center of Urban Planning and Environmental Management in University of Hong Kong, stated that the government had tried its best to plan new towns.

Mr. Yeh said that Hong Kong people are now better educated and they are unwilling to work in factories. They like to work in offices and be better paid.

The situation worsened when the factories moved inland.

“The most important thing was the change of policy in China. In the early ’80s, China opened her doors and welcomed foreign investors. Because of the cheap labour force and abundant land supply, most factories moved inland.

“We did not expect there would be so many lorries using Tuen Mun Highway. We need time to react and improve,” said the spokesperson of the Planning Board.

Mr. Yeh thought that new town is not a bad choice at all.

“Self-sufficient town is a good suggestion but other related policies are complementary,” said Mr. Yeh.

He commented that in the case of Tuen Mun, social facilities are adequate. Open space is reserved for parks, playgrounds and recreational purposes. The living conditions have been improved a lot.

“We cannot blame the government as some factors cannot be anticipated. Honestly speaking, the result of new town planning is satisfactory.”

Yvonne Lee Ka Wai, 19, of Sha Tin, showed her appreciation to the idea of new town planning.

“Although it takes time to travel to urban areas, town planning is still very good. Roads are wide and shopping centres can easily be accessed.

“Sha Tin, as a new town, is successful. Compared with 10 years ago, the living conditions have been improved. I think Sha Tin is on the way to be self-contained,” said Miss Lee.