April 2016 – Waiting for the Green Leap Forward
In April 2010, Periscope looked at Hong Kong's "Green Awakening". Now, six years on we explore how far Hong Kong has travelled down the road of environmental awareness and protection.
EIA: an Imperfect Assessment
Large scale development projects need Environmental Impact Assessment reports, which are supposed to measure how much the projects would the environment and the wildlife living there. But many people say the process is deeply flawed, including conflicts of interest where a developer can hire one of their own branches to do the assessment.
Environment and Politics Don’t Mix?
Why does Hong Kong not have a political green party that can fight and win elections? Politicians can push green policies and legislate change, but some say there’s not much politicians or even the government can do in a town dominated by property developers and landowners.
Turning Awareness into Action
Hongkongers are reasonably aware of the need for environmental protection, but some people still throw away waste paper and recyclable takeaway containers, or leave the tap running for more than they need to. What does it take to move people from lip-service to actually protecting the environment?
March 2016 – Remaking our Communities
In this issue of Varsity, we look at different aspects of “community” in Hong Kong. A community can refer to a group of people...
Build From the Bottom Up
District councils are meant to serve residents, but in reality they can be out of touch with the public or lack the power to bring meaningful change. Some residents are taking matters into their own hands and forming their own groups to get things done.
Virtual Districts
More and more people are forming online groups for the districts where they live, and some of these groups are building connections in the real world with events like street fairs and screenings of a football World Cup qualifier.
The Wrong Mix
Each district has its own sports and recreational facilities, but what they have may not be what they need. Districts with ageing population don’t have much for the elderly, whereas others have gateball courts that are only used 40 per cent of the time.
Dec 2015 – Is Hong Kong International, Transparent and Efficient?
InvestHK calls our city “International, Transparent and Efficient” when explaining why “Hong Kong is the ideal place to do business in Asia.” In this issue...
Holding on to our International Edge
Hong Kong's economy is integrating more and more with the Mainland. Will this affect the city's status and brand as an international finance centre?
