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March 2000

District revamps

Urban planning means that many old building are being demolished and new ones built...

By Carrie Chan

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The Land Development Corporation has undertaken 30 urban redevelopment projects. Fourteen of them are still under construction or active implementation.

The Argyle Street/Shanghai Street redevelopment programme is one of the projects now under construction.

Argyle Street, Reclamation Street and Portland Street are all in this redevelopment site.

Mr. Chan Chen Sung is the senior town planner of the Urban Renewal Division of the Planning Department.

He said the main aim of urban redevelopment projects is to tackle the aging of physical structures and thus improve the living conditions of residents.

According to the Land Development Corporation, problems are not only confined to overcrowding and poor living standards. Drug trafficking and illegal gambling also arouse the concern of the Land Development Corporation.

Mr. Chan said that it usually took a long time before they could get a large piece of land for redevelopment.

The total site area is 11,976 square metres. It involves 538 property interests and affects 6,000 people.

The whole process has taken 69 months. The eligible tenants have been either rehoused by the Land Development Corporation or offered compensation.

The area under redevelopment will be reserved for commercial activities.

A hotel will be built.

Community facilities such as a public light bus terminus, a cooked-food centre and a neighbourhood community centre will also be included.

Links to MTR stations will be provided.

Said Mr. Chan: “How the land would be used depends on the market.

“These urban renewal plans are proposed by the LDC and have been approved by our department and the Town Planning Board.”

The Tsuen Wan Seven Streets redevelopment project is another active urban renewal project. Sha Tsui Road, Tai Ho Road, Yeung Uk Road and Wo Tik Street are within the 20,300-square-metre site.

Most buildings in this area were built decades ago, and they had poor maintenance.

Mr. Jimmy Sha, media relations manager of the Land Development Corporation, said that the problems of overcrowding and living standards were at “an intolerable level”.

“There is a case in which 29 people lived together in the same flat. It is unbelievable,” said Mr. Sha.

The Tsuen Wan Seven Streets redevelopment project is the most challenging programme the Land Development Corporation has undertaken in terms of redevelopment area, number of people affected and complexity of the project.

The project was assigned to the Hong Kong Housing Society 10 years ago. However, little progress has been made throughout the years and the Housing Society abandoned the project in the end.

Mr. Sha said that the huge investment involved was the main reason for the continual delay of the project.

In April 1997, the Government approved the Land Development Corporation’s assumption of responsibility for the Tsuen Wan Seven Streets redevelopment project.

“The Yeung Uk Road linked-site redevelopment project was also granted to cross-subsidize the Tsuen Wan project,” Mr. Sha added.

At that time, there were 7,500 residents living in Tsuen Wan Town Centre owing to the continuous influx of immigrants from the Mainland.

The project involved 770 property interests. The Land Development Corporation started acquisition in mid-1997 and had acquired 85 percent of the property interests within a year.

Tenants accepted either rehousing or cash compensation from the Land Development Corporation.

The redevelopment includes seven high-quality residential towers built above the shopping arcades

There will be a green terrace embracing the towers and a landscaped garden with a fountain. Institutional and community facilities will include a hostel for moderately mentally handicapped people, a multi-service centre for the elderly, and a public light bus terminus.

Prof. Ng Mee Kam teaches urban planning at the Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Hong Kong.

To improve the quality of urban planning, Prof. Ng said the government and planners should be more open to public opinion in order to have more efficient allocation of resources.

The government now holds regular consultation forums to obtain opinions from the public. For example, the reclamation plan for redeveloping southeast Kowloon received about 800 objections, especially from those who live in Whampoa Garden.

The proposal was therefore turned down.

Prof. Jack Sidener, who teaches in the Architecture Department at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, believes that good urban planning should be closely related to people.

According to Prof. Sidener, good space, good access to work, to schools and to shops are important.

The preservation of culture, historical places and environment are also necessary for good urban planning.

Having helped the Wan Chai residents to assert their rights, Prof. Sidener said that the government has shown more concern for different voices in urban planning.

Most of the residents in Wan Chai are elderly people and new immigrants who do not want to move.

“After voicing their opinions to the government, the redevelopment was slowed down,” said Prof. Sidener.

As it takes a large amount of money to buy land for redevelopment, the Hong Kong government has shifted the leading role in urban redevelopment to private development companies since the 1980s. This reduces the administrative and financial expenditures on land development.

Private development companies emphasize profits and markets.

In most cases, residents of the to-be-redeveloped areas can hardly enjoy the fruits of redevelopment.

According to Mr. Chan, the planning decision of these facilities was made after consulting the Social Welfare Department and the District Councils.

The Tsuen Wan redevelopment project is expected to be completed in 2003.

By that time, the inner streets, including Ho Pui Street, San Tsuen Street and Sai Lau Street, will vanish.

Mr. Ho Chi Wing is an assistant professor in the master of urban design programme in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong.

Prof. Ho criticized the inefficiency of urban renewal projects of Hong Kong.

He compared the situation of urban renewal in Singapore to that of Hong Kong.

“In Singapore, the land development organization has the power to resume the property interests and to change the land use without consulting the Town Planning Board,” said he.

Prof. Ho said the Land Development Corporation does not have the power of Singapore’s land development organization. This explains why their planning and acquisition processes in Hong Kong are much slower.

“Though the LDC has been established for more than 10 years, they haven’t actually renewed many buildings,” added Prof. Ho.

He said that the Singaporean government also provides adequate public housing for relocation of tenants. Shop owners are given discounts on rent when moved to other shopping arcades in Singapore.

Prof. Ho said that the Land Development Corporation lacks money and has to rely on large contractors.

Explained Prof. Ho: “In Singapore, there is more funding for urban renewal. They also organize project design competitions which improve the quality of their buildings.”




 

 

 


 





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With the closing of Kai Tak airport, the government is thinking of redeveloping Kowloon City. (Wong Po Kwan)

 

 

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Reclamation Street’s old buildings. (Wong Sze Wan)

 

 

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Old buildings are abundant in Tsuen Wan. Most of them have poor maintenance. (Wong Sze Man)

 



Internet Links:
Planning Department
Hong Kong Housing Society
University of Hong Kong
Architecture Department
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Social Welfare Department
District Councils



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