2022 Spring Issue - 29

The 10 spaces profiled include a
Ladder Street lot with metal roof.
government-owned open lot on the
pedestrian Ladder Street in Sheung
Wan, which could be cleaned up
and reinvented as a resting spot
for pedestrians taking the street's
350 steps, with a green wall added
to make the environment more
appealing. A bare open space
alongside the Bowen Road hiking
trail in Wanchai could be activated
with seating and planting that does
not obscure the view toward
Victoria Harbor.
The transformations have been
Sketch of Ladder Street lot reinvented as a resting spot.
suggested with the aim of creating
flexible spaces that appeal to a
wide section of the community and
to create a greener, healthier, and
more sustainable environment. A
challenge for projects of this nature
is finding financial support from
both the public and private sectors
for both transforming sites and for
longer-term maintenance.
" The cost of transforming these
sites varies enormously, but it can
actually be very low-as little as
HK$100,000 [US$13,000] to tidy up
and add some benches and planters, "
says Brooke. " Larger sites
involve far greater sums and higher
upkeep costs. "
Because it has control over land
Viewing area along hiking trail in Wanchai.
and land use, it is crucial that the
government support projects like
this, and Brooke reports some
success, even though there is reluctance
to hand over long-term control
of a site that might be required
for development in the future.
" The government has been more
Sketch of viewing area activated with seating and plantings.
supportive, although not quick to
act, " she says. " There does seem
more of an appetite these days to
listen to public suggestions about
what might be done with the built
environment. The government is
prepared to give us control of sites,
but only for a limited period. We
can have these spaces for five to
seven years only, but that can still
be very worthwhile. "
The next stage for the project is
to transform three sites to create
" The wide range of
community support for
this initiative . . . has been
particularly encouraging. "
-PANEL MEMBER ELI
KONVITZ, DIRECTOR OF URBAN
DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN,
SOUTHEAST ASIA, ATKINS.
new open spaces. The first site, a
small, partially open plot in Taikoo
Place, is actually outside the remit
of the original study but owned by
developer Swire Properties, which
is supportive of the site's improvements.
Aside from the benefits they
will bring to the community, the
three sites will showcase what can
be done with unloved and underused
spaces.
To help community groups and
landowners get the best out of such
plots, the panel also produced a
toolkit, Making Space for Parks: A
Toolkit for Hong Kong, which draws
on its knowledge of Hong Kong
and the best practices around the
world. " We have hopes for the toolkit
we produced, because that gives
people the guidelines they need
to get going with this type of project, "
Brooke says. " But of course it
requires grassroots awareness and
community involvement.
In the longer term, it will be up
to Hongkongers to do more with
the spaces in their city. However,
the ULI panel has assisted with
both theoretical tools and practical
examples. UL
MARK COOPER is a freelance journalist based in
Hong Kong.
SPRING 2022
URBAN LAND
29
ULI STAFF AND PROJECT VOLUNTEERS
ULI STAFF AND PROJECT VOLUNTEERS
2022 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 Spring Issue
