who has a right to asia’s world city:1% vs 99%?...urban thinkers campus: 03 – who has a right to...

Urban Thinkers Campus: 03 – Who has a right to Asia’s World City: 1% vs 99%?

Who has a right to Asia’s World City:1% vs 99%?29 August 2015

Hong Kong, China

03UTC

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Urban Thinkers Campus Partner Organisation

Disclaimer:

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication pages do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat

of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries

regarding its economic system or degree of development. Excerpts may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Views expressed in

this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, the United Nations and its member states.

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Table of Contents

Urban Thinkers Campus in figures ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Introduction to UTC ................................................................................................................................................................... 5

The City We Need Principle(s) addressed ................................................................................................................................. 5

Key outcomes of the UTC........................................................................................................................................................... 8

Key recommendations................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Key actors................................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Outstanding issues................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Speakers................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

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Urban Thinkers Campus in figures

9 170

5

22COUNTRIESREPRESENTED PARTICIPANTS ORGANIZATIONS

CONSTITUENTGROUPSREPRESENTED

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Introduction

The Urban Thinker Campus (UTC) was co-organized by Designing Hong

Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Faculty of Social Science,

the Urban Studies Programme, the Master of Urban Design Programme

and the Institute of Future Cities) to discuss who has a right to the city of

Hong Kong.

The objectives of the UTC were to better understand Hong Kong’s

challenges and the lessons for global urban development. The Umbrella

Movement – took hold of Hong Kong’s streets for three months in 2014. It

brought to the fore the growing socio-spatial disparity. It also put the spot

light on a narrowing job base, a lack of entrepreneurial opportunities, and

a near 20 year freeze on starting salaries, unaffordable housing, a loss of

street frontage for small businesses, and hegemony over land resources by

the few property developers. The situation for Hong Kong is complicated

by the ongoing integration with the Mainland.

The discussions were organized along a number of themes, including:

World city vs. Great city; Mainland integration; Public space in a dense

city; Speculative vs. affordable housing; and Land hegemony. Solid

discussions allowed participants to critically review the adequacy of

The City We Need document, and to reach consensus on proposed

amendments.

The City We Need Principle(s) addressedWe have addressed all nine principles discussed in The City We Need

document.

Is Hong Kong the City We Need? Urban Thinkers Campus @urbancampaign at CUHK 29 Aug 2015. Find out more and register: http://www.arch.cuhk.edu.hk/urbandesign/urbanthinkers2015.html …https://twitter.com/MSCUDxCUHK/status/625531386384900096

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Matrix of linkages - TCWN 1.0 vs. new recommendationsThe City We Need Principles 1.0 Recommendations for The City We Need:

The city we need is socially inclusive The city we need is socially inclusive.

It provides spaces and opportunities for all segments and age groups of the population to partake in social and cultural

expressions and interactions. It eliminates all physical, spatial, material and immaterial forms of segregation and exclusion.

It should take the necessary steps to raise the public’s awareness of the value of urban diversity. To foster a thriving society

the city should enable the growth of each individual. The city we need fosters a spirit of respect and care about one and

other and the environment. It endeavors to develop a concept of “WE rather than ME”. The city we need recognizes its

dependence on its rural hinterlands, and its ecological footprint.

The city we need is well planned,

walkable, and transit-friendly

The city we need is well planned and designed to be attractive, walkable, and transit-friendly.

Continuous public space networks link different parts of the city and offer comfortable spaces for different human activities

across the cities. Schools are within walking or biking distance from homes. Offices are located no farther than a few

transit stops away from homes. Public facilities and shopping for daily necessities are within walking distance of residential

buildings and located near transit stops. Open space for recreation is near schools, work, and home. Priorities should be

given to pedestrians and higher open space ratio should be achieved.

The city we need is a regenerative city The city we need is a regenerative city.

It is designed to be resilient by being energy efficient, low-carbon, and increasingly reliant on renewable energy sources. It

produces and replenishes the resources it consumes and recycles and reuses waste. It uses water, land, energy and other

resources in a coordinated manner and in harmony with its natural environment and surrounding hinterland in support of

urban and peri-urban agriculture. It prioritizes the development of brownfields and the use of sustainable food supply and

green building materials.

The city we need is economically vibrant

and inclusive

The city we need is economically vibrant, inclusive and promotes social mobility

It encourages and fosters local economic development from the smallest entrepreneur to the largest corporations. It

provides a one-stop shop for streamlined licensing and other administrative services. It recognizes and protects the specific

needs of the informal sector of the economy in its economic development policies and strategies. The city we need provides

adequate job opportunities and career options for all ages especially the younger generation. The economic structure should

allow people to move up the social ladder instead of being stuck in a socially polarized scenario.

The city we need has a positive identity

and sense of place

The city we need has a positive identity, a strong sense of place and generates a sense of belonging.

It recognizes culture and diversity as key to human dignity and to sustainability. It recognizes the value of heritage, tradition

and organic strengths. It highlights the importance of conservation of culture and lifestyle of local people and its citizens

have a strong sense of place and ownership to the city. The creative potential of all citizens should be enhanced and

prioritized. It strengthens the bonds between city and its surrounding hinterland.

The city we need is a safe city The city we need is a safe city.

The city is welcoming night and day, inviting all people to use the streets, parks, and transit without fear. Public officials -

the police, the fire department, and health, welfare, transit, and environmental services - and neighborhood residents and

community groups communicate frequently and speak with one voice. It prevents unsustainable practices and regulations

are reviewed regularly.

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The City We Need Principles 1.0 Recommendations for The City We Need:

The city we need is a healthy city The city we need is a healthy and livable city.

The city’s parks and gardens are havens of peace and tranquility and harbor local flora and fauna and biodiversity. All public

and private entities providing public services (water, waste, energy, transport) work together with the city’s residents and

have public and environmental health as a common performance indicator. The city should use energy in a sustainable

manner; equate social cohesion with healthy lifestyle and balance housing with public space provision.

The city we need is affordable and

equitable.

The city we need is just, fair, affordable, and equitable.

Land, infrastructure, housing, and basic services are planned with different income groups involved. Public services and

land resources are planned together with the communities they serve and consciously include the needs of women, youth,

minorities and vulnerable populations. Everyone inhabiting the city should be regarded as a citizen regardless of legal

status. It avoids deprivation of rights and services to citizens and strives to represent public interests.

The city we need is managed at the

metropolitan level

The city we need is participatory and managed at the metropolitan level.

It coordinates sectorial policies and actions (economy, mobility, biodiversity, energy, water, and waste) within a

comprehensive and coherent local framework. It incorporates a strong sense of community. Citizens are equipped with the

knowledge and means to express their views on urban issues. They engage in city management and planning decisions

through transparent public discussion. Communities and neighborhoods are active participants in metropolitan decision

making. Roles and responsibilities between all stakeholders, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, are clearly

defined with resources allocated strategically, justly, and around a common agenda. It has a government that listens and

responds to a trusting people. In summary, the city we need is socially inclusive, well-planned, regenerative and resilient,

and prosperous.

The city we need embraces and

encourages experimentation in the use

and development of space.

A regenerative city dares to experiment.

The city we need is regenerative and not afraid to open itself to new ideas and innovations and communicates well at all

levels. The city we need engages in an open and transparent way at local, regional and national levels. It welcomes new

ideas, experiments, and innovation. It develops multi- level open and democratic institutions and dialogue.

The city we need cares. The city we need cares.

The city we need fosters a spirit of respect and care about one another and the environment. It endeavors to develop a

concept of WE rather than ME. The city we need recognizes its dependence on its rural hinterlands, and its ecological

footprint.

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Key outcomes of the UTC

Main outcomes of the discussions:

• Thorough discussions of the five thematic areas central to the future

development of Hong Kong

• World city vs. great city: The Vision of a healthy and livable city where people are

aware of biodiversity, the importance of producing less waste,

adopt low carbon living style, pursue sustainability, less self-

centred and willing to recreate the village feeling, treating one

another with respect and responsibility. The city should have

affordable housing, mixed urban diversity and zones for urban

experimentation.

• Mainland integration: Hong Kong and China are both learning to make the integration

successful. The benefits and barriers for Hong Kong to integrate

with China and Chinese immigrants integrating into Hong Kong

society were discussed and some solutions suggested.

• Speculative vs. affordable housing: As land proceeds is an important source of revenue for the

government and housing in Hong Kong is available to outside

investors, housing prices are bound to be high. The questions

are how to provide affordable housing and how to build

sustainable communities.

• Public space in a dense city: Public spaces in Hong Kong include streets/roads, parks etc.

but there has not been integrated/holistic views on these often

over-regulated spaces. People are yearning for diversified

walkable, cycle-friendly and comfortable public spaces in the

city!

• Land hegemony: The colonial legacy of “de-historising” and “de-politicising”

education, the lack of information in the public domain,

government-private sector collusion have all contributed to the

hegemonic thoughts that there is scarcity of land in Hong Kong.

• Proposals for changes to the City We Need principles and roadmap

were agreed on.

• The participants from all walks of life have pledged to join future

discussions about Hong Kong’s future.

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Key recommendationsWORLD CITy vS. GREAT CITy: A great city is not just an economically competitive world city. Rather, it

should be a city that updates or invents economic policies to incentivize good

and green practices and devises appropriate laws to encourage competition.

A great city pays attention to using existing resources more efficiently,

investing in renewable resources and providing green infrastructure such as

recycling facilities and cycling tracks. A great city seeks to be self-sufficient,

respecting the principle of geographical equity. To enhance the production

of a city that people need, a great city embraces ‘experimental urbanism’,

creating space prototypes (e.g. small civic spaces for community use or

new types of living cum working spaces) that demonstrate an efficient and

equitable use of the public realm by different stakeholders. Through the

co-use of space and places by different stakeholders, citizens can cultivate

mutual respect, love and caring attitudes. Information and communication

technologies will be used to disseminate information, engage and empower

the general public, allowing decisions to be made in a more transparent

and decentralized manner. School curriculums can also be reformulated to

encourage behavioural changes.

MAINLAND INTEGRATION:There is a need to develop some kind of consensus among different parties

in Hong Kong regarding its relationship with mainland China. Hong Kong

perhaps can learn from the European Union on how smaller countries

benefit from integrating with bigger entities or political economies.

A regional perspective is necessary for urban planning in Hong Kong.

Residents in Hong Kong and mainland China should learn from one another

how things work in their specific context. Eventually there is a need to have

a democratic institution to plan and manage the region that facilitates

dialogues to promote mutual understanding, resolving value and cultural

differences and facilitating physical integration. However, this may be

difficult if China continues to refuse granting Hong Kong a truly democratic

political entity.

SPECULATIvE vS. AffORDAbLE HOUSING:The Government should play a stronger role in deterring speculative

practices in the property market and introduce rent control. To provide more

affordable housing, the Government should build more public (subsidized)

housing. Indeed people should have a right to affordable housing and to

choose where they want to live. Housing should be seen as in its use value

not exchange value. A bottom-up approach should be used to understand the

housing needs of different groups including the elderly and the homeless.

Mandating the proper maintenance of old buildings could be another

source of affordable housing. Urban planning can also help to facilitate

the construction of more private housing. More planning and design efforts

should be made to integrate old and new developments.

Programme Recommendation[Hong Kong Urban Thinkers Campus / A UN Habitat Event] AIT Building, The Chinese... http://fb.me/4rrjnUXSl https://twitter.com/MaD_Asia/status/630695370935410689

MaD Asia @MaD_Asia Aug 10

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PUbLIC SPACE IN A DENSE CITy:It is very important to design public space to the differential needs of

different demographic groups. Cities we need provide a variety and diversity

of public open space, including car free environments for pedestrians

and cyclists. More activities should be allowed in the public realm (as

currently the Government managed public parks forbid many activities

including ball games and cycling, etc.) such as community gardening to

boost social inclusiveness. Instead of privatizing public space, Government

should introduce policies that include spaces for social uses in commercial

facilities such as mandating public/social spaces in shopping malls and

mass transit stations etc. More power should be given to local communities

in terms of designing and managing open space, including revitalizing

street level interactions, building roof-top gardens in local facilities and

organizing community-based activities in local spaces/streets (currently

there is no mechanism to allow this to happen). This will also facilitate the

dissemination of information on open space for different groups. To allow

a better use of the public realm by different groups, other policy changes

are required. For instance, work/life balance needs to be addressed as the

majority of the working population simply has no time to enjoy public space.

Housing needs of the homeless has to be attended to so that public spaces

currently occupied by the homeless can be released for public use.

LAND HEGEMONy:To overcome the problem of land hegemony (there is a perceived

understanding that Government has been pro-growth and has privileged

the developers in the development process as over a quarter of its revenue

is related to land sale and subsequent development), a more democratic

system is required when it comes to land use development and planning.

There needs to be an interactive platform between the Government and

the general public, including the district council representatives, estate

management companies, the public etc. to understand the needs of property

users before plans are generated. The plans generated should be carefully

assessed and reviewed by the public, media etc. through the facilitation

of a third party organization before decisions are made. The third party

organization should also continue to monitor the execution of the plan by

the Government, developers or NGOs.

Besides a more transparent land development process, information and

communication technology can be invoked to facilitate the circulation of

information and small-scale cooperative development that can enhance the

practice of joint-ownership, cooperative housing or the building of an urban

common. We can also encourage civil servants to learn about the latest

socio-political conditions. More information on the property stakeholders

should be provided. To alleviate the problem of land hegemony, there is a

need to widen the tax base, diversity the economy and educate the general

public the genesis of today’s problems.

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Key actors

Everyone needs to be involved in order to achieve the stated suggestions

above:

• Government: update laws, enforcement, managing public finance to

incentivize, educate the general public and engage the communities

using ICT, increasing flat size, pedestrian Central areas, developing

comprehensive cycling tracks, ‘public servants on public transport’,

engage the public in making decisions, empowering district councils,

develop prototypes for urban experiments, use competition policy to

break monopoly, set up democratic planning mechanisms at different

geographical levels

• Private sector: investing in urban green infrastructure, urban

regeneration and ICT, build larger flats

• NGOs: The Cinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to facilitate future

dialogues

• Individuals: needs to work harder in terms of learning, learn more

about China and integrate better with mainland Chinese, behavioral

changes to be aware of biodiversity, respect one another, express

views and participate in planning and land development issues

Outstanding issues

Hong Kong has a long way to go to achieve The City We Need. The Cinese

University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will endeavor to facilitate the continuation

of the dialogue.

Urban solutionsReframing development philosophy, culture and mindsetTo build the city we need, a reframing of our development philosophy

is in order. What we need is people-centred and environment-centred

development that aims to empower people in the long run. This would

require cultural or mindset changes about the ultimate goal of development.

Urban spaces are for use, and not just for exchange values in the market.

Long-term policies to empower people and nurture the environmentLong-term strategies should be developed to promote policies for

ecologically friendly infrastructure development and integrated land use,

transport and environmental planning to meet people’s needs in city living

such as affordable housing.

Decentralization of planning, implementation and decision-making powerThere needs to be decentralization of planning, implementation and

decision-making power so that people are not just being consulted but have

the opportunities to participate and make decisions throughout the planning

and development process, enhancing its transparency. Credible third parties

from the civil society or academia may also be involved in the process to

ensure procedural justice and equitable outcomes. Local councils or specific

authorities should be delegated the implementation power so that concrete

outcomes such as green infrastructure, non-motorized transportation

network, civil spaces for community building or re-communing can be

delivered.

Is Hong Kong the City We Need? Urban Thinkers Campus @urbancampaign at CUHK 29 Aug 2015. Find out more and register: http://www.arch.cuhk.edu.hk/urbandesign/urbanthinkers2015.html …https://twitter.com/MSCUDxCUHK/status/625531386384900096

MSc in UD x CUHK@MSCUDxCUHK Jul 27

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SpeakersUrban Lab Affiliation Moderators

World City vs. Great City The Chinese University of Hong Kong Mee Kam Ng

World City vs. Great City Make a Difference Ada Wong

Mainland Integration Hong Kong Institute of Planners Eunice Mak

Mainland Integration Designing Hong Kong Paul Zimmermen

Public Space in a Dense City Hong Kong Public Space Initiative Kenneth Chan

Public Space in a Dense City The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hendrik Tieben

Speculative Vs. Affordable Housing Master Plan Consultancy Ian Brownlee

Speculative Vs. Affordable Housing The Chinese University of Hong Kong Edward Yiu

Land Hegemony Liber Research Community Kim Ching Chan

Land Hegemony The University of Hong Kong Cecilia Chu

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1. Australia

2. Canada

3. China

4. Hong Kong

5. Malaysia

6. New Zealand

7. The Netherlands

8. Turkey

9. United Kingdom

List of all countries present

List of organizations present List of partners1. School of Architecture,

2. The Chinese University of Hong Kong

3. Department of Geography and Resource Management,


5. Institute of Future Studies

6. Urban Studies Programme,


8. The Master of Urban Design Programme,


10. Faculty of Social Science,


12. Designing Hong Kong

1. ACT Social Awareness Network

2. Center for Architecture and Urbanism

3. Central & Western Concern Group

4. Civic Exchange

5. Hong Kong Public Space Initiative

6. Make A Difference

7. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS)

8. The Asia-Pacific Housing Forum

9. Institution of Civil Engineers

10. Hong Kong Institute Landscape Architects

11. Hong Kong Institute of Planners

12. Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design

13. HKCSS - HSBC Social Enterprise Business Centre

14. WECONS

15. Hong Kong Institute of Asia Pacific Studies

Urban Lab Affiliation Moderators

World City vs. Great City The Chinese University of Hong Kong Mee Kam Ng

World City vs. Great City Make a Difference Ada Wong

Mainland Integration Hong Kong Institute of Planners Eunice Mak

Mainland Integration Designing Hong Kong Paul Zimmermen

Public Space in a Dense City Hong Kong Public Space Initiative Kenneth Chan

Public Space in a Dense City The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hendrik Tieben

Speculative Vs. Affordable Housing Master Plan Consultancy Ian Brownlee

Speculative Vs. Affordable Housing The Chinese University of Hong Kong Edward Yiu

Land Hegemony Liber Research Community Kim Ching Chan

Land Hegemony The University of Hong Kong Cecilia Chu

United Nations Human Settlements Programme P.O. Box 30030 Nairobi 00100, Kenya

World Urban Campaign Secretariatwww.worldurbancampaign.orgEmail: [email protected] Tel.: +254 20 762 1234 www.unhabitat.org

www.arch.cuhk.edu.hk/urbandesign/urbanthinkers2015.html

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