Esther H.K. Yung

Is the development control legal framework conducive to a sustainable dense urban development in Hong Kong

Abstract Like many Western countries, Hong Kong as a densely populated modern city is moving towards the goal of urban sustainability. However, the implementation mechanisms towards achieving such a goal are indeed a complex and often contentious process. Increasing demands have been made by the public in requesting developers to minimise the impact of property development on the environment. These global concerns can be much more difficult to implement in a city like Hong Kong that has a high concentration of urban population, constant pressure upon infrastructures and a limited supply of land resources. This paper argues that much of the rationale behind the prevailing development control laws today is not conducive to meeting with the requirements of “sustainability”. A research was carried out to identify the obstacles in the area of planning and building laws that hinder the implementation of sustainable dense urban development. The research is backed with a review on the criteria anticipated by the Hong Kong government for sustainable development and an appraisal of the development control legal framework in Hong Kong to find any defects in the existing system. Following a questionnaire survey, a series of in-depth interviews was also conducted to explore the possibility of improvements. The correlation of several major issues is also identified. Recommendations are presented in this paper with the aim to minimise the barriers created by the current development control legal framework towards the goal of a sustainable dense urban development.

Community-initiated adaptive reuse of historic buildings and sustainable development in the inner city of Shanghai

AbstractThis paper explores a unique case of a community-initiated urban regeneration through the adaptive reuse of historic buildings in the Tianzifang district in Shanghai. The adaptive reuse of historic buildings has increasingly become a successful approach which contributes to the concept of sustainable development in many rapidly developing, densely populated Asian cities, such as Shanghai. This study aims to develop a theoretical framework for sustainable community-initiated adaptive reuse through the mixed method of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Data were collected from a case study, in-depth interviews, and surveys. This study also intends to demonstrate the positive link between community-initiated adaptive reuse and sustainable development. This study adopts a four spheres framework of sustainability comprising the social, economic, environmental, and political-institutional concerns to examine the transformation process in Tianzifang. This paper illustrates that a community-initiated ...

Neighborhood Change in Semiurbanized Villages: Case Study of Shanghai

AbstractIn common with some underprivileged racial groups in U.S. cities, migrant workers tend to be regarded as an undesirable group in Chinese urban societies. The ongoing influx of migrant workers into urban neighborhoods will accordingly result in neighborhood change in China. As a peculiar neighborhood pattern, semiurbanized villages have started to emerge in fringe areas of China’s rapidly expanding cities as the country is going through a transitional phase. Taking such urban neighborhood pattern in Shanghai as an example, this study examines neighborhood change within urban fringe areas as they experience inflow of migrant workers. It is argued that the invasion-succession model is not applicable to neighborhood change research in the Chinese semiurbanized village context. The transitional process taking place among these neighborhoods is different from that predicted by the classical model. The differences are largely attributable to the peculiar urban-rural dualistic structure in China that is a...

Assessing the social impact of revitalising historic buildings on urban renewal: the case of a local participatory mechanism

The tension between heritage conservation and redevelopment is a constant unresolved issue. Urban renewal usually involves large scale demolition and redevelopment, which destroys sense of place, history and peoples memories. The conservation of historic buildings is increasingly recognised as contributing to the social well-being and sustainability of an urban city. However, numerous historic buildings located in old dilapidated areas are often demolished to make way for urban renewal. As a consequence, social problems such as destruction of existing social networks, expulsion of vulnerable groups and adverse impact on living environments are often the result. However, the impact and the role of revitalisation of historic buildings in urban renewal districts still lack a robust evaluation framework. This study aims to identify the social impact of revitalising historic buildings in urban renewal on community life. Using in-depth interviews with a panel of experts and an intensive review of the literature, a list of factors that have social impact was created and elaborated on. A case study of an older area in Hong Kong served as an illustration of the social impact of revitalisation of historic buildings in urban renewal districts. It revealed that a successful NGO and a community participatory mechanism largely affect the social impact of revitalising historic buildings in urban renewal.

Evaluation of urban sustainability and adaptive reuse of built heritage areas: a case study on conservation in Hong Kong’s CBD

Conservation principles and sustainability play a vital role in the practice of building adaptive reuse. Building adaptive reuse is a significant strategy for promoting sustainable built environment. Meeting the current needs of existing buildings and ensuring the future ‘adaptivity’ of new buildings contribute to global climate protection and emission reduction. When designing new buildings, it is important to be concerned with maximising the adaptive reuse potential of buildings later in their lives to help mitigate the effects of a changing climate. Designers should consider the existing urban context and the needs of new buildings through appropriate design technologies. This paper is a further research reporting on the application of the adaptSTAR model to the remaining heritage buildings in Hong Kong’s CBD. It is expected that this research will be useful in the practical applications of adaptive reuse in both existing and future buildings while maintaining the existing urban structure for sustainability.

Re-examining the Growth Machine Ideology of Cities: Conservation of Historic Properties in Hong Kong

This article aims to examine (1) what impact growth machine ideology has on historic conservation and vice versa, (2) how heritage conservation effort’s institutional arrangements affect the composition and operation of growth coalitions, and (3) the impact of public concern on manipulating the growth machine ideology. This study looks at the conservation of two cases in Hong Kong, both of which have extremely high land value, to examine the complex interplay between built heritage and growth machine politics. The study also reveals how growth coalitions extend beyond formal institutional arrangements and how public concerns also greatly shape and determine the role of heritage conservation in contributing to growth in urban politics. This study provides a deeper understanding of the shifting value of heritage in cities where the growth machine thesis is espoused and examines how it is reframed by different actors.

Evaluation of the social values and willingness to pay for conserving built heritage in Hong Kong

Purpose – This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the major factors of social value and the willingness to pay amount for conserving a historic site, using Hong Kong as a case study of a dense urban city with immense tension between conservation and development. It also evaluates, in monetary terms, the social values, which are almost impossible to measure in built heritage conservation. Design/methodology/approach – It adopts evaluation ratings and the contingent valuation method to estimate Hong Kong citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the conservation of the Central Police Station compound. Findings – The results of 256 surveys suggest that the extent to which the historic site can provide a “sense of place and identity”, “social inclusion” and “community participation” is positively correlated to the WTP amount. The respondents’ satisfaction with the new use of the site, their work location and education level affected the amount they were willing to contribute to the conservation proj...

Economic valuation of historic properties: review and recent developments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify a list of underlying considerations in choosing the appropriate economic valuation method for use in the conservation of historic property and to highlight the importance of non‐use values in making decisions.Design/methodology/approach – A thorough literature review is conducted to provide a concise overview of the most commonly used economic valuation methods in the cultural heritage field. The stated and revealed preference methods were analyzed. Their theoretical basis, methodology and analysis procedures are described. By highlighting the strengths and limitations of these evaluation methods for use in the different context, a list of underlying factors for choosing the appropriate method for different decision‐making problems in managing historic properties were deduced.Findings – The underlying considerations in choosing the appropriate evaluation method in historic properties include “Matching the objectives ”, “Evaluate use or non‐use values ”, “...

Urban Regeneration Process: The Legacy Village in the Urban City of Hong Kong

It is increasingly recognized that embracing heritage conservation in urban regeneration plan can enhance sustainable development. However, the complex juxtaposition of conservation and urban regeneration has to be clearly addressed in cities relying heavily in property development and economic growth. The paper investigates the Nga Tsin Wai old village in the urban city of Hong Kong. It aims to explore the contested roles of the key stakeholders in the debate of the conservation and redevelopment of the village over the past twenty years. Focus group meetings of the original inhabitants and in-depth interviews of different stakeholders groups were conducted. The case vividly demonstrates the key challenges of integrating heritage conservation in the redevelopment of the old village including incompatible interests of different stakeholders groups, fragmented institutional arrangements, and lack of supportive government policies. This paper recommends a stronger collaboration between urban planners, conservationists and policy makers for better integration of the different regimes of economic development, real estate development, land use planning, and housing and urban policy. Most importantly, supportive government policy, especially in land use planning throughout the whole process is fundamental to resolve the conflicts arise from different interest groups.

The future adaptivity of nineteenth century heritage buildings

Purpose Designing for the future sustainability and adaptability of building assets contributes to waste and emission reduction. Moreover, sustainable design and conservation principles are necessary for achieving sustainable and adaptable built heritage. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the improved adaptSTAR model in regards to maximising the future adaptive reuse and sustainability of existing built heritage and its surroundings. Design/methodology/approach A comparative study of two iconic nineteenth century heritage assets in Australia and Hong Kong is undertaken to highlight the need to forecast the future adaptation of heritage buildings in order to guarantee their continuous reuse and sustainability in an urban context. Findings Findings show that the functional, technological and legal attributes of these two nineteenth century heritage buildings require improvement so as to ensure their future adaptivity. The upgrading of heritage buildings for environmental sustainability is also deemed necessary. Originality/value The originality of this paper pertains to the advancement of the adaptSTAR tool in evaluating the future adaptivity of existing built heritage as well as new built environments whilst considering their economic, environmental and social values.