CHALLENGES AND CONTENTION

Think & Explore

LET'S THINK & EXPLORE

Urban renewal is a complex issue as it needs to take into consideration residents' needs, land use, socio-economics, local cultural and historical features, as well as environmental sustainability during the process. In order to implement the work of urban renewal efficiently, we should investigate the problems and constraints on one hand and explore new approaches and strategies to carrying urban renewal work on the other hand. Let's think and explore some of the issues together:

  1. Taking into consideration the participating bodies and time involved in the existing implementation model and planning procedure, will urban renewal be able to tackle the problem of urban decay in the next 20, 30 years?
  • There is a need to introduce diverse implementation models such as partnership, self-developed, joint venture and facilitation models in order to carry out urban renewal more effectively. Participation of stakeholders should be encouraged to achieve collaborative efforts eg. private-public partnership.
  • Redevelopment alone cannot tackle the problem of urban decay. An innovative approach comprising redevelopment, rehabilitation and retrofitting is required to stimulate the market and encourage more stakeholders' to participate in urban renewal.
  1. Many old buildings have exceeded development intensity permitted under the existing planning and legislation regime. What are the solutions for optimising land use and redevelopment potential of these old building blocks?
  • To cope with the needs for development and urban regeneration, consideration can be given to an appropriate adjustment to permitted plot ratio (the ratio between the gross floor area of buildings and the site area). Plot ratio transfer, plot ratio reserve, as well as up-zoning and re-zoning are some of the options which can expand the development potential of old districts and increase effectiveness of land use.
  1. Viable solutions to urban decay should not only be limited to demolition and redevelopment of old buildings. What are the other ways to prolong the lifespan of buildings?
  • Develop a long-term and tailor-made building rehabilitation strategy to encourage, promote and assist building owners to carry out building maintenance and repair work including “preventive maintenance”, “building rehabilitation” to assure their proper functioning and servicing; and “retrofitting” to furnish old buildings with features and installation of modern building standard, such as elevators and fire services.
  • Review the existing regulatory and administrative measures on owners' obligation to maintain and repair their buildings, as well as explore the need to set up a special fund from a reasonable percentage of the management fees for maintenance purpose.
  1. An accelerated pace of redevelopment can enhance the built environment and improve the living condition of residents in old districts. However, it also poses decanting/rehousing demand on private and public housing sectors. What are the solutions for rehousing large number of displaced residents?
  • There is a need to explore a variety of options for decanting/rehousing to cope with the challenges, which includes the shortage of land for development in urban area, tight supply of public housing, as well as the aspiration of residents for in-situ rehousing. In the long-run, Hong Kong needs additional housing land to meet the rehousing requirement of large number of residents affected by redevelopment.
  1. There are challenges in implementing urban renewal in a densely-populated district . What are the ways to improve infrastructures for transport, air quality, natural lighting and air ventilation etc. in old districts,
    as well as the provision of public open spaces?
  • Elements of smart-city can be incorporated to create a quality environment, e.g. improving pedestrian linkage and transport network, providing public open space, improving lighting and ventilation, as well as constructing green and smart buildings. Technologies will also be applied to assist the operation of public services eg. transport, electricity and drainage in a densely-populated district without overloading the existing infrastructures.
  • Through “place-making” initiatives, quality public spaces can be created to reflect the district's character and to enhance vitality and sustainability.