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K Pull in to on one of the iconic double-decker trams that ply its historic waterfront and enter a neighbourhood in transition. Here you’ll discover a lively mix of old, new and up-and-coming, where local institutions such as SHUN FAT ROAST MEATSp50 naturally coexist alongside newcomers like neighbourhood craft beer bar ALVY’Sp32, and where gleaming high-rises tower over historic tong lau. Encounter traditional culture at the all-but-hidden LO PAN TEMPLEp18 and discover VOL 1 KENNEDY TOWN cutting-edge new design works from the local MAKERHIVEp52 . Or simply grab a front-row seat on the Praya to the nightly spectacle that plays out as the sun descends behind the layered silhouettes of ’s outlying islands, casting long pastel strokes across the sky.

Welcome to the neighbourhood Foreword

As professional property investors we are trained to think in terms of rates of return, yields, value and risk. Only recently has sustainability factored into the equation, and the field of measuring sustainability in its many forms remains nascent.

This inaugural issue of The Neighbourhood is the culmination of more than two years of engagement with and research into Hong Kong’s neighbourhoods. We focus on Kennedy Town and present a complementary, though sometimes contrasting, range of views, context and insight into the community and the issues facing it.

Grosvenor has been active in Asia for more than 20 years, and we are devoting more time to understanding the concept of neighbourhoods. We want to explore what the changing nature of our cities’ most dynamic districts means for our business as well as for those who live, work and spend time in them. Our philosophy of ‘Living cities’ guides our strategy, and fundamental to this is our desire to contribute to the enduring success of cities.

With this publication, we hope to contribute to the ongoing discourse about development and change in Hong Kong through the lens of Kennedy Town — a neighbourhood in which we are active and will no doubt continue to be interested. We hope you find it stimulating and enjoyable to read.

Benjamin Cha Chief Executive Grosvenor Asia Pacific

3 Kennedy Town A Historical Context TEXT & SKETCHES BY DR PETER COOKSON SMITH

DR PETER COOKSON SMITH is the founder of URBIS consultancy in Hong Kong and author of several books on urban design in Asia. He is a past president of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners and the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design.

odern-day Kennedy Town is, as The Early Development Impetus are all neighbourhoods, a product of the waves of development that As Central District and began to Mpreceded it. The rapid development along flourish in the 1870s, a similar problem arose the foreshore of began for the seventh Governor of Hong Kong, Sir in January 1841 with the arrival of Captain Arthur Kennedy. In the face of difficulties in (later Admiral Sir) Edmund Belcher, captain bringing about further reclamation along of HMS Sulphur, at what became known as the Central foreshore, Kennedy turned his Possession Mount and later . attention to the large-scale development of This was closely followed by the construction the Western District in order to accommodate of in Western Upper a rapidly growing population. This involved District, today’s Sheung Wan. Possession the reclamation of , completed Point was connected to the new Sai Ying in 1886, which formed a linear strip from Pun Military Camp by a built thoroughfare, Cadogan Street to . Hollywood Road, and represented one of the first attempts at connective planning along In accordance with a long narrative of naming the foreshore of Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong’s streets, piers and places after colonial governors and occasional royal Hollywood Road was completed in 1842 visitors, Kennedy Town was named after along with an extension of Queen’s Road to Sir Arthur (alongside Kennedy Town New what is now Des Voeux Road and facilitated Praya), who also lent his name to Kennedy the early layout of Central District. To Road, which formed a necessary connection accommodate new development, early between the Central business area and Wan governors Sir George Bonham and Sir John Chai. It is perhaps worth mentioning in passing Bowring attempted to create new flat land that Kennedy’s other long-standing initiative through reclamation, but this was initially was to establish the Hong Kong dollar as the resisted by the entrenched trading firms burgeoning colony’s monetary unit. that had already set up offices and godowns along the Praya. However, a harbour In 1887, Armenian-British businessman Sir reclamation strategy was adopted under Catchick Paul Chater correctly perceived The narrow terraces to the south of the administration of Sir Henry Robinson in that the opening of the Suez Canal would Belcher’s Street in Kennedy Town 1862, and included the first naval dockyard. significantly reduce sailing time between house several heritage buildings

4 5 included Dr Sun Yat Sen, and plague hospitals Possession Street and Queen’s Road West to northern and western boundaries, Hill Road were established at the police station and the a new ‘red light’ quarter of Kennedy Town. and Pokfulam Road delineate the eastern new glass works in Kennedy Town to look A vibrant combination of hotels and places boundary, and Mount Davis Road forms the after victims. The Smallpox Hospital was of entertainment quickly generated a mix of southern limit. The result is a juxtaposition also built in the area by the Western District- meeting and gathering places, at a prudent of tall towers on the excavated platforms established Tung Wah Group of Hospitals distance from the more staid political and associated with Pokfulam Road, which in 1910, later becoming the Government business core of Central. house private residential estates such as The Infectious Diseases Hospital before being Belcher’s, completed in 2001. These create demolished after the Second World War. These waves of development have lent a built backcloth standing sentinel over an Kennedy Town several distinct personality older and more finely grained grid of streets The area’s first streets including Belcher’s traits. Its popular identification tends to at the lower level, with joined-together sites Street, Catchick Street, Cadogan Street and equate with the dense streetscape along that define the distinctive morphology of the Davis Street along with Kennedy Town New the older reclamation areas and that which inner district. Praya were laid out in the 1890s and later took place just prior to the occupation of consolidated into the new Western District. Hong Kong by Japanese forces in 1941. In Legally the area was defined as representing the post-war period, building platforms “ the western extent of the City of Victoria, and were enterprisingly carved out of the steep Western District as a a boundary stone to this effect, erected in hillsides below Pokfulam Road to form early whole evolved as an 1903, still stands at Sai Ning Street. Western public housing areas such as Sai Wan Estate, The tram terminates along Catchick Street, a District as a whole thereafter evolved as completed in 1958, and Kwun Lung Lau important trading developing entertainment district an important trading and godown district Estate, completed in 1967. and godown district during Hong Kong’s early colonial times, Europe and the Far East, and that this would becoming favoured for its transhipment Victoria Road, which forms the western during Hong Kong’s reinforce Hong Kong’s growing entrepôt role facilities. Its growth was the catalyst for the continuation of Belcher’s Street, snakes early colonial times and bring an accompanying need for new emergence of an affluent Chinese merchant around the western part of the island, wharves. Marine lots had been established class along with charity organisations such leaving behind this increasingly dense The first Draft Kennedy Town & Mount in 1841 but many had lost their harbour as Tung Wah and the Po Leung Kuk. matrix of streets that accommodate the most Davis Outline Zoning Plan was gazetted frontage through new road construction. rapidly changing cityscape on Hong Kong in October 1986. It was subsequently Chater’s innovative idea was to give the In addition, the need to reinforce coastal Island. Victoria Road will provide access to amended a number of times, the last being rights to reclaimed land to adjoining marine defences resulted in the early relocation the new branch campus of the University in March 2016. The object of the Plan is lot holders, thereby incentivising merchants of the Kennedy Town shore batteries to of Chicago Booth Business School, the to indicate land-use zonings and major to finance the process. The outcome was Mount Davis, permitting an intensification institution having secured and remodelled transport networks, and to illustrate the several tranches of new harbour reclamation of industry, marine and residential uses an ex-military heritage building complex at broad principles of development in order in both Central and Kennedy Town that adjacent to the harbourfront in the early the foot of Mount Davis overlooking the East to maintain the character and amenity of housed Hong Kong’s first docks. Catchick part of the 20th century. In the process, Lamma Channel. The school will be relocated the area. While the population according to Street bears the name of this illustrious Sands Street and Li Po Lung Path, together from its present Cyberport location to the the 2011 Census was 75,400, the planned pioneer, who went on to found some of the with the early hillside housing associated new 1,700-square-metre site in 2018 after population is in the order of 90,600. largest companies in the territory. with Tai Pak Terrace and Ching Lin Terrace, successfully competing for space under the became much sought-after residential areas. Hong Kong government land grant scheme. The Plan provides control over development As a result of this further round of reclamation, intensity and building height on various Kennedy Town provided a ready source of A further catalyst to the opening up of the Planning Intentions and zones within the planning area so as to avoid land when tightly packed older housing in district at this time was the establishment of Development Directions as far as possible potential impacts on its areas such as Tai Ping Shan were razed by the Shek Tong Tsui or ‘Western’ quarry, which visual quality. The broad spatial intention is government to prevent the fast-spreading created an opportunity for government The present planning scheme area for a stepped building-height concept with lower bubonic plague that descended on Hong to encourage the relocation of the night Kennedy Town is about 172 hectares. buildings on the waterfront and heights Kong in 1894. The plague was courageously entertainment areas that had developed in Belcher Bay and along increasing progressively to the inland areas, fought by a group of young doctors that the more densely populated areas around the Victoria Harbourfront constitute the taking into account the local topography and

6 7 An important planning initiative is the long- term regeneration of the harbourfront to the west of Cadogan Street, allowing for a wide promenade to facilitate continuity with adjoining areas of public open space. In association with this, the existing pier and public cargo handling area will be developed for commercial, leisure and tourism-related facilities to enable its transition to a vibrant concentration of uses for public enjoyment. The nearby Cadogan Street Temporary Garden has a large sign forbidding such unwholesome activities as sleeping, hawking, clothes drying, cycling and anything involving dogs or skateboards within its boundaries. It also accommodates a large number of mature trees, scheduled to be demolished to make Lo Pan Temple on Ching Lin Terrace is a Grade 1 way for its impending redevelopment for historic building, named after a Chinese carpenter, housing. A ‘non-building area’ is allocated philosopher and urban thinker to allow permeability at the harbourfront The New Praya waterfront is a gathering place for local residents of all ages up to Sai Ning Street intersecting with a climatic characteristics. Different building designated building gap on the north-south height bands range from 100 to 160 metres axis through the western part of Kennedy to . In 1999, the Protection stations at , the University of above sea level, while specific restrictions Town to facilitate air ventilation and provide of the Harbour Ordinance, which prohibited Hong Kong and terminating at Kennedy are adopted in certain areas in order to a visual corridor. any new reclamation in the central harbour, Town Station, the extension was opened on preserve the local character. This also acts was extended to the entire harbour area December 28, 2014. The extension is quite to provide visual and spatial relief, in some A substantial amount of new reclamation and effectively eliminated the possibility unique in Hong Kong, having taken some five cases also facilitating ventilation along major fronting the existing Kennedy Town Praya of any further extension of Kennedy Town years to construct and incorporating high- air paths through the area. Minor relaxation was explored in the late 1980s as part of other than through ‘compelling, overriding speed lifts that transport passengers from of height restrictions is incorporated within the government’s Territorial Development and present need’. long subway tunnels to entrances and exits the planning notes so that design proposals Strategy that tested the feasibility of linking at various elevations on the steep upper can be considered as to their merits in the area to Green Island across the Sulphur The Potential for Urban Design slopes. Its anticipation and realisation has achieving urban streetscape, local area Channel in several stages, including a final been sufficient to induce a surge in both improvements and a quality of street-level tranche of new land formation at Belcher The gradual process of redevelopment land and property prices, stimulating a rush public open space. Bay, comprising 185 hectares in all. This was associated with Hong Kong’s highly of site acquisition and an intensified pattern intended to ultimately deliver an additional densified form of gentrification has, until of predominantly residential development. Around 35 hectares of the total land is population of some 200,000 persons. quite recent times, bypassed the older allocated as ‘Green Belt’, mainly associated However, the plan went through various street-oriented fabric of Kennedy Town. The first identified site for the station was with the hill slopes around Mount Davis. A stages of review, and the Western District However, nothing creates development the Forbes Street Temporary Playground, number of areas have been re-zoned to Development Strategy later reduced this to momentum in Hong Kong more than but construction would have affected a large accommodate new developments, including sensibly preserve the independence of Green the onset of transport connectivity. The number of old banyan trees growing on the the former Mount Davis Cottage Area on Island. The latter acted as a reception centre catalyst behind the current momentum stone walls adjoining Forbes Street. The Victoria Road, the former Police Married for Vietnamese refugee arrivals in the 1980s has been the MTR Island Line extension station box was therefore shifted eastward Quarters on Ka Wai Man Road, and the and houses two lighthouses completed in from Sheung Wan to serve concentrated to the site of the Kennedy Town Swimming redundant incinerator and abattoir sites on 1875 and 1905, which endear themselves to development areas along the northern Pool. The new pool complex designed by Cadogan Street. seafarers by marking the western approach foreshore of Hong Kong Island. With Farrells opened in 2011 — with its final phase

8 9 towards how we move from untrammelled sustainable outcome, the process should be redevelopment to regeneration, and carried out slowly and carefully. under what auspices the overall good and workability of the district comes into play. The nature of Kennedy Town’s community is Urban regeneration, wherever it occurs, changing too. The tea houses and tofu shops are requires a comprehensive and integrated long gone, along with the rice storage godowns vision aimed at lasting improvement along the Praya. The abundance of new bars through measures that resolve a range of and restaurants now provides recreational problems in the urban domain. It is best release valves for an affluent clientele who implemented through small one-off projects commute to jobs elsewhere and often live that are meaningful to the community and in high-end serviced apartments, rather consolidate local identity. A good example than the older tong lau tenements that once is the early terraces adjoining Sands Street characterised the area. Not by coincidence, that were previously accessible only by a the number of estate agents has multiplied steep set of steps, but are now served by a several-fold over the past three years, as has new escalator alignment. the number of bank outlets. The local 7-Eleven carries copies of the Financial Times Weekend, competing for shelf prominence with Hong “ Kong’s racier brand of broadsheet. Improvements need Bus and tram services linking the area to The iconic banyan tree roots on Forbes Street make for a dramatic backdrop for daily commuters to be carried out in the CBD and beyond do not appear to have an adaptive way to been reduced since the MTR Island Line completed in early 2017 — on a derelict The result of this in urban design terms is provide for continuity extension came into effect. What is arguably car park adjacent to the waterfront and mixed. On the positive side, densification now required is an effective traffic plan that partly owes its iconic futuristic design to its can maximise plot ratio and site coverage of urban character... can utilise the matrix of existing streets triangular site setting; it has created a new potential, and in the process house new Ultimate success and define an enterprising and connective and vital image for the district, oriented incoming populations with a commensurate pedestrian framework, linking together towards the harbour and outlying islands. onset of facilities and amenities to serve them. comes in representing major nodes, spaces and promenades. On the downside, the city is experiencing an all stakeholders who The gradual transformation of Kennedy increasingly undifferentiated metro area have a legitimate While the demographics continue to change, Town into a high-density enclave mirrors form, where newer development areas tend the area still houses a long-standing local that of the city itself. It needs to be seen not to be identified more by basic function than interest in the city population — and an ageing one. The long- only in terms of the constant pressure on its anything else. term strategic process of urban betterment, scarce land area outside country parks, but The complexity of Hong Kong’s urban area, investment in new infrastructure and in terms of the workings of a sophisticated Perhaps this should give us pause to think coupled with its high land values, indicate revitalisation of outmoded uses, particularly financial model to which land-use zoning a little on Hong Kong’s particular brand that improvements need to be carried out on the harbourfront, will go some way and prevailing lands mechanisms have of urban renewal, linked as it is with the in an adaptive way to provide for continuity towards creating a new and perhaps a more contributed significantly. This might be said SAR’s famous laissez-faire economy and of urban character, rather than totalising dynamic form. At the same time, there to have served Hong Kong reasonably well its inevitable repercussions on the nature solutions that sweep it away. This process is a need to recognise and overcome the over the years, until the territory started to and orchestration of urban fabric. Private must simultaneously relate to aspects of the more questionable aspects of rapid change run out of easily developable land. In the development and redevelopment is of physical fabric, social structures, economic associated with exclusion as well as the loss urban area, the only alternative means of course subject to procedural mechanisms opportunities and environmental conditions, of long-time amenities and social provisions development supply over the past 30 years or in accordance with both outline zoning reflecting a long-term strategic purpose. required by an ageing local community; so has been either new tranches of reclaimed plans and building regulations, but overall Its ultimate success comes in representing hopefully this recognition is accompanied land or comprehensive redevelopment of form and function is another matter. The all stakeholders who have a legitimate by a last-gasp respect for the intangible older existing sites. essential discussion needs to be directed interest in the city, and in order to embody a heritage that links the present with the past.

10 11 A Helping Hand

Caritas–Hong Kong began as a relief organisation in the aftermath of the Second World War, working to alleviate the social hardships and inequality that plagued Hong Kong in that period. Social workers AMY TSZ YING TSE AND BENJAMIN CHIU HANG SIN weigh in on how the situation on the ground has and continues to change in Western District.

Can you explain your mission as an its good schools — it’s the greatest attraction, organisation? especially for the underprivileged groups, who hope that through a better education Caritas–Hong Kong is the social service their children will be able to lift themselves agency of the Catholic Diocese of Hong out of poverty. Kong. In the 1950s, we began by providing relief work for the refugees arriving from We’re here to serve all different people, but mainland China, but as Hong Kong society we do have special efforts focused on giving changed and people began to settle into support to families living in subdivided flats, communities more, our aim shifted. We newcomers from China and other ethnic established community centres and took on minorities. We have different methods of more of a community development approach helping these newcomers to adapt to all for engaging with locals and providing aspects of living in Hong Kong, providing, for social service development programmes for example, Chinese classes or advocacy help the youth and advocacy work for minority with rent control and public housing. So we populations. We usually focus on the combine policy with a service approach. We underrepresented populations because as a want to help them to help themselves by Christian organisation we mean to serve the organising supportive community groups feeble, the last, the least and the lost. and allowing them to regain agency to lead dignified lives in Hong Kong. By recognising Since the introduction of the new MTR them and their talents, we want to help them link, how has the local population and your to find their unique place in Hong Kong society. mission changed? We see them as an asset to the community.

The Western District is rapidly growing and Tell us about your approach to community the demographics are changing with more building. ‘outsiders’ moving in. We say outsiders in terms of those not sharing the same We try to engage all the groups so that there is connectivity of the Sai Wan people: people a dialogue happening, so they can understand from other parts of Hong Kong or from and appreciate each other — where they abroad. It’s a lot of young families, young are coming from and what they share in couples who are working in Central, and for common. For example, we have activities like them Kennedy Town is perfectly convenient cooking together and community pot luck-

Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography for their work, plus this district is known for style evenings — food is a great mediator for

12 13 NEW DEVELOPMENTS

bridging cultures! Generally though, our aim is to recognise and empower people in a way based on fostering and enabling community and personal empowerment, to help people to see what they’re capable of doing for themselves and in doing so, to strengthen the community. So, it’s not just about helping the poor but about trying to build resilience into the community.

In recent years, we’ve focused more on the basic assets that community members already have to promote self-organising and we want to use our spatial assets “ here to help the community in that way We want to help them by, for example, allowing them to use our to help themselves by community centre as a public space where they can gather and share. organising supportive community groups and We want to re-energise street life for the Tung Fat local communities and especially to engage allowing them to regain newcomers, who may have everything they agency to lead dignified Building need already at home: they go to their own by K.P.D.O. clubhouse for sports or exercise and can just lives in Hong Kong call to have food delivered and eat in. The risk Photography | Denice Hough is that they just get off the transport, go home and are self-sufficient, but are missing out on community. So we want to help support An iconic curve-edged Hong Kong community building and the identity of Sai tong lau from the 1960s, the Tung Wan people. Fat Building on the corner of the New Praya and North Street has How do you see the traditional community been sensitively restored by Hong responding to the changes? Kong and Melbourne-based design firm K.P.D.O. to house eight luxury With the newcomers coming in and the new apartments. Favouring restoration developments, the old shops and grocers are over redevelopment, the design being phased out and replaced with organic team remained as true as possible food shops, bars and fine dining. There’s no to the building’s heritage form, doubt the locals are experiencing drastic working to preserve such elements change. We want to help the newcomers and as the cast terrazzo handrail traditional community to find their shared and original moulding, while the values, and the best way to avoid alienation faded exterior was refashioned in is to promote connection and dialogue. So a stately black and white. Large now we're recruiting older residents to act windows allow residents to take as local guides and to run orientation tours full advantage of the sweeping for newcomers as sort of a cultural, inter- vistas across Hong Kong Harbour

generational exchange. Teng Stephanie by Photography to Stonecutters Island.

14 1

How can we unlock the ‘true Location value’ of property? Understanding & access amenities how to measure it is the natural first step. One new approach ECONOMIC developed by KPMG leverages Lowers transportation costs, 2 tested business techniques such increases proximity to work 2 1 as discounted cash flow analysis to identify and quantify elements SOCIAL of the built environment that have Increases work opportunities traditionally been regarded as within reach, lowers travel externalities. It asks the question: time, provides greater access to 2 2 If internalised, how would these cultural attractions 2 change the value of property? The results can be used to discover a ENVIRONMENTAL property’s true value and aid in Lowers transportation building business cases that create & energy use 2 sustainable value for investors while benefitting broader society.

3 Some examples are given below.

Community 3 Indoor air quality space & ventilation 1 3 ECONOMIC ECONOMIC Attracts businesses & footfall, Lowers absenteeism increasing economic activity & health costs 1 & desirability 3

SOCIAL SOCIAL Promotes well-being Promotes well-being & quality time 1 & social cohesion 3

ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL Raises sustainability Increases groundwater storage, & building ratings 1 moderates climate & pollution 3 The True Value Source: Adapted from KPMG, 'Unlocking of Property the True Value of Real Estate' 17 Hidden Gem 15 CHING LIN TERRACE

ust above Belcher’s Street and set back on the far end “ of a quiet, tree-lined terrace, The building LoJ Pan Temple is dedicated to the patron saint of Chinese builders and itself is a jewel carpenters. Constructed in 1884 by of architectural the Contractors’ Guild, the Grade 1 preservation historic building pays homage to Lo Pan, a Chinese carpenter, engineer, philosopher, inventor, military hall is ornately adorned with richly thinker and statesman who lived coloured murals, Shiwan ceramic during the Zhou Dynasty. Today, figurines and elaborate plaster devotees continue to celebrate his relief mouldings. birthday each year on the 13th day of the sixth lunar month. Behind an immediate screening door, or dong chung, Lo Pan is Flanking the entrance to the two- seated on an elevated platform in hall structure, the engravings of a the main hall and is surrounded poem praise Lo Pan’s contribution and supported by the Deity of to architecture. The building Wealth, the Deity of Matrimony and itself is a jewel of architectural the Deity of Earth, all shrouded by preservation, with its jagged ‘Five the haze of slow-burning joss sticks. Famous Mountains Paying Tribute A hidden gem, Lo Pan Temple to Heaven’ gable walls — distinctive offers an unexpected discovery and in the local vernacular — glazed tile momentary escape from modern-

roof and purlins. Inside, the temple day Hong Kong. Lit Ma by Photography

18 At the western extreme of Kennedy Town, an unmarked path off Victoria Road leads down a precipitous embankment to arrive all at once at a clearing with expansive views out over the approach to Victoria Harbour, one filled with tankers and tugboats filing by and the silhouette of the outlying islands in the distance. A diminutive metal shed sits on a level plane and a set of worn concrete steps leads down to a narrow steel plank that extends several metres out over choppy waves to a diving- off point marked by a single sign warning of strong currents and unpredictable conditions. Dive in at your own risk!

Sai Wan Swimming Shed

Photography | Stephanie Teng

Art Office

Artists OSCAR CHAN, OLIVIA CHOW, JIMS LAM, EASON TSANG AND MORGAN WONG together make up The Office — a loosely affiliated group of artists who share space in one of Kennedy Town’s last remaining industrial outposts.

How did you meet and come to form the collective? “ While a regular Jims Lam: After my parents retired, I took office relies heavily Above: Oscar Chan, Untitled (2017) oscarchan.com Below: Olivia Chow, Cake for the next Chief Executive of Hong Kong Fondant (2017); over their industrial office and initiated a Right: Morgan Wong, Study of Eventfulness and Durationality (Sealing an Alarm styrofoam, velvet table cloth, digital print heyocc.com Clock I) (2017); concrete, alarm clock, battery morgan.wongwingfat.com working studio together with my friends. on routine, we don’t We’re all individual artists working in a exercise that — that’s shared space, though I don’t think we would label ourselves as a collective. Our practices what keeps our group vary from each other. experimental, perhaps

For me, ‘office’ is a very neutral term and a bit mysterious and doesn’t necessarily relate to art. Every industry ultimately fun has its office and its own administration, and it’s vague what that really is. I think we’re very much like that — not an art collective, not a Eason Tsang: Although we don’t call ourselves unified group and creating different kinds of a group, there are always discussions that artworks. And while a regular office relies bring us together. We meet frequently to heavily on routine, we don’t exercise that — exchange ideas to see what is everyone else that’s what keeps our group experimental, is up to. perhaps a bit mysterious and ultimately fun! Above: Eason Tsang, Untitled (2017); inkjet poster on aluminium board Below: Jims Lam, Untitled (2017) This December will be the first anniversary of What kind of art projects do you undertake? our establishment. JL: I was trained as a Chinese landscape artist Morgan Wong: We presented a group in university but I don’t make traditional ink exhibition during Art Basel 2016 called Any paintings anymore. One of my early works Other Business (A.O.B.), like the last item on is a series of Hong Kong cityscapes at night, a meeting agenda. That exhibition became but instead of drawing the outlines of the a strong link in the formation of our studio. buildings, I studied the night-time activities We’re all friends in the Hong Kong art and depicted that by documenting the lights, community, and we all needed a place to as if they were transmitting the city to me like work. It’s such a privilege to have our own Morse code. space in Hong Kong, so we felt that we should take it somewhere. The studio is named In more recent years, I’ve shifted my practice The Office because we work out of a former towards curation and producing exhibitions. office space and, like in an office, we all have I wasn’t trained as a curator, so my approach

Photography by Eason Tsang by Photography different roles and functions. often comes from classical Hong Kong novels,

25 NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Left to right: Artists Jims Lam, Morgan Wong, Olivia Chow, Eason Tsang and Oscar Chan of The Office, with collaborator Ocean Leung. Photography by South Ho

showing the everyday and social urgency in Why did you choose Kennedy Town for your the city instead of coming from a certain genre studio and how do you feel about how the or historical perspective. I look at it from an neighbourhood is changing? intimate, personal point of view and let the Yat Fu Lane artworks explain the topic of my imagination. JL: My grandfather used to own this entire Photography | Studio8ight floor when he produced plastic toys in the MW: I primarily work in performance, video, eighties. That factory was eventually moved installations and photography. All my work to China, part of the storage space was sold Boutique developer District15 revolves around the concept of time. I feel and the rest of it was transformed into an seeks to balance the development the pressure of time passing and my work office, where my parents ran a wholesale of an area with the authenticity deals with my emotions in trying to resist the business selling beverages to the ships that of its existing community, and, passing of time. One aspect of my practice is would come in to restock at the pier nearby. in its latest project, achieves personal and microscopic, while another side Last year my parents officially retired and we just this. Yat Fu Lane is a is about the collective and macroscopic. In thought about terminating our lease here, but contemporary mixed-use creative one of my works, I hold a cup of wet concrete I saw the potential of it becoming an art space retail, restaurant and office and as it solidifies, it captures the shaking of or studio instead, so this space has been used space, designed by acclaimed my hand. The work is called I Got Time, a play by three generations of my family. architectural firm Fearon Hay and on words since it’s an absurd act to try and get featuring a Corten-steel spiral a hold of time. A lot has changed here — I never expected staircase connecting all three Kennedy Town to be the next mini-Soho. levels, a floor-to-ceiling glass ET: I mostly do video and photography — North Street is now very crowded with lots facade to optimise exposure and image-based work. Most of my work is about of shops, but before the MTR was built it was expansive open-planned space. the relationship between real objects and really poorly maintained with dripping pipes As with many of District15’s their images. One of my recent pieces shows and illegal structures all over. Now it’s been developments, a tribute to the the layered, scratched-up posters on a wall. redeveloped and cleaned up, and I think there’s locale is integral in the design: I’ve repeatedly peeled and scratched the a good balance of public and private space. The in this case neon signage, a layers until it’s become hard to tell what was local community uses the pier space at night, 300-square-metre hawker space the residue of the work’s texture and what’s and any further development of the pier will and the world’s tiniest retail shop, actually on the image. disrupt the balance of the neighbourhood. tucked into the adjacent laneway.

26 A Gestural Amenity

Architect and urban planner SIR TERRY FARRELL, whose practice oversaw the extension of the MTR Island Line to Kennedy Town, talks about the decision to protect the neighbourhood’s prized banyan trees by relocating plans for the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool to the waterfront, and the consideration built into the pool’s now-landmark form.

The positioning of the pool and the logistics pool was built overlooking Belcher Bay Park, behind its construction make for an while the rest of the site — the triangular interesting backstory. Can you tell us a little bit — was left for the MTR works which were about that? happening in tandem. This enabled us to progress in stages and get on with the work, Well, it was a brief that evolved because after and then when the swimming pool moved we got involved there was the rethinking to the new location, it was another piece of courtesyPhotography of Farrells of the location of the swimming pool. The the jigsaw puzzle, moving into the part that original plan was to utilise the space where was built and thus allowing other parts of And as this was a relocated swimming the Forbes Street playground is at the Kennedy Town station to progress. It was pool, we wanted to do a building that was “ moment, but then there was the decision to steps and phases — and it was a true piece of easily recognisable, and was something We placed the open protect the playground and tree wall. There urban intervention. to celebrate but also to identify because swimming pools next had to be a new site found for the swimming the swimming pool was a considerable pool, which had to be built before the existing Then, when the bit furthest away from public asset where it had been before. So to the park to have swimming pool was torn down. Belcher Bay Park — the triangular bit of the we wanted to advertise the fact of its new a more playful and swimming pool — was no longer needed for presence, while also it gave an opportunity “ the West Island Line’s works, that was then from the bay and harbour for long-distance a more recreational built some four or five years later. And we views of the horizontal swimming pool set aspect, but also it We wanted to do a chose materials, the zinc cladding and so on, against the point blocks. captures the feeling building that was that would be seen as relatively seamless, so the final building would seem like one unit. It was part of a decision to make a gestural that the park extends easily recognisable, amenity out of the swimming pool. and was something How did you envision the futuristic structure fitting in to the existing urban fabric? You’ve worked on many of Hong Kong’s we seldom get these urban reconstruction or to celebrate but also other large-scale urban planning and regeneration projects in Hong Kong because to identify We placed the open swimming pools next to infrastructure projects. How did this it’s been an ever-expanding city. So the the park to have a more playful and a more appreciably smaller project compare? idea of urban regeneration, which has been A new site was identified, which was an recreational aspect, but also it captures the likened to open-heart surgery on a still- existing car park site and next to the park, but feeling that the park extends. So the leisure It’s a very interesting piece of urban planning conscious patient, takes place, and I think only half of the site was available because the aspect, the human occupation for leisure and and adjustment to an existing piece of the that that is the characteristic that is going rest of it had to be used for the West Island recreational purposes — the intention of the urban landscape — the kind that you get in a to be the future of Hong Kong — a reworking Line’s works. So the first half of the swimming park and swimming pool is all in one. settled town, such as London or New York, but within the existing townscape.

28 29 Eastern Medicine 6 SMITHFIELD

he Chinese medicine shop on Smithfield just south “ of Belcher’s Street is one Tinctures are Tof a handful of practices in the derived from neighbourhood where more traditionally minded residents can slow-simmering seek treatment for their ailments. a combination A veritable cabinet of curiosities, a wall of small jewellery box of herbs, roots, drawers is framed by dusty shelves bark, flowers and lined with glass jars displaying an array of exotic ingredients, some the occasional more immediately recognisable reptilian part than others.

Mr Chan explains that he’s been in the business for a long time, having ailment is more severe, then we’d trained under a local master before recommend them to see the doctor practicing as a herbalist at various in the back.’ As is the case with shops around the neighbourhood. most Chinese medicine, tinctures ‘People come in and tell us are derived from slow-simmering their ailments and we suggest a a combination of herbs, roots, combination of ingredients that bark, flowers and the occasional

they should try,’ he says. ‘If the reptilian part. Lit Ma by Photography

30 Alvy’s 8 HOLLAND STREET

et back from the waterfront and tucked away down a quiet “ side street away from the It’s still got a Scentral hubbub of Kennedy Town, a scrawled red neon sign loudly bunch of smaller, announces Alvy’s. ‘We wanted to local businesses create a place where people could come together casually, have a few — there’s a very drinks, socialise, order some food, Hong Kong feel have some more drinks and just to it generally have a good time,’ says manager Pat Gatherer, who grew up in Hong Kong and helped to scout like the Bak Gwei with gruyere the location. ‘Kennedy Town’s a béchamel, char siu, mozzarella and great neighbourhood for us because geung yeong ( ginger it’s still got a bunch of smaller, local and scallion dipping sauce), and businesses — there’s a very Hong the largest selection of American Kong feel to it.’ whiskeys in Hong Kong. What’s more, with its long walnut bar, brick Aiming to fill the niche of a laid-back, walls, chequered terrazzo flooring social eatery and neighbourhood and rust-red facade, one could be bar, Alvy’s features a 14-tap selection forgiven for mistaking it for a New of craft beers, including picks from York City corner bar. ‘We want it to local brewer Young Master, a wood- be a place where we learn people’s fired brick oven baking an eclectic name and recognise faces,’ says

Photography by Lit Ma by Photography menu of fusion sourdough pizzas Gatherer. Yum bui!

33 Dong Hing Food Company 35 NORTH STREET

ishballs are a staple of Hong Kong food culture, though in “ recent years the previously One regular tells Fshop-focused production has largely been industrialised, us she that she concentrated in a central kitchen makes a weekly before distribution to outlet points pilgrimage from spread across the neighbourhoods. Not so of Dong Hing Food Company the other end of in Kennedy Town, where Mr Ma Hong Kong Island explains that the business is 55 years old — the same age as him. just to stock up He moved to Hong Kong from the mainland as a teenager and fell into the profession — ‘just out of interest’, he says. small-batch fishball production — one regular tells us that she makes Using giant yellow eels imported a weekly pilgrimage from the other from Vietnam, Malaysia and China, end of Hong Kong Island just to production happens in the back stock up. Other specialities include room where the fish is ground up, fish skins, eaten as a snack, and seasoned and formed into a variety delectable fish-skin dumplings. of shapes including balls, yu peen Mr Ma’s son has recently begun and golden corners. The shop has working at the shop too. ‘Just to

attracted some local fame for its help out for now,’ he says. Lit Ma by Photography

34 Optimising Happiness

Assistant professor HUANG JIANXIANG from Hong Kong University’s Faculty of Architecture talks about the algorithm he developed with his wife Li Lishuai, a data scientist at City University, to measure the relationship between urban density and well-being.1

What motivated you to develop this been able to pretty reliably predict a value algorithm? for happiness.

The motivation came out of my constant We’ve found that variations of sentiment curiosity about the built environment and persist in spatial terms — some places appear human beings, and how they impact each to be happier than others — and on top of other. My wife and I moved here from the that there’s a temporal variation, that we United States three years ago, and it was tend to be happier at certain times or hours such a culture shock in the beginning! of the day. So we wanted to see if there was truly some reliable evidence linking people’s “ psychological states to the realities of living in a crazy city like Hong Kong. And if so, how We’ve found that could this be relevant to city planners and variations of urban policymakers? sentiment persist in Tell us about the algorithm. How does it spatial terms — some work and what does it measure? places appear to be We worked with user-generated content from happier than others Twitter and Weibo to create a dataset from which we can measure people’s sentiment The geographical difference drove us to and the fluctuation of it within an area, be it a explore further if there’s any environmental city, a neighbourhood or even within a single variables that are associated with a sentiment building. This is building on the emerging outcome, and if so, what in our environments discipline of psychology within computer can be manipulated from, say, an urban science. Researchers have been perfecting planning or policy perspective, to help these skills over the past ten years, so improve upon people’s well-being while living standing on the shoulders of giants we’ve in such a high-density city.

1 Happiness and High-rise Living: Sentiment Analysis of Geo-Located Twitter Data in Hong Kong’s Housing Estates, Huang, Jianxiang; Zhang, Qing- peng; Li, Lishuai; Yang, Yiyang; Chiaradia, Alain; Pryor, Matthew; Webster, Chris (2016). Proceedings of the 52nd ISOCARP Congress, Durban, South

Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography Africa, pp. 380–387

37 NEW DEVELOPMENTS

What did you find? Were there any surprises? “ Some types of Hong First of all, although this runs contrary to the Kong’s residential current discourse of Hong Kong as a flagship high-density, compact and therefore buildings and sustainable city in Western literature, communities, which absolute population density is negatively correlated with sentiment. How often do we do no more than see this in the planning literature that we meet the minimum need to have a dense, compact city to make people happy without accounting for the legal requirement shape of the curve in the full spectrum, with while maximising rural areas on one extreme and Hong Kong developable area, on the other side of the curve? The sweet spot for well-being, at least, is somewhere aren’t serving in between. Hongkongers’ So what is that optimum density? happiness well EIGHT

There is a lot of discussion on this topic, SOUTH policy. However, the preliminary findings and it depends on what function we want can perhaps inspire decision makers LANE to optimise for. It could be for happiness, or policymakers in terms of the new it could be for energy efficiency, it could be opportunities provided by data — we can get With a sleek glass and white community health and preventing obesity. much richer and faster feedback these days. aluminium curtain-wall exterior by That’s all part of the debate out there. Our Florent Nédélec Architecture and preliminary findings show that structural Also, architectural design matters. The interior design overseen by BAR density — the floor area ratio — correlates current design is driven very technically, Studio, New World Development's positively to sentiment, while population by function, efficiency and cost; form is an new boutique residential project density correlates negatively. So, in a outcome of engineering for efficiency to EIGHT SOUTH LANE headed by vertical city like Hong Kong where both minimise construction cost and standardise cultural entrepreneur Adrian structural density and population density quality and safety. A lot of Hong Kong’s Cheng injects new vitality into a are equally high, people are better off housing standards can be traced back to neighbourhood in transformation. than in other densely populated cities that hygiene standards, and that’s the challenge The founder of K11 Art Foundation, haven’t the same verticality. So there’s a here — to maintain hygienic conditions Cheng is a passionate advocate for three-dimensional aspect to it. within such high levels of density. There’s the arts, social development and been success in this area, but there’s cultural heritage conservation in What can we take away from your certainly room to improve in architectural Hong Kong, and believes this new research and how can it be used to design and urban planning. What we can development will be a base for a improve Hongkongers’ well-being? observe from our research is that some burgeoning community of what he types of Hong Kong’s residential buildings calls ‘Bohemian Urbanites’: ‘They We’re still carefully cross-checking our and communities, which do no more than are global nomads with a free spirit, findings via traditional and non-traditional meet the minimum legal requirement while cultured beings and collectors who research methods, as we want to be maximising developable area, aren’t serving love the artisanal. They are the cautious not to over-interpret and mislead Hongkongers’ happiness well. urban elites, with a bohemian soul.’

38 Hung Kee Motor Service Company CORNER OF NEW PRAYA AND SMITHFIELD

clutch of car mechanics clusters around the “ waterfront on the far The new is going easternA end of the New Praya, heads to come, the old invisible under raised school buses or legs sprawling out from under is going to go... brightly coloured sports cars. Hung these are just Kee Motor Service Company also features Bobby the dog, who stands the cycles of life guard with a bilingual sign whose English reads PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH. THE DOG MAY BITE! embraced the tenacious Hong Kong mentality of grinning and bearing ‘We have to move quite often since moving here as a child. ‘The because the rent goes up, but I’ve new is going to come, the old is been in this area for twenty-odd going to go,’ he says. ‘Young people years now,’ says Bobby’s owner Mr are going to grow old, old people Chan. The mechanic’s first location are going to die — these are just the was further up Smithfield, where he cycles of life.’ worked before the Western Harbour Crossing was built. ‘There used to One of these cycles of life has be a lot of mechanics in this area affected Bobby’s sister Mui Ju, who — that’s why I moved to Kennedy is on her daily visit to supervise Town in the first place, but now her former territory next door, most have been priced out. Nobody now converted into a hipster cafe. wants to be a mechanic anymore But come six o’clock, just like — it’s a tough way to earn a living.’ clockwork, she uprights herself and

While born in Macau, Mr Chan has moseys home. Lit Ma by Photography

40 Street Stories Photography | Lit Ma

Damian Chandler Alice HKU STUDENT ART CONSULTANT I’m not a local. I came from Kennedy Town has its own autonomy mainland China to study dentistry — I love it for that. It has enough to at HKU. When I first came to Hong offer that you could spend an entire Kong, the people seemed a bit Ha Zhe (sister Ha) weekend here, and although it’s mean to me, but I like Kennedy “ NEWSPAPER & MAGAZINE VENDOR grappling with the mixture of the Town a lot because there’s a lot of Developers new and old waves, the growth feels Mr Kok with Mr Wong & nice and older people here. Plus come and keep This stall was passed down to me customers are still mostly gai fong almost organic. Mr Lee FISHING BUDDIES the food is really good. There’s building more, from the last generation, and what (neighbours), but it’s a digital world a lot of different ethnic groups big changes here! Lots more people now, so we’re going to be phased The connectivity to the water I started coming to Kennedy Town who just bring their own food and I sit here all moving into new buildings out soon. It’s hard for us to stay is beautiful — we get the most when I was a kid to buy veggies here. We have Japanese, Mexican, below a growing that are fifty to sixty floors high, in business. Everything’s on the incredible sunsets! It’s unique to live from the market, and now I’m Vietnamese, dim sum — that’s the concrete jungle more bars — lots of changes! More internet. Yesterday I was in Tsuen amongst that. The new swimming seventy. I’ve been coming here best part. Sometimes this place people buying stuff, too. It’s busier. Wan, and I saw people just holding a pool is an amazing gift for the every weekend to fish for a couple can feel a bit too old, though. I Developers come and keep building tablet and reading these things that community — or you can head up to years now, rain or shine. I come wish it could be more modern in more, and I sit here below a growing I sell here. Not much longer and I’ll the old Sai Wan Swimming Shed for because the water is better looking some ways. Like, I run and for concrete jungle. It’s not good, it’s not retire. I’m getting old — last month a free but dirtier dip. here. I used to fish around Tsuen me there’s nowhere to run. In bad — what does my opinion matter? I turned sixty. I don’t know if anyone Wan but the water isn’t as good mainland China we’ve got a park will take over my stall. I’m going to Everyone is so fearful of change. I there. I don’t go out to sea because that’s really really big where you The changes are so big — it was miss it. I know I’m going to have to think that’s just a human mindset. But it’s more expensive, and since we’re have like five-kilometre trails, but such an old area before but now give it up, but I’ll miss it. My sons are in my two years here, it’s in a better senior citizens it doesn’t matter here you can only run on the dock that the MTR reaches here, there’s all working and I don’t wish for them place than it’s ever been. where we go — it’s all two dollars. back and forth, back and forth. more diversity in the people. My to take over from me.

42 43 Shiba 11 SMITHFIELD

he counter is very important,’ explains “ Richmond Lee, owner of When customers ‘TShiba restaurant with its almost- missable, uber-discreet wooden sit so close facade on Smithfield. ‘A lot of together and times, the customers don’t know drink they each other but when they sit so close together and drink they start to have start to have conversations, so conversations, in izakaya culture the counter is really very important.’ so in izakaya culture the Lee is a Hongkonger but spent several formative years of his counter is really young adult life in Tokyo, where very important he fell in love with the small, cosy and dimly lit izakayas that Shiba’s exclusive sake collection populate the city’s back alleys. takes pride of place above the When he returned home, he wraparound counter of vintage sought out the same sorts of wood, which overlooks the chefs places to while away his evenings at work grilling up skewers of with spontaneous conversation, beef tongue, Kitakyushu oysters ‘but it wasn’t authentic’, he says. and other delicacies. Bypassing Taking matters into his own staid distribution networks, Lee hands, Lee became a restaurateur, works with a sake consultant to selecting Kennedy Town for his find the most intriguing, seasonal first foray into the business. ‘I like and limited sake batches for this area because you walk on the his growing network of seven streets and you feel very relaxed venues throughout Hong Kong. — it has a village feel,’ he says. ‘Sake makers have been around ‘And the people here are young for generations, but there’s a professionals, so they like to eat renaissance in sake making today,’

out a lot and drink.’ he says. Lit Ma by Photography

44 13 Hungry Hours 8 SMITHFIELD

SUN HING RESTAURANT is an institution of sorts, known to hedonists and foodies across the city for its authentic, no-frills dim sum and unusual hours. Mr Yip started the business some 50 years ago on the other side of the harbour before relocating to Kennedy Town in 1989. The business has moved location within the neighbourhood four times since, taking with it a devout following each time. Here, we bring you a glimpse into the 13-hour eating frenzy at this famed cha lau.

Early Birds & Night Owls 3–8 AM

It’s 3am; the night sky still looms dark as oil as a freshly showered Mr Yip rolls open the gate, opening up for the day’s business. Outside, minibuses jockey for parking spaces with the cabbies, and a queue of eager patrons has already formed out front. Inside, the clanking of metal bowls reverberates from the kitchen as umpteen crescent-shaped dumplings are rolled out and filled in anticipation of the weekend dim sum brunchers. A precarious tower of white porcelain tea pots are brewing the day’s pu’er tea.

The crowd is a heady mix of early risers — workers from the nearby market, grabbing a quick and hearty breakfast before their days begin — and a raucous group of nightlife stragglers in search of starchy carbs before heading to bed after a long night of dancing

Photography by Lit Ma by Photography and carousing.

47 The Morning Rush 9–11 AM

Come 9am, fragrant bamboo steamer baskets are stacked high, full of surprise and delight waiting to be uncovered. Deconstructing the towers reveals an endless discovery of siu mai, har gow and curried beef tripe, Lunch and Tea 12–4 PM among other delicacies. Multigenerational families have taken up residence around the As the midday heat begins to burn off, so tables, grandmothers coddling squirming does the dining room quiet down with the grandchildren, aunties trading gossip with subdued afternoon tea crowd. A student their sisters. More pu’er flows thick and dark, group has assembled for a late lunch, binders and a tray of yauhjagwai fresh from the oven tucked under their stools and conversation is passed around. taking place in hushed tones. A retired couple assumes a table closer to the door, Abrupt shouts ring out from the kitchen still in spandex and clipped shoes from their as rubber-gloved workers trawl the dining mid-week bike ride and in search of carby room, watering down pots of over-steeped nibbles. One patron leisurely scrolls through tea and clearing plastic plates and bamboo his phone while deftly handling chopsticks in steamers, making room for the ever-present the other hand to scoop up tender bao. queue out the door. The terrazzo floor is littered with castaway In the early hours, production is in full swing at tissue packets as Mr Yip counts out his till, Sun Hing Restaurant, a well-choreographed kitchen takes down some notes on the shift and performance of tender dumplings, fragrant stacks of bamboo steamers and dark-brewed tea to feed a prepares to roll down the shopfront, closing hungry morning crowd out another day.

48 49 Shun Fat Roast Meats 87 BELCHER’S STREET

r Chan got into the trade of roasting meats in the Hong Kong style Mby following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who started the family business two generations before on Shanghai Street in Kowloon. ‘The neighbours are very nice to us here,’ he says of his Belcher’s Street location in central Kennedy Town, where he’s been “ since moving across the harbour more than a decade ago. ‘The Roasted pork Western District used to be very belly is the best. quiet, but now that the MTR has But the roast come in it’s busier, it’s better.’ goose is also the A Hong Kong institution, the best. Oh, and neighbourhood roasted meats joint is popular with the locals, and Mr the chicken is Chan often sells out. ‘Everyone also the best knows me and we have a lot of regulars,’ he says. And what about the chef’s favourite? ‘Roasted pork belly is the best. But the roast Mr Chan of local institution Shun goose is also the best. Oh, and the Fat Roast Meats stands ready for chicken is also the best. The char the dinner rush with poached chickens and hulking pork bellies siu is extremely tender...’ Maybe it’s dangling from meat hooks over a

an unfair question. full pan of soy-glazed duck breasts Lit Ma by Photography

50 Thriving Spaces 12P SMITHFIELD

n the Cheung Hing Industrial strategy and brainstorming Building set just behind sessions without disrupting the Kennedy Town’s new MTR otherwise-quiet space populate Iplaza, an energetic mix of creative the perimeter, with other quirky enterprise is underway. Here, features like swings and beanbags several co-working spaces, an scattered throughout. ‘It's a pretty artists’ collective (see page 26) inspiring place to work in Hong and a makers’ space support a Kong,' says writer and producer burgeoning scene of independent Will McCallum, who bases his creatives. ‘I live in a nearby communications business Two neighbourhood, but I like coming Gongs Media out of the Hive. 'I to Kennedy Town every day to appreciate being around people work,’ says fashion designer who are producing a huge range Charlotte Mörling, who has taken of different material that really up studio space at the Hive. It’s reflects the city's imaginative and here that Mörling creates her entrepreneurial streak.' bespoke minimalistic, modern designs that she says reflect On the tenth floor, a busy makers’ the neighbourhood’s ‘clean and space hums with the activity of laser empty’ feel. cutters, table saws, a 3D printer, a desktop CNC milling machine, foam In the central hot-desking space, cutters and soldering equipment, Edison bulbs and industrial lamps to name just a few. Studio lighting dangle above a troupe of freelance for impromptu photoshoots is creatives who pound away on lined up in formation along one keyboards, headphones in. The wall, while cluttered shelves spill scent of a constant supply of freshly forth with spare equipment, scrap brewed coffee permeates the air fabric, discarded prototypes and from the open pantry. Breakout other material of the ilk. This is,

Photography by Lit Ma by Photography spaces for taking calls and hosting after all, a space of creation.

53 “ Kennedy Town feels a lot like New York...It’s both a stimulating and relaxing environment, and it’s ideal for creative types

Charlotte Mörling, morlingstudios.com

“ I appreciate being around people who are producing a huge Fashion designer Charlotte Mörling creates ‘modern range of different cuts with futuristic minimalism and simplicity’. Mörling began her career as an understudy in the material that really Parisian atelier of Koji Tatsuno before relocating to Hong Kong in 2015 to launch her eponymous label reflects the city's with a studio in the Hive. ‘Kennedy Town feels a lot like New York in many ways,’ she says. ‘It’s both a imaginative and stimulating and relaxing environment, and it’s ideal In the upstairs MakerHive, stacks of discarded for creative types. What I like most is the feeling of prototypes line the work bench, including 3D-printed entrepreneurial streak space — it’s more open, you can face the water, and footwear by designer Philippe Holthuizen of you get this surreal mix of city and water.’ the3dcobbler.com Will McCallum, twogongs.com Street Stories Photography | Lit Ma

Kylie HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT David & Clayton FATHER AND SON Mr Nip RETIREE

I’ve lived in Western District all I grew up here and moved back I grew up here then moved to my life, but we moved to Kennedy recently after living in Sha Tin for Eastern District, but came back Town because the rent is cheaper. several years. I’m more used to three years ago. Back then it But I think the rent is going up, living on Hong Kong Island, although wasn’t ideal, but since the MTR so we might have to move again. it’s changed a lot since I was young. has come in it’s much more I feel like living here is very When I was younger, for example, convenient. I come to the park Leslie comfortable, I really don’t want where we’re standing here used most mornings and bring my “ INTERIOR DESIGNER to have to move — there’s a lot of to be the sea. For raising children, bamboo flute — I’m still just It’s a with Massimiliano food, it’s pretty quiet. the Hong Kong Island schools are learning, I’m not a master. This neighbourhood URBAN DESIGNER better and the facilities here are park is really big and the facilities where you walk I think my parents are thinking more built-up and better. And since are pretty good. Traffic is much I’ve lived here seven years now, so I wish they’d do something with about moving to Kwun Tong or the MTR came in, transportation better now. down the street since way before all the transition the waterfront — I think it’s a Tsuen Wan. Before kindergarten is much better — there used to be and people know from the MTR has come in. I really great opportunity. I mean, the we lived in Cheng Chau and once I constant traffic jams. There have been a lot of new you, they say enjoy it. I think it’s one of the only waterfront is always full of people. got into primary school, we moved changes, but it’s better than I places that I’ve lived in Hong Kong And the area where you have the to Sheung Wan, then Hill Road and Sometimes we have to go to Sai expected. Western District used to hello to you that’s a neighbourhood where you dock, it’s filled — people walking two years ago we moved here. Ying Pun for better parks — they’re be a poor neighbourhood, not a lot walk down the street and people their dogs, kids biking, older Since the MTR opened, I feel that bigger with more open space. Here of rich people. There’s a lot more know you, they say hello to you. It’s people doing tai chi or just walking it’s quite complete, except I think the parks can be very crowded. But wealth here now and a lot more the one place where you’re not a because it’s a big enough space to there should be more facilities for it’s very convenient and it’s nice restaurants. It’s busy, but there are stranger and in that way, Kennedy stretch your legs. It would be nice the elderly. living here — people see you on the quiet spots too. The people here Town is very different from the to have something a little bigger, street and say hi. are great, they’re kind. other areas where I’ve lived. and better public spaces.

56 57 Unlocking the Vision

PAUL CHAN AND ALAN PEGGIE of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong talk about their programme’s unique approach to landscape architecture and the ‘obvious potential’ identified in their students’ Kennedy Town urban regeneration studio project.

There aren’t many landscape architecture before you start doing things. This lays the It becomes a question of what do you touch, to build up a strong understanding of what programmes in Hong Kong, and yours is still foundation for a successful outcome. what do you look at amending to ease the makes the neighbourhood unique so that very new. Tell us what sets you apart. inevitable transition? Parks and waterfront when they later come up with a concept “ are relatively obvious, but there are things plan, whether it’s a new park, streetscape, The programme has been running for four you can do with the streetscapes that might whatever, it’s based on having already worked years now, so we’ve just had our first round It becomes a question improve the environment for everyone out what’s special about the neighbourhood of graduates this summer. Part of what we of what do you touch, without affecting business. In a Western and its users — who you’re trying to satisfy, do is specifically related to the unique needs city, you’d typically investigate redesigning ultimately. We’re really digging into the of Hong Kong and the region with a special what do you look at the existing streetscapes including the history and essence of Kennedy Town to focus on sensitive community interventions, amending to ease the introduction of street trees, but that just develop a sensitive intervention. and special consideration given to inevitable transition? doesn’t work in this sort of environment. So environmental and social issues. Plus, our how else can we intervene to build up the What did the students’ research find? programme places a strong emphasis on urban ecology and urban diversity? What would they recommend for Kennedy studio-based learning. For this year’s studio, students looked at Town? three different neighbourhoods: Mong Kok, What sort of elements factored into Students complete studios on housing, parks, Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town. What did the initial site audit, conducted by the It’s funny — when we announced who’d urban regeneration and landscape planning, Kennedy Town represent in this grouping? students? be assigned to which neighbourhood, the which are supported by the other taught students assigned to Kennedy Town let modules such as ecological design, landscape Relative to the others, Kennedy Town has a The students break off into small groups that out an audible groan. They thought it was technology, design theories and professional very strong waterfront element and is on the investigate the history of the site, the land such a boring and quiet area. But once they practice. Within the studios, we spend a cusp of big change. Kennedy Town is very use, circulation, demographics, landscape got into the research and found some of lot of time on site analysis, carrying out a interesting in a way because it’s changing elements, microclimates — those sorts of these special things like the little terraces comprehensive audit before we even begin rapidly — some may say too rapidly. So there’s a things. It’s all about trying to understand off Sands Street and began to understand to tackle the idea of an intervention. This is big change in the population and demography what makes Kennedy Town special. So the the history by talking with the local people, particularly important when we talk about because of the change of urbanisation, and students spend quite a bit of time on the they really warmed to it. And then when communities and staging neighbourhood then property prices of course go up. Not ground, interviewing residents, just walking they saw the waterfront and what it could interventions. You really need to understand everyone welcomes that change. around and making mental notes in order be, they really got excited.

58 59 It’s an obvious opportunity for the community to take greater advantage of what they already have — wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to jump on your bike and ride through to Central? Looking at a plan, you should be able to do it easily, but I guess in Hong Kong we treat our waterfronts as sort of working waterfronts, not just pleasure spaces, so it’s not that simple. But there are ways of getting around that, and everyone agreed that it would be wonderful to do.

Did that come out as a recommendation in the final studio presentations?

It absolutely did! Part way through the studio we had a design charrette and the students were forced to present and really defend their designs, and from there they went in to fully developing their concepts, which they again had to sell to a range of guest critics including local practising landscape architects, architects and urban planners. They’re very good about defending their designs because at that point they know the neighbourhoods inside out.

So that’s a bit of where the focus of this part of our programme really lies. It starts out with a broader scale — the planning of a neighbourhood — and then works its way right down to the nitty-gritty of how you implement the finer details and activities. And when the students present their final studio projects, we encourage them to make them as realistic as possible. Having said that though, we don’t want to constrain or hold back the imagination of our students.

That’s where the dialogue with the community is really important. They understand that they have a responsibility to the community but they also want to push the boundaries a bit. And if Hong Kong is to change, these guys are the next generation and are at the

Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography forefront of doing just that. research report examiningresearch report resident inKennedy satisfaction Town. at Grosvenor Here Asia Pacific. heintroduces Grosvenor’s latestneighbourhood TIM JOWETT isdirector ofinvestment andisresponsible strategy for research in Transition Neighbourhood A BY TIMJOWETT

Photography by Lit Ma Opposite page: Artwork by Dr Peter Cookson Smith Grosvenor & Hong Kong’s Figure 1: Neighbourhood Importance Factors Neighbourhoods* How important are the following factors in choosing a neighbourhood? ; HKU POP ; HKU 10 Mean Median Mode

5

Hong Kong Neighbourhoods: A Living Cities Approach Neighbourhoods: A Living Kong Hong n Grosvenor Asia Pacific’s 2016 research report Hong Kong Neighbourhoods: A Living Cities Approach we sought to a)

Ibetter understand the character of Hong Grosvenor, Source: 0 Kong by breaking it down into functional, not just administrative, neighbourhoods; b) characterise these neighbourhoods into types; and c) gauge Hong Kong residents’ relative satisfaction with their own neighbourhoods1. We did this because neighbourhoods matter a great deal. a group of people with some common On completing our research, we were Cities are vibrant and dynamic organisms perspectives, or a ‘look’, a ‘feel’, a ‘spirit’. surprised by the relatively high level of that evolve as people and their physical We adopted the shorthand ‘hardware’ — to satisfaction respondents reported with their surroundings interact with and change talk about infrastructure, connectedness, individual neighbourhoods, which appeared each other. And all great cities have great amenities, quality of built environment to be higher than their satisfaction with neighbourhoods because neighbourhoods — as well as ‘software’, the strength of a the city as a whole3. Generally speaking, are where citizens engage with and shape the neighbourhood’s community, cohesiveness, respondents’ needs seemed to be met within nature and character of a city. We therefore etc2. Our research showed that Hong Kong’s their neighbourhoods, and the wide diversity initiated a research programme to try and neighbourhoods generally scored well for among types of neighbourhood in Hong Kong better understand what makes for a good Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography hardware, but were more limited in terms does appear to give residents some choice — neighbourhood and — in a city like Hong of software. We were also able to observe subject to affordability factors — in finding Kong, with such tremendous competition for significant diversity among Hong Kong’s a neighbourhood that suits their desires. land use and rapid redevelopment — how the FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT: different neighbourhoods, with some In choosing neighbourhoods, Hong Kong characteristics of neighbourhoods that Hong survey respondents identifying positive people appeared to value hardware factors, Kong people most value can be maintained characteristics about their neighbourhoods particularly transport and accessibility, air and enhanced. “ that are not always readily associated with quality, peacefulness, greenery and a well- The place makes me Hong Kong. These included factors such as designed built environment, though software We determined that neighbourhoods can feel like home. Kennedy access to nature, quiet and clear air. factors were still seen as important. be characterised through both tangible and physical means as well as by less- Town has a certain tangible or emotional characteristics. charm that makes it a *Note: Grosvenor Asia Pacific has current investments in Kennedy Town They can be defined as physical entities, 1 Functional neighbourhoods should correspond to how people identify with the area in which they live, not just a constituency area or district. See with boundaries drawn on a map, but also place for living Hong Kong Neighbourhoods: A Living Cities Approach, Grosvenor Research (2016). 2 Thanks to Vivienne Chow of the South China Morning Post, a contributor to our 2016 Neighbourhood work for this nomenclature. can be representative of a community, 3 59% of survey respondents thought that Hong Kong provided good quality of life vs 73% who were satisfied in their neighbourhood.

64 65 Why Kennedy Town? and some local historical context that helps living experiences6. His work supports other to create a sense of place. It appears to research: that built forms do appear to make have a combination of population diversity a meaningful impact on neighbourhood and stability. Finally, we believe that there satisfaction, with poorly designed, high- This year we developed and advanced our Figure 2: Neighbourhood is some clear social interaction and human rise towers appearing to have a negative neighbourhood research with a focus on one Classification Factors contact within the neighbourhood creating impact. We wished to see whether this specific neighbourhood, namely Kennedy a specific sense of community. This was something that emerged in our study Town. We selected Kennedy Town because combination is important, as evidence from of Kennedy Town and whether there were it appeared to be a neighbourhood in which 1 2 the United States suggests that residents views, positively or negatively, on the we could test in more detail some of the feel greater attachment to and satisfaction neighbourhood’s recent development. NEIGHBOURHOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD theses developed in our original research. Age Diversity with communities where they have fair While wanting to understand Kennedy Town treatment, irrespective of background. This links to the other prevailing reason better by digging beyond statistics publicly Additionally, and of particular interest for to study Kennedy Town: to understand 3 4 available from the government census this research, there was a strong emphasis resident perceptions of change. Christopher (e.g. the 2011 Population Census and 2016 NEIGHBOURHOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD on the importance of the history and the DeWolf’s recently published book Borrowed Stability Population By-census) and creating our own Density & aesthetic quality of the neighbourhood Spaces: Life Between the Cracks of Modern Predominant detailed neighbourhood profile, we also Built Form itself with a combination of greenery, Hong Kong talks about the way ‘the city’s wanted to explore: 6 open space and historic or interesting urban fabric is being radically reshaped NEIGHBOURHOOD architecture. These factors appeared with hawkers cleared off the streets 5 ƒƒ Whether people identify with Affluence more significant than economic factors or and entire small buildings bulldozed to Kennedy Town and if so, how strongly? NEIGHBOURHOOD demographic factors5. Kennedy Town is make way for new shopping malls and ƒƒ How do residents characterise Convenience 7 certainly not the only neighbourhood in towers’, and Kennedy Town is the kind of & Vibrancy Hong Kong with these characteristics but is neighbourhood at the forefront of some Kennedy Town? NEIGHBOURHOOD 7 ƒƒ How satisfied are they with the Natural interesting because of them. of these dynamics . Based on the factors neighbourhood? Environment in Figure 2, one of the specific types of ƒƒ What do residents like and not like? There is an emerging body of work neighbourhood — and perhaps one of the ƒƒ What needs are currently unmet and examining the impact of density and most interesting ones — we identified in what do residents aspire for? urban design on happiness in Asian cities. our study last year was ‘transitional’. While Innovative research led by assistant in some senses, as Jane Jacobs argued, Last year, we used the characteristics As one of the original 19th-century yeuk4, professor Jianxiang Huang of Hong Kong neighbourhoods are permanently in listed in Figure 2 to create a Hong Kong Kennedy Town to us is a neighbourhood University — using big data to examine transition as their populations grow, shrink neighbourhood typology and to rank / with coherence and identity beyond patterns of neighbourhood happiness or change in demographic composition and rate neighbourhoods. Defining the ‘best’ administrative borders, and we wished — sought to explore the extent to which as they experience physical redevelopment, neighbourhoods in Hong Kong inevitably to test this with residents. Based on high-rise living promoted or degraded there are clearly neighbourhoods that involves some form of subjectivity, but it was our analysis, Kennedy Town has an happiness compared to alternative living undergo more dramatic change. These are clear to us that neighbourhoods with the easily discernible locale with some types and more specifically what kind of often — though not exclusively — driven by highest levels of resident satisfaction should coherence between the definition of the physical attributes are linked to pleasant infrastructure changes, which has been the score well for both hard and soft factors. neighbourhood and its natural surrounding environment. In addition, it has some

Kennedy Town scored relatively highly relatively distinctive physical and design 4 Under the British Government, the original City of Victoria, on Hong Kong Island, was divided into four wan and nine yeuk, which can loosely when we analysed those factors survey elements, features and details that reflect approximate to neighbourhood. 5 ‘Here to Stay — The Effects of Community Satisfaction on the Decision to Stay’, Charlotta Mellander, Richard Florida & Kevin Stolarick. Spatial respondents identified as making a ‘good’ a particular local character and help to Economic Analysis, Vol. 6 Issue 1, pp. 5–24, 2011. This study was updated to cover 40,000 Americans. Florida notes that established communities neighbourhood and as such we wished set the neighbourhood apart from others. generally have a higher level of satisfaction; indeed, it is difficult to find examples of newer communities that exhibit high levels of neighbourhood satisfaction. More detail can be found at knightfoundation.org/sotc/ to see whether it was truly the case that Within the context of Hong Kong, the 6 Happiness and High-rise Living: Sentiment Analysis of Geo-Located Twitter Data in Hong Kong’s Housing Estates, Huang, Jianxiang; Zhang, Qing- neighbourhood appears to have some peng; Li, Lishuai; Yang, Yiyang; Chiaradia, Alain; Pryor, Matthew; Webster, Chris (2016). Proceedings of the 52nd ISOCARP Congress, Durban, South satisfaction was actually meaningfully Africa, pp. 380–387. See also page 36 of this publication higher in this neighbourhood. consistency of building scale and design, 7 Borrowed Spaces: Life between the Cracks of Modern Hong Kong, Christopher DeWolf (2017). Penguin

66 67 case in Kennedy Town with the completion of the extension of the Island MTR line in late 2014.

Improved infrastructure brings increased connectivity, which brings greater utility to residents and — all things being equal — should increase the relative cost of land and property prices and lead to higher-density development. Higher property prices tend to mean a more affluent local population, which in turn attracts a variety of retail businesses. They also attract property developers who can convert older property stock into newer and higher-value property. Over a period of three to five years, these dynamics can significantly transform the character and nature of a neighbourhood, in terms of both hardware and software, with some residents benefitting significantly while others lose out. This process is often described as ‘gentrification’, though, as this word has become increasingly broad in definition and politically charged in recent years, we will avoid further use of it.

The irony of this process is that the factors that can attract residents to a neighbourhood and contribute to its distinctive character can also be eroded or even destroyed through rapid rates of development. Therefore we finally wished in our research to explore neighbourhood perceptions in Kennedy Town to better understand these dynamics in a rapidly evolving neighbourhood and also to help frame wider debate over how stakeholders (from both the public and private sectors) can maximise community utility. Ultimately, can neighbourhoods within Hong Kong undergo development without fundamentally transforming their character, particularly if that evolution is strongly perceived as negative? We therefore specifically wished to understand neighbourhood views on recent changes and

Photography courtesyPhotography of Burson-Marsteller their relative concerns.

68 69 Our approach

In order to gain a balanced and solid understanding of resident perceptions, we Figure 3: Demographic Profile of engaged a third-party consultant to help us Quantitative Survey Respondents conduct both qualitative and quantitative studies8. We first spoke with between 20 and 30 Kennedy Town residents aged between ETHNICITY 25 and 55 from a variety of backgrounds with a wide range of time living in the neighbourhood via a series of in-depth focus groups over the course of a week. Based 91% 6% 3% on these detailed discussions, we then Chinese Caucasian Others conducted street based face-to-face surveys of a further 608 Kennedy Town residents over a two-week period9. While it could be argued that interviewing current residents DURATION OF RESIDENCY of the neighbourhood is a self-selecting IN KENNEDY TOWN sample — i.e. residents have chosen to live 36% 14% there and therefore should have a base 5 years 20+ or less level of satisfaction — the fact that we had years

established an all-Hong Kong benchmark 12% does give us some means of comparison. 6–10 years

The profile of residents we were able to survey — both qualitatively and quantitatively — gave us a broadly representative sample of the neighbourhood10. 16% 11–15 Of the residents we surveyed, 56% live in what 22% years 16–20 we consider core Kennedy Town — bounded years by Sands Street to the east, Catchick Street Source: Grosvenor Research to the north, Cadogan Street to the west and Belcher’s Street to the south — and we were able to get respondents from a broad range residents worked in were Banking/Finance, of social backgrounds. The two residences IT and education, which account for 33% of from which we got the largest number of respondents. The average monthly household responses were the Kwun Lung Lau public income of respondents was just under estate (29%) and on New Praya $50,000 with average monthly household (27%). The major industries Kennedy Town expenses just under $15,000.

8 We would like to acknowledge and give special thanks to Anne Alvernhe, David Lo, Kenneth Law, Josie Lau and the rest of the team at Nielsen for their work in support of this project. All responsibility for data presentation and interpretation in this report lies with Grosvenor Asia Pacific. 9 These were males and females aged 18–64 who visit Kennedy Town at least four times per week (including residents, those working in Kennedy Town and other frequent visitors). Potential respondents were approached at five different high-traffic locations in Kennedy Town: the junction of North Street and Catchick Street, near the Kennedy Town MTR Exit at North Street, the Kennedy Town Tram Terminus, near Kwun Lung Lau and outside The Westwood mall. 10 The demographic profile is broadly in line with the most recent census data. Teng Stephanie by Photography

70 71 Resident satisfaction is high, but some concerns are evident

Our research certainly showed that there residents’ were like: open-minded, well- was a clear sense of a specific Kennedy Town educated citizens who lead forward-thinking identity and a positive association with this but simple and practical lifestyles. There was identity. Residents see the neighbourhood a general desire for the neighbourhood to as vibrant, infusing traditional and new, local maintain good provision for day-to-day living and international elements. The sense of for a wide range of residents rather than for Kennedy Town’s character was bound up in a it to be fundamentally upgraded or become clear notion of a distinctive and multi-faceted more luxurious. Respondents drew some neighbourhood. During our focus groups, positive contrasts with neighbourhoods such multiple residents commented positively on as North Point, Shau Kei Wan and Mid-Levels, the neighbourhood’s diversity, both in terms which were characterised as too dense, too of demographics and the mix of older and soulless or lacking identity. new aspects. This was supported by 72% of the respondents in our quantitative survey, Quality of life considerations were clearly who reported that they were satisfied or high. Particular emphasis was placed on very satisfied with the diverse society in what was perceived to be lower density or Kennedy Town. The neighbourhood was seen building height relative to other parts of as somehow representative or a microcosm Hong Kong and good provision of public open of Hong Kong as a whole, with benefits from space, which meant that the neighbourhood ethnic, cultural, and demographic diversity. did not feel too crowded. There was a strong Newer forms of retail and leisure offerings appreciation of the presence of independent were seen as interacting positively — in the retailers combining local and traditional main, though with some different views as elements, i.e. personal connections / culture. shall be discussed later — with the old. From Unsurprisingly, convenience was rated as both sides of a nationality split (‘local’ and very important with high accessibility to ‘international’), there was a sense that the important areas such as SoHo, Wan Chai and balance was right; ‘locals’ welcomed the mix Causeway Bay via a large array of transport of internationals as adding something positive alternatives. The neighbourhood is seen to the neighbourhood while internationals as somewhat serene thanks to access to expressed a desire that the ‘local’ character the Praya and waterfront combined with — though definitions of this were loose — be proximity to green open spaces. Relatively somehow maintained or enhanced. lower building height and perceptions of lower density help give Kennedy Town a Within this diversity, there were some distinct character, though residents note

Photography courtesyPhotography of Burson-Marsteller common notions of what ‘Kennedy Town that this is beginning to change.

72 73 This high level of satisfaction with Our quantitative survey showed that 91% of neighbourhood tangibles clearly also Kennedy Town residents were satisfied with impacted perception of the neighbourhood their neighbourhood, almost 20 percentage intangibles: points above the 73% Hong Kong-wide level we established last year. FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS:

“ Figure 4: How Satisfied Are You With Kennedy Town As A Neighbourhood? You don’t have to lift your (Scale 1–10) head too much to see the VERY SATISFIED (10) blue sky in Kennedy Town. 2%

“ 15% It’s only ten minutes away from Central now — it’s like being in an oasis just outside the hustle and bustle.

50% “ You get more of a warm SATISFIED and hearty feeling from these smaller local stores — they're more hospitable and it’s easier to connect with them compared to 24% chain store staff.

“ 6% The air and weather is 1% NOT SATISFIED always better here. AT ALL (0) Source: Grosvenor Research Grosvenor Source: Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography

74 75 Figure 5a: Satisfaction with Various Neighbourhood Factors (Scale 1-10) Figure 5b: Relative Importance vs Satisfaction

MORE IMPORTANT

Easy access to Diversity in food and LOOK TO MAINTAIN Good Overall satisfaction day-to-day living beverage and other transportation links Safety and security with Kennedy Town necessities Quiet leisure amenities 8.3 8.1 7.8 7.7 7.5 7.5

Green environment/ Easy access to Spacious public Good and varied Good air quality Park nearby health services space nearby Diverse society community facilities 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.2 7.1 7.1 IMPORTANCE Sense of community Easy access to Well-designed and opportunities Aordable rental/ good schools built environment Bustling and fun for participation Cultural elements property price 7.1 7.0 6.8 6.7 6.5 6.1

Source: Grosvenor Research, Q20 Satisfaction towards different aspects in Kennedy Town. Base: All respondents (n=608) ‘Satisfied’ is defined as a score of 7 or higher.

Older and higher-income groups were Top 4 neighbourhood priorities (at SATISFACTION MORE the most likely to be satisfied, with Kennedy Town Level, 2017): SATISFIED non-Chinese (the majority of whom are Source: Grosvenor Research, Q15 Important factors for choosing where to live in, Q20 Satisfaction towards different aspects in Kennedy Town. Base: All respondents (n=608) Caucasian) and higher-income groups the Good transportation links most likely to be highly satisfied (43% and 25%, respectively). The factors that Safety and security supported this high level of satisfaction Easy access to day-to-day were broadly in line with city-level factors living necessities notably parks and the swimming pool, as our findings from the whole of Hong Kong (see below), with transport seen as the Good air quality most important factor in Kennedy Town well as the range and quality of food and in being less satisfied with the software. residents’ neighbourhood selection. Close beverage offerings. The highest level of satisfaction in Kennedy to two-thirds (65%) of residents selected FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT: one of these four factors as their most Town was with the transportation links In the quantitative study, it was still very important in choosing where to live, well (96%); satisfaction was also high with easy clear that Kennedy Town residents — as with ahead of the 7% who mentioned affordable access to day-to-day living necessities (88%) all Hongkongers — will prioritise hardware “ rental / property prices. and the diversity of food and beverage over software, with hardware factors An ideal community offerings (87%). identified as more important than software Top 4 neighbourhood priorities (at Hong elements such as sense of community, should be one where Kong Level 2016): Satisfaction with the quality of the neighbourhood vibrancy and diversity. residents bond with each environment was also a strong theme But residents still rate these aspects, that came through, via combination of air particularly community feel and sociability, other well. It makes you Safety and security quality (80%), quiet and sense of security as important in an absolute sense (see feel safer by knowing Good air quality accompanying the benefits that come from Figure 5b). There appeared to be a greater that you belong to a Good transportation links access to the seafront and from perceived appreciation of the importance of software lower density. Other key factors were a good in Kennedy Town than in Hong Kong as a friendly neighbourhood Peace and quiet range of both public and private facilities, whole, while residents also largely matched

76 77 Figure 6: Kennedy Town Residential Supply by Development* by Decade There was an emphasis on a lack of many green and natural characteristics as places for the community to interact in possible. Retail provision should be food informal settings outside of dedicated and beverage-focused and affordable, or # UNITS ‘community’ facilities, such as the at least across a very broad range of price 2.5 K libraries and swimming pool, which were points. There was a definite theme that it not necessarily designed for this purpose. was more important for a neighbourhood Exposure to cultural facilities was also to have a specific identity with a real push 2 K seen as lacking, with the more detailed against what were considered homogenous New Fortune House interaction with residents through the or ‘soulless’ neighbourhoods. One factor 1.5 K Luen Gay The Merton focus groups illustrating demand for that was appreciated in Kennedy Town, for Apartments provision of facilities such as art galleries example, was the lack of a major mall. Luen Hong and live music venues, to something Apartments Harbour View May Sun Garden Apartments more undefined as simply a place for the We had expected to perhaps see an even 1 K Luen Wai Apartments community to ‘get together’. It was quite balance between residents who thought Ying Ga Kin Liong Garden striking to see the strength of desire to the neighbourhood had improved in recent Mansion The Hudson Imperial Kennedy know and develop a community spirit, years and those who were troubled at 500 Manhattan Heights which was seen as attainable in a place the pace of change. However, our survey Lexington Hill like Kennedy Town that has some identity, indicated that a clear majority (80%) of Cadogan Belcher’s Hill as a challenge to the anomie that can feel residents thought the neighbourhood 0 prevalent in HK11. had improved in Kennedy Town in recent 1960–1969 1970–1979 1980–1989 1990–1999 2000–2009 2010+ years, though those who had spent the DECADES

Our research suggested a clear separation least time in the neighbourhood — less * Developments cited represent those contributing 150 units or more to the housing stock. Source: Grosvenor Research in residents’ minds between areas for living than ten years — were most likely to call versus areas for entertaining. One potential the neighbourhood very much improved. weakness of too much granularity in thinking About one in five (19%) responded this at the neighbourhood level is ignoring that way versus 9% who have lived in the ethnic identity. Those elements perceived as unwelcome and disruptive (for further neighbourhoods do interact with each neighbourhood for 20 or more years. The to disrupt the current serene environment detail, please see Dr Peter Cookson Smith’s other and should therefore be somewhat data would suggest that this is in good part and community affordability are then seen article, particularly pages 9 to 11). complementary. Certainly not everything down to the improvement in transportation as having an impact on the make-up of who needs to be present in each neighbourhood and particularly the completion of the MTR, can live in Kennedy Town. In particular, new In order to better quantify and understand for the neighbourhood to be seen as an and that it is a net positive. luxury properties are seen as extraneous to the context behind this concern, we attractive one in which to live, particularly current residents. The conce rn is that they undertook our own study on residential given the high connectivity of Hong Kong. However, the major areas of concern may drive in extra population, causing the development and completions in Kennedy Rather, the residents we surveyed seemed that came through our research largely cost of living to surge through increased Town over a 50-year period. This was to see to have specific requirements from each were factors directly or indirectly driven rents and loss of affordable local trades. In how dramatic change has been in recent neighbourhood with this distinction by the improved accessibility of the our survey, only 46% of residents expressed years versus the past. Kennedy Town’s between living and entertaining areas. neighbourhood. The primary area appears satisfaction with affordable rental or evolution from a largely manufacturing For Kennedy Town, there was a clear and to be the current pace of community property prices in the area, the lowest district to a desirable living neighbourhood strong emphasis that it is a community development with the introduction of score of the 20 aspects we asked about. In has not all happened in the last five years for living and that neighbourhood newer elements that seemed out of keeping addition, new leisure elements may result (again, for a detailed analysis, see Dr structure should be led by this. This means with the current urban environment. This is in a further influx of visitors that may Cookson Smith’s article). Within what we maintaining openness, spaciousness and as of high concern to residents irrespective of negatively impact the peace and quiet, and define as core Kennedy Town, we calculate the sense of safety within the community. that there are 9,169 residential units Finally, given the relatively constrained across 49 main buildings. At 2.8 people urban context such as the narrowness of per residence — the aggregate number for 11 The potential causes behind this are multiple, complex and not unique to Hong Kong but may also be linked to working culture; see for example scmp. com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2111354/loneliness-hong-kong-dont-let-it-kill-you-how-reach-out pavements, high-rise buildings were seen Hong Kong — this suggests a total of around

78 79 Figure 7: Kennedy Town Sales Transactions per Year and utility through perceived loss of public In studying the data and the more considered realm or benefits from intangible factors opinions through focus groups, it seems # UNITS such as reduced spaciousness / sunlight at clear that neighbourhood concerns around 1.8 K street level can, in classic economic terms, affordability and changing residential

1.6 K be considered an externality (for a fresh and retail provision are real, but the approach, please see The True Value of neighbourhood benefits still — at present — 1.4 K Property on page 16). It is not apparent in outweigh these concerns, perhaps because

1.2 K the neighbourhood that there is any major the rate of change has not yet become offset of this in additional public amenity overwhelming. There were three areas on 1 K provision, with the obvious exception of which residents consistently focused in

800 the MTR and new swimming pool, which terms of neighbourhood improvement. The were effectively publicly funded. Certainly first, linked to the discussion above, was 600 this begins to point to planning policy and that of density not worsening. Residents

400 the role of government, and indeed it can were not anti-development per se, but were be argued that without any specific policy worried about overcrowding changing the 200 adjustments, it is difficult to expect any neighbourhood. Our interpretation is two-fold:

0 major change in developer activity. firstly, a desire that not all the development 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 within Kennedy Town is one kind of housing To contextualise and gauge the real — i.e. luxury high-rise — and secondly, that YEAR Source: Grosvenor Research strength of these concerns, we also development is more reflective of the current surveyed residents’ likelihood of leaving shape of the neighbourhood and public realm 25,500 residents, which is in line with our a dramatic influx of new purchasers into the Kennedy Town in the near future. Fully provision. In other words, development is not original neighbourhood categorisation neighbourhood fundamentally changing the 89% of residents considered themselves seen as uniformly negative; it is the type of estimates. This means that the average demographic mix. unlikely to leave, and this ratio was development by both scale and design. development size is around 180 units, consistent across income types (higher- though that number is pulled up by three Therefore, these views and concerns income residents were not less likely The second area, which came through very larger developments, of which The Merton about the transformation of the area to consider leaving). Only 5% of those strongly, was a desire for the waterfront to be is the largest at 1,100 units. by new luxury developments may have surveyed considered themselves likely used in a much more effective way. Residents much more to do with the perception to leave. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the very highly value proximity to the waterfront, However, as Figure 6 shows, the current of individual development scale, design group with the highest affinity to the including the Western District Public Cargo decade is on track to produce the lowest and type — i.e. luxury high-rise — than neighbourhood — i.e. least likely to leave — Working Area, which is widely used by number of total new additions to the the total quantum. In most cases, for was older residents. Non-Chinese residents residents for a range of informal leisure residential stock in Kennedy Town since the obvious and understandable economic were meaningfully more likely to consider activities. There were a range of ideas as to 1960s, with no large-scale development since reasons, developers have concentrated leaving the neighbourhood than Chinese how this space could be better used, from the completion of The Merton in 2005. Only the developable space on a particular plot (24% versus 3%), but this is highly likely to formalised cycling lanes through to a more five new developments have been completed in the smallest possible footprint in order be down to broader life factors including European-style piazza / park space. It would since 2010, representing 8% of the total to build as high as the plot ratio permits. duration of time in Hong Kong as a whole seem that residents would perhaps be more stock, and given that some of these involved However, in very basic terms, this is a rather than neighbourhood factors per se. welcome of some aspects of neighbourhood partial replacement of existing residential prioritisation of the desires for views of Those that had been in the neighbourhood changes if there were improvements in the stock, they have not particularly contributed purchasers of these properties — which more than 20 years were highly unlikely to ability of the public to maximise use of the to a major increase in population or to undoubtedly they will pay for — over leave (97%) versus those who had been in the waterfront, whether this is achieved through overcrowding. Likewise, as Figure 7 shows, what appears to be neighbourhood desire neighbourhood less than ten years (76%). Of government or private–sector work. The third there has been no surge in Kennedy Town for developments more sympathetically those considering leaving, the major factor area can loosely be called cultural needs, residential transactions over the last five integrated into the neighbourhood. by far was the level of rent which, for these which includes provision of more informal years, suggesting that there has not yet been Declines in neighbourhood satisfaction residents, is becoming too expensive. spaces for the community to interact.

80 81 Conclusions & further areas for research

At the outset of this work, we expected to see: is clearly positive and welcome by residents, and consistently shows in the highest– a) A clear and positive sense of resident priority category. However, improving identity with the neighbourhood transport, while providing net benefits to b) Relatively high diversity in the a community, is not without its costs. The neighbourhood, which in turn should question is how these costs are understood underpin differing views of what is and distributed. Improved transport allows good about the neighbourhood for increased densification and high-rise c) A high level of neighbourhood development, which can and do change satisfaction due to its high a neighbourhood’s character. In different connectivity, relative density, amenity ways, through our research — particularly in provision and natural aspects the focus groups — concern was expressed (waterfront and greenery) about the neighbourhood becoming denser; d) Mixed perceptions on whether recent this was seen as something negative. The changes are improvements latest area outline zoning plan expects the e) Major concern over property price population to grow around 20% from 74,500 increases as of the 2011 Population Census, though the timeline is unclear. Overall Hong Kong Our research has shown that Kennedy population growth is currently expected to Town residents believe the neighbourhood be approximately 15% from 2011 to 2032, so offers an attractive balance of efficient and relative area population density is expected convenient transport, diverse and affordable to increase. local retailing and good quality of life. These factors they believe distinguish Kennedy A theme that runs through DeWolf’s Borrowed Town from many other neighbourhoods by Spaces is a notion of Hong Kong as a kind of reflecting their lifestyle needs in balancing battleground between a concrete, hostile individuality, tranquillity and practicality. and inhuman city — which the book sees This assessment matches our neighbourhood largely as a result of aggressive developers profiling, which suggests that accessible and planning regulations that are not really and convenient transportation, a serene fit for purpose — and the people of the city, environment, safety and security, a good who transform it into something vibrant and variety of public sports facilities and open liveable. Kennedy Town can in part be seen as spaces for exercise, and a wide range of a living example of some of these dynamics affordable food and beverage options should as the community wrestles with the benefits show in higher-than-average neighbourhood and costs of improved infrastructure and the satisfaction. We expected, and believe associated changes in the neighbourhood. The that our survey work has shown, Kennedy question is whether Hong Kong can reframe Town as an older, established and coherent this idea of a battle and whether private sector neighbourhood to have higher levels of developers — of which we clearly are one — and satisfaction from residents on softer factors. government can do a better job of reflecting

Improved transportation to a neighbourhood the desires and aspirations of residents. Teng Stephanie by Photography

82 83 In Hong Kong, with the huge constraints and generation of winning cities.’13 In reality, challenges around land use, lower-density good density will need to be worked out at the development is a huge challenge. Clearly neighbourhood level, and our research into one of the key reasons to invest in transport Kennedy Town resident sentiment suggests infrastructure is to allow increased density that this is not particularly successful at around transport nodes and improved present. Rather, our research shows that it efficiency of land use. But there is perhaps is important to place some sociological and misunderstanding surrounding density12. community issues within the debate over Due to Hong Kong’s high land prices, high- density and development. That means good rise development is likely to be one way design, reflecting a neighbourhood’s historic density is achieved; indeed, the city currently character, natural environment and street has more than 7,500 buildings at 12 or more life. Good architecture and urban design storeys13. However, density and high-rise are need to facilitate a mix of types of use. This not necessarily immediately substitutable is clearly not just a Hong Kong issue: the UK’s words; a high-rise building may not be Commission for Architecture and the Built particularly dense, while lower-rise forms Environment points out that ‘exemplary do not automatically mean lower density. higher-density housing schemes are still The ultimate aim for increased density is to disappointingly rare’. CABE sees successful

facilitate improved proximity, agglomeration high-density development relying on four Teng Stephanie by Photography or sustainability, but it does not achieve key factors, of which two are ‘location and those things automatically. In essence, there sense of place’ and ‘good design’. These can be both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ways to increase seem to sit well with Kennedy Town residents’ density just as there can be good and bad views that want the character and nature of clause in respect of building height the neighbourhood suggests that at present, developments. Part of this debate rests on the neighbourhood better reflected in its restriction … in order to provide incentive the rate of neighbourhood development understanding how density can work for further evolution. for developments with planning and design is manageable. However, there were clear liveability, which requires a more holistic merits … better urban design and local concerns on the rate of property price approach to neighbourhood planning. The text of the local zoning plan14 recognises area improvements … better streetscape/ increases — obviously not unique to Kennedy these issues, noting that ‘Tall buildings good quality street level public urban Town — which accompanied a broad sense Jones Lang LaSalle’s director of global may proliferate at random locations and space … [or] improvements to townscape that recent developments were of a scale research Rosemary Feenan notes at a the scale may be out-of-context in the and amenity of the locality’. These are and type out of keeping with the character city level that ‘The efficient, effective and locality, resulting in negative impacts on clearly subjective factors and from our of the neighbourhood. We did find in our responsible use of land is a goal that would the visual quality of the area … specific research, it does not appear that in reality resident engagement some understandable be a win-win for all cities, their businesses building height restrictions are adopted for any of these benefits are fully evident to levels of conservatism. However, generally and their citizens: the key question though some developments to reflect the existing residents despite increasing numbers of we found the majority of residents to be is how … Densification may be an obvious building heights or to preserve the local tall buildings. pragmatic, recognising that positive changes answer, but how to deliver successful character’. It aims for a stepped approach to the neighbourhood may also have other densification is not so obvious and is one to development with lower buildings on the In summary, our neighbourhood research has consequences. This research therefore of the most important topics of this urban waterfront and increased height moving allowed us to establish both quantitatively moves in a more practical direction as to how decade. Good density will mark out the next away, but provides for ‘a minor relaxation and qualitatively a high level of positive neighbourhood development and change can identification with Kennedy Town and a go forward in a more successful way. high level of satisfaction. Perceptions over recent changes were more positive than our In many ways, the key question is then 12 The Little Book of Density: A Guide to Density in Urban Environments, Rachel Cooper and Christopher T Boyko, 2012; Density: Drivers, Dividends and Debates, Greg Clark and Emily Moir, ULI Europe, 2015; Better Neighbourhoods: Making higher densities work, Commission for Architecture and the expectation, further illustrating the impact whether developers can — and indeed Built Environment (UK), 2005 of good transport and connectivity. A low should — be better at reflecting these 13 Density: Drivers, Dividends and Debates 14 Draft Kennedy Town & Mount Davis Outline Zoning Plan No. S/H1/20 number of residents currently looking to leave community desires while still engaging in

84 85 profitable projects. Based on our resident and price point. There are two or three survey, developments more in scale streets like this in Kennedy Town with some would be welcome, but these may not be potential given current layout and existing feasible given the desires for improved provision. However, organically curating densification. Our survey would indicate food streets in their current forms is difficult that some commitment of developers given that individual owners will focus on of new high-rise projects to contribute maximising their individual unit rents. This to tangible waterfront and public space tends to mean that chains have advantages improvements and cultural space provision over independent retailers. This could also would be welcome and would perhaps be an area in which policy could advance in a offset some of the negative factors of way to bring better neighbourhood benefits. luxury high-rises. However, how likely is it that developers do this by themselves Our focus is increasingly at the when market structure forces their focus neighbourhood level as we believe that it onto commercial viability, and government is a scale at which a tangible difference can land sales decisions are effectively driven actually be made. We take the view that by simple price mechanics? This perhaps neighbourhoods neither can nor should pushes the discussion towards government be considered heritage projects to be and planning policy. In essence, a change ‘preserved’ in a static way. Vital and healthy in developer activity will be in part a neighbourhoods should always be evolving function of the ability of government and and changing. However, this can be done other public-sector stakeholders to work sympathetically or unsympathetically, and productively to recognise and support the much of the discourse in Hong Kong seems intentions of some developers to work in to be driven by the latter even though there a different kind of way. We note positively are examples of the former. It is clear to us within the neighbourhood that changes that community perceptions and needs can in policy in car-parking provision in 2014 and should be understood and absorbed based on Transport Department study from more effectively into both planning policy 2009–2012 have moved developers away and individual developers’ projects. Just as from above-ground parking podiums and John Donne’s poem memorably said ‘No man towards better integrated street frontage15. is an island entire of itself’, no building sits This is a small, but tangible, example of in isolation. Rather, it sits in its own distinct the way in which developer activity can be neighbourhood context and environment. positively nudged. Thoughtful developers driven by long-term commitment to the cities in which they Of course, the other major challenge in the work — of which we consider ourselves one Hong Kong context is highly fragmented — should always be asking, ‘How does this ownership, which makes it difficult for building appropriately interact with the developers to work systematically. One of neighbourhood in which it sits? And how the other themes that came through our does it provide benefits to the community research was demand for better–organised beyond its own residents?’ Answering these ‘food streets’ offering a good range of questions in the right way will, we truly complementary provisions across type believe, allow for the building of better cities.

15

Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography Legislative Council Panel on Transport: Parking Policy, legco.gov.hk/yr16-17/english/panels/tp/papers/tp20170519cb4-1021-9-e.pdf

86 87 A Place for All BY CHRISTOPHER DEWOLF

CHRISTOPHER DEWOLF is a Hong Kong-based photographer and urbanist, and author of the new title Borrowed Spaces: Life between the Cracks of Modern Hong Kong.

t was an oppressively hot day in mid- green spaces. Its simple design — a circular July, but a group of families didn’t seem lawn flanked by trees and benches — made to mind as they picnicked in the shade of it particularly popular. ‘The so-called ICadogan Park. ‘People love this park because permanent parks usually have a lot of man- they feel free — they can sit on the grass and made facilities, but no grassy areas like this,’ do whatever they want,’ says Cherry Wong, says Wong. And yet Cadogan Park was slated who has lived near the park for the past ten to disappear. years. The green space is just one of the many Two years ago, Wong was shocked when she changes happening in Kennedy Town. For learned that the government intended to more than a century, the neighbourhood was develop the park into 700 luxury flats. She an overlooked corner of the city. In the 19th and a handful of other concerned citizens century, it was nicknamed Lap Sap Wan — banded together to start Protect Kennedy Rubbish Bay. ‘All the things you didn’t want in Town, a community pressure group. They a growing city were dumped in this extreme lobbied the local district council to save the corner of the island, including plague park, and they also staged weekly events victims, smallpox sufferers, lepers, corpses in the green space, like film screenings, and various noxious industries such as fat concerts and markets. boiling,’ wrote journalist Fionnuala McHugh, who moved to the area in 1996, in the South A simple administrative detail was at the China Morning Post. heart of the dispute. Opened in 1998 on the site of a former abattoir, the park was never In the late 1990s, the neighbourhood’s meant to be permanent — its official name foul-smelling slaughterhouses closed, and is the Cadogan Street Temporary Garden, a gradual transformation began. Urban and it is zoned for residential development. renewal projects brought luxurious high-rises As the years passed and its trees grew taller to the area around Davis Street. The pace of and more robust, though, the park became change accelerated as the MTR made its way a lively meeting place for neighbours in west in the early 2010s. By the time the new

Photography by Stephanie Teng Stephanie by Photography Kennedy Town, a neighbourhood with few Kennedy Town station opened in 2014, the

88 89 neighbourhood’s humble grid of streets was nearby residents gathered for a communal in the firm grip of gentrification. Since then, dinner. Caritas supplied the tables; neighbours new hotels and apartment towers have taken supplied food and conversation. ‘It’s bottom- the place of old walk-up tong lau, and Hong up, community-driven design work,’ says Sin. Kong-style cafes and Chinese medicine shops He thinks it can serve as a model for other have been replaced by bars and restaurants spaces in Western District, including streets catering to young professionals and expats. and lanes in Kennedy Town.

Benjamin Chiu Hang Sin, a Caritas social Sitting on the laneway’s steps on a hot worker who oversees community development afternoon, Sin points to a red metal hut affixed projects in Kennedy Town, Shek Tong Tsui and to the blank tile wall of the adjacent building. Sai Ying Pun, says the rapid pace of change ‘That’s a temple — it’s been here for more has created a sense of alienation for old- than a hundred years,’ he says. ‘When there’s timers and newcomers alike. ‘In the past few an earth-god temple, there’s an organisation decades we’ve all grown detached from our behind it — and an old community identity.’ communities,’ says Sin. ‘But people still long for that attachment.’ It’s small things like this that spell the difference between a space and a place. Space is something cold, rational and physical, “ but place has culture, history and meaning. Space is something A place is what happens when you infuse a space with humanity — and placemaking is cold, rational and how you do it. Popularised in the mid-1990s Photography by Lit Ma by Photography physical, but place has by New York-based planning consultancy culture, history and Project for Public Spaces, the concept is rooted in the observations of urbanists Jane meaning. A place is Jacobs and William H Whyte, who argued for This has led to a very intensively developed what happens lively, people-oriented urban spaces that city without much regard for the quality of “ foster a sense of community and belonging. architecture or public spaces. It doesn’t help There's no design when you infuse a that streets are dominated by vehicular control at all...This space with humanity PPS says good places have four main traffic, despite the fact that more than 80 per ingredients: connectivity, sociability, cent of Hong Kong’s population gets around has led to a very — and placemaking is comfort and a mix of uses. Many cities have by foot and public transport. ‘Over the last intensively developed how you do it wholeheartedly embraced this approach to ten years we’ve increased private vehicle urban planning and design, but Hong Kong licences in HK by almost forty per cent,’ says city without much Sin is now working on a project that he hopes lags behind. ‘There’s no design control at Cookson Smith. ‘There are far more cars regard for the quality will bridge the divide. Since June 2017, he all,’ says urban planner Dr Peter Cookson on the road and there are major highways has overseen a community design workshop Smith, who has worked with the government running through districts that are not exactly of architecture or on Sheung Fung Lane in Sai Ying Pun that on a number of major projects including the walkable environments. Pavements are very public spaces will eventually transform the terraced alley planning of suburban new towns in the 1970s. narrow, developers occupy one hundred per — which is owned by the two adjacent high- ‘The way planning is done is zoning plans are cent of their sites. We never do anything neighbourhood’s street grid gives it plenty of rises — from a dreary concrete passage into a prepared and there’s a limited amount of about pavement widening, traffic calming or opportunities to pedestrianise streets, since lively neighbourhood gathering spot. Sin and control. Any developer who wants to build pedestrianising parts of the urban matrix.’ road traffic can easily disperse. ‘You need to his staff have already recruited a neighbour within the zoning plan doesn’t even have to look at things strategically — where can we to help water new plants that hang from the put in an application to the Town Planning Kennedy Town could be an opportunity to actually close off roads, widen pavements, metal fence that bisects the lane; in July, Board unless there’s a change of use.’ set a new example. Cookson Smith says the calm traffic movement,’ he says.

90 91 It helps that the neighbourhood is already Yung — known to many as the Tree Professor well-stocked with remarkable places that because of his arboreal expertise — proposed have evolved organically over the years. The that Forbes Street be pedestrianised to give Western District Public Cargo Working Area, the public a chance to appreciate the 22 a pier and container yard located on the spectacular banyan trees that cling to its eastern edge of Kennedy Town, has become Victorian-era stone retaining wall. ‘Nothing an informal recreation area where people came of it,’ he lamented. ‘The officials said it exercise, picnic, walk their dogs and take couldn’t be done.’ photos, earning it the nickname Instagram Pier for its memorable mix of industrial grit With the right pressure, though, things and harbourfront scenery. can change. After more than a year of lobbying, Kennedy Town residents finally convinced the government not to go ahead “ with the demolition of the park. A proposed We want Kennedy amendment to Kennedy Town’s zoning plan, Town to become which is now being considered by the Town Planning Board, converts the park into official an integrated open space, with additional public spaces neighbourhood with envisaged for the entire waterfront stretching from Instagram Pier to the former China public and private Merchants Wharf below Victoria Road. housing, a reflection All of this reflects what groups like Protect of its history and Kennedy Town have been pushing for — room for culture. though the devil is in the detail, and how the And we want a nice zoning changes are actually interpreted will be especially important. ‘We want Kennedy living environment Town to become an integrated neighbourhood with public and private housing, a reflection To the west, a cluster of bars and restaurants of its history and room for culture,’ says along Davis Street and the waterfront Praya Cynthia Lau, a member of Protect Kennedy brings an opportunity to create a lively Town whose family has lived nearby for al fresco dining area like the Stanley five generations. ‘And we want a nice living waterfront. Uphill, a small web of pedestrian- environment. There has to be a balance only streets lead up a steep slope to Lo Pan between development and the interests of Temple, a secluded 19th-century structure the community.’ with colourful friezes and a dramatically swooping roofline. Dedicated to the god of Preserving the park is one step towards construction, it comes alive on the 13th day of that goal. As the families wrapped up their the sixth lunar month as construction workers picnic on that hot summer day, they left from across the city make a pilgrimage. the park and passed by the sign that has marked it as the Cadogan Street Temporary What’s missing is a plan to link up all of these Garden for nearly two decades. Only this unique places by improving the streetscape time, something had changed — someone and public spaces between them. Years ago, had pasted over the word ‘Temporary’ with

University of Hong Kong geographer Jim Chi something new: ‘Permanent’. Teng Stephanie by Photography

92 In a city as densely developed as Hong Kong, public open space is often squeezed between high-rise towers and accommodated in formulaic corner parks. Residents of Western District, however, have taken matters into their own hands, reclaiming an abandoned ferry pier for their recreational needs. After nightfall, with relics of old industries hulking in the background, the area buzzes with runners, cyclists, dog walkers, line dancers, impromptu Cantonese Opera viewers propped up on plastic stools, buskers, young lovers, young families and the forever young at heart.

Sai Wan Pier After Dark

Photography | Julia Keil

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