Hong Kong:City of Edges

South East Development byWai-Kuen Chan

B.S.Arch, City Collegeof New York, 1992 B. Arch, City Collegeof NewYork, 1993

SUBMITTEDTO THE DEPARTMENTOF ARCHITECTUREIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENTOF THE REQUIREMENTSFOR THE DEGREEOF

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, JUNE 1997 c 1997Wai-Kuen Chan. All rights reserved. The author herebygrants to MIT permissionto reproduceand to distribute publiclypaper and electroniccopies of thisthesis documentin wholeor in part.

Signatureof Author:

Wai-KuenChan Departmentof Architecture May9, 1997

Certifiedby:

Julian Beinart Professorof Architectureand Planning Thesis Supervisor

Acceptedby:

RoyStrickland AssociateProfessor of Architecture Chairman,Department Committeeon GraduateStudents

JUN2 0 1997 N -C

CO Readers

Reader: John DeMONCHAUX Title: Professor of Architecture and Planning

Reader: Michael Dennis Title: Professor of Architecture

lil O

O) Hon g Kon g: City of Edges SouthEast Kowloon Development

by Wai-Kuen Chan Abstract Submitted To The Department Of Architecture in Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Science In Architecture Studies At The Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, June1997 Many extraordinary cities are developed along the edges of water into different directions. Yet, the city of has been formed along narrow strips of scarce flat-land around the harbor and from reclamations of land-fills. Urban fabrics are stretched along water edgesof the Victoria Harbor with distinct characters. For the rapidly developing cities, these urban fragments are elemental and essential to sustain.

The objective of this thesis is to re-examine the water front urban fabrics, and their organizations, within the context of East Kowloon, including the site. This thesis is structured through a parallel urban analysis and design proposal contrasting with the government proposal. The proposal will focus on the issues of urban plan, district characters, block types and, most importantly, utilization of water edges. LIJ 0 Thesis Adviser: Julian Beinart Title: Professor of Architecture and Planning 0 O 0 Dedication

To my dearest Parents and Brothers

Acknowledgments

I would like to gratefully acknowledge my advisers Julian Beinart and John DeMonchaux for their valuable advice. Thanks also to Professor Michael Dennis, Mr. Tunny Lee and Mr. Michael Mckinnell, who have been very helpful.

Much gratitude to all my friends for their unfailing support: Cyril Chong, Christina Lo, Singh Intrachooto, Bundit Kanisthakhon, Hsuyuan Kuo, Janice Li, Rochelle Nagata, Malina Palasthira and Jesse Wu and JJJ.

Very special thanks to my great brother, Wai-Ping Chan, for everything. Hong Kong: City of Edges

Table of Content A bstract...... 2 D edication ...... 3 A cknow ledgm ent ...... 4

CHAPTER 1. CITY AT THE EDGE...... 6 A Brief ...... 8 Den sity ...... 12 And Water Edges In Hong Kong ...... 14 Public H ousing ...... 16

CHAPTER 2. DISAPPEARINGEDGES ...... 18 Proposed Plan Of The Planning Department ...... 18

CHAPTER 3. SUSTAINING THE CITY EDGES ...... 22 Urban Design Proposal ...... 22 the Concept ...... 24 the E vent ...... 2 5 the P laces ...... 34 Basic Design guideline: Blocks, Streets and Water Edges ...... 39

SUM M AR Y ...... 50

O Bibliography ...... 57

C

0 Chapter 1 CITY AT THE EDGE

1.1 Introduction

Is theresuch thing as the "modelof HongKong' for urbandesign and housing prototype?For the urbandesigners in Singaporeand Australia and other parts of the world,the jungle of residentialtowers is far morethan just a solutionfor an over-populatedcity. In the eyesof the residentsof HongKong, the miles- long columnslike cityscapeis the only way a city of six millions can be operated.

In 1998,six hoursbefore the openingof the new Hong Kong International Airport,at ChekLop Kok, the fifty-year-oldKai TakInternational Airport will be closed.Leaving not onlyan extravagantpiece of land for redevelopmentbut also a newphysical edge within the heartof a highlydeveloped city alongthe Victoria Harbor. In order to obtain the maximum amount of land, the 1 Governmentof Hong Konghas alreadyproposed, as part of theMetroplan , Figure 1 Hong KongIsland views in the 1880s and1990's. reclamationto land-fillthe entireKowloon Bay area.Although thickening the 6 wateredge 2 fabricswill quicklycomply with population growth, but willdestruct 8

the harbor environment.Urban life willbe pushedfurther and further away from W (D the waterwhere most development of HongKong was generated. CO

This thesisis designproposal that inquiresthe government'sjustification for CL

extensivereclamations for the KowloonBay area through an alternativeurban 0 planin whichthe LongTerm Development 3 goalscan be fulfilled.

1. Metroplan, the Selected StrategyExecutive Summy. Planning Department, H ong Kong Government,1995 2. edge \'EdW\\ejd\n [ME egge,fr OE ecg; akin to L acer sharp, Gk akme-] point Ja: the cutting side of a blade Jb: the sharpness of a blade Ic:penetrating power: KEENNESS wJ 2a: the line where an o?ject or area begins or ends; also: the narrow adjacent part: BORDER 2b: a point near the beginning or the end2c: a.favorable margin ADVANTAGE: ANXIOUS, NERVOUS -edged a -on edge Webster Dictionay, Wester, New York. 1995

0 Figureiue2A 2 Figurewater fall1 Kowloonon Hong KongCity water Island, front 19th in century. 1890's. 3. Planning Department offlong Kong.7 1.2 A Brief History Of Hong Kong:

BeforeBritish colonization, Hong Kong was a smallfishing community and a havenfor travelersand pirates in the SouthChina Sea. During the Opium Wars with in the 19th Century,Britain used the island as a naval base. Followingthe end of the first OpiumWar, the Treatyof Nankingceded the territoryto Britainin perpetuity.Following additional conflicts with the Chinese in 1860 Britaingained Kowloonand StonecuttersIsland. In 1898 Britain acquiredthe NewTerritories on a 99-yearlease. During the 191Os and 1920s, Hong Kongserved as a refugefor politicalexiles from China followingthe establishmentof theChinese Republic in 1912.

Figure 1 Central business district and WanChai on After the Japaneseseizure of Manchuriain 1932 and the subsequentSino- . More and more reclamation will push Japanesewar in 1938,China turned to Britainfor supplies.As aresult of this the coast line into the Harbor in the next 20 years. Picture resource: Formasia.Above the Barren Rock. Formasia, Hong Kong, 1993 new tie,relations between Britain, Hong Kong and China becamewarmer. Throughoutthe late 1930s,as Japan advancedinto China, hundredsof thousandsof Chinesetook refugein HongKong. To defend against the specter of Japaneseattack, Britain began to furtherstrengthen Hong Kong's military defense.

The secondWorld War once againdisrupted the socialand economiclife of HongKong. On December8, 1941,Japanese aircraft bombed Kowloon and Japanesetroops pushed out the Britishdefenders from Kowloonand the .On ChristmasDay of 1941,the Britisharmy surrenderedHong Kongto the Japanese.However, following Japan's surrender on August14, 1945,Britain once again reclaimed the islandof HongKong.

The Nationalist/CommunistCivil War in Chinaand the subsequentCommunist victoryin 1949 ledhundreds of thousandsmore refugeesfleeing into Hong Kong.

Althoughafter the secondWorld War Hong Kong was onceagain a majortrade hub,the 1950US-led ban on commercewith Communist China began to slow down HongKong's economic growth. The colonywas forcedto developits

domesticindustries by taking advantageof local and regionalresources in orderto continueto grow.The constantinflux of capitaland manpowerfrom China sparkedthe establishmentof light manufacturingthroughout the city

Figure 1 Aerial view of Hong Kong Island withSouth Eas duringthe decadesof the1950s and 1960s.At the same time, HongKong's Kowloonin the far right. relativelyunrestricted tax policiesbegan toattract growing foreign investment, furtheradding to thecolony's rapid economic growth. U) 01)

F_

HongKong was once again thrown into turmoil in the springand summer 1967 1

as the Communistsinstigated riots throughout the city. The flow of refugees0

the late 1960sand into . fromCommunist China continued unabated throughout 0. co the 1970s,adding to the humanresources of HongKong. Duringthe 1980s o HongKong started to workwith China on a seriesof joint projectsthat brought thetwo countriescloser together again. In 1984,Britain and Chinareached an agreementthat Hong Kong would revert back to the Chineseauthority in 1997. However,the commercial,social and legalaspects of HongKong will remain as is until2047 by which time Chinawill be able to exerciseits full authority.

Since the 1980s, HongKong hasdeveloped in a phenomenalway economicallyand urbanistically.This developmenthas been influencedby China'seconomic 'Open Door' policy,which has stimulatedrapid economical growthparticularly in the PearlRiver Delta(PRD), in southernChina. As the city progressinto the 21st centuryamid such rapid development, we will need a newvision of the role HongKong should play to keep pacewith changesin China and sustainour own prosperityand stability. Architectureand urban design should be acknowledgedas essential professionalinput in this increasinglycommercial market. luJ 0

Today,Hong Kong has a populationof morethan six millions.Within the next IFigure 1 View of a landing plane in the demolished Kowloon 0 Ffifteen years or so, we might needto providefor betweenseven million and Walled-City, Hong Kong. Source: Manga Entertainment,USA, 1995 eight millionpeople 4, dependingon the interactionbetween a numberof 1o demographic factors,especially net migration. With growingprosperity, ( expectationsare rising for improvedlayouts, city forms and environmental u standards.

C)Ca

LU IJ 0

C d Figure 1 Airplane taking off from the Kai TakAirport runway. c Photo source: Hong Kong Government. 4. Hong Kong Government,Hong Kong 1996,Hong Kong Government,1996 1.3 Density Table1.1 MaximumDomestic Ratio - MetropolitanAreaa

Maximum In HongKong, residential density is a quantitativemeasure of theintensity with Density Type of Location or population.Control of Zone Area Domestic which land is occupiedby either development Plot Ratio residentialdensity is a fundamentalcomponent of Hong Kong'sland use planning,given that the populationdistribution has majorimplications on the RI Existing Hong Kong 8/9/10 Development Island provision of public facilities, particularlytransport, utilities and social Area infrastructure. RI Existing Tsuen Wan, 6/7.5 Development Kwai Chung & Untilthe ten yearsago, the developedurban environment on the Islandhas Area Tsing Yi accommodatedmost of the businessdistricts needs. There are moreand more RI Existing Kowloon 6/7 moderatesize of businesscenters developed in Kowloonand NewTerritories. Development such asTsim Sha Tsui, services the urbanpurposes Area Somesuccessful cases, of accommodationas well extension. South EastKowloon will apprehensible a. Source: Planning Department,Consolidated Techni- cal Report on the TerritorialDevelopment Strategy becomeanother center of commercialactivities for EastKowloon.Density Review '96. Hong Kong Government, 1996, pp-150. Zoningpolicy, approved by the governmentin 1966 and incoporatedin the HKPSG5, limits thedensities of residentialand otherdevelopment in the urban areasin the city.The areasof developedparts of Kowloonhas been divided into Zone 1 wheredomestic building intensity is limitedto plotratio of 6 -8. Moreover,the population,more than 200,000 people 6 , in the districtsof South East Kowloonwill clearly consumemuch more than that of the existing developmentareas such as Tsuen Wan where theratio is sixto sevenand one- halve.Whilethe 'day-time'population of this areais competitiveto that of the

5. Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, Hong Kong Government, 1995 6. PlanningDepartment of Hong Kong. north side of the Hong Kong Island,the density zoning is comparatively * conservative.

C) C.

Figure 1 Land reclamation in Hong Kong through the century. Figure source: the Architecture Department of Chinese University, Hong Kong. Figure 2 in anew town in the New Territory region of Hong Kong. Typical prototype with low podium of facili- ties and transportationssupporting the high-density housing towers above. Source: Hong Kong Government, 1995 13 1.4 LandReclamation And Water Edges j In HongKong

The famousHong Kong skyline often appears as a brightspecter of stunning 0. high-risesand sky-scrapers,tenuously hovering above its water-edgewhich connectsto VictoriaHarbor. Much of thecity has steep hillsideswith only a narrow flat coastal lines which hardly comply with populationgrowth.

Consequentlythe city started togain quicknew land by reclamation-building out into the Harbor.By 1920's, more than 500 hectaresof reclaimedland had beenadd ed to the originalwater edgesin HongKong. After the 1960's,the governmentproceeded to add morenew landof 4000 hectaresfor purposes suchas housing.With the proposedsouth east Kowloonreclamation projects that will makethe KowloonBay disappear,there mightbe morethan 10,000

hectaresof land fill by the year of 20107.Consequently, within one hundred years,at leasttwenty percent of water surfacein the VictoriaHarbor will be eatenaway for commercialand residentialdevelopments.

However,most of thesuccessful harbor cities - San Francisco,Sydney, Rio de Janeiro- exhibitstunning combination settings of mountainsand their skylines.

0

Z.'

U 7. Planning Department of Hong Kong. Foundationfir the Future. Hong Kong Government, Figure 1 View toward a Harbor. source: Hong Kong Gov- 1995 ernemtn, 1995 8. Planning Department offHong Kong. lown Planning in hong Kong, A Quick Reference. Hong Kong Government,1995 4 X 1 In the past,some ofthe reclamationproposals have been operated according to many constrainsbut architecturaland urbandesign imperatives. Much of lagerareas are takenby majorinfrastructures while urban developments are disjointed.Future reclamationinto the VictoriaHarbor should respectthe harmoniousrelationships between the natural/agriculturalenvironment... 'and to recognizeVictoria Harbor as the mostvaluable heritage of theCity tobe preserve'9.

Figure 1 Public housing project built after 1995. Photo source: 9. Wang,Wah Sang. HKIA AlternativeHarbor ReclamationStudy. HKIA Journal, Issue #8, Hong Kong Government 1997. 1.5 PublicHousing w

HongKong's public housing program has achievedremarkable results since its inceptionin 1954.However, since the 1980's,the housingcost in private t o. developmentswent up about 300to 600%. There are more than just Co economicalfactors. Populationgrowth has beenexpected only worstingthis estimation.

The districtsof Kowloonhave been demandingenormous development of publichousings. By December1994 about 3.1 millionpeople, or 51% of the population,were livingin varioustypes of assistedhousing: 41% public rental and 10% HomeOwnership Scheme(HOS) and PrivateSector Participation Scheme(PSPS)10. HongKong remains firmly committed to its publichousing programs.In thecurrent financial year, HK$8.0 billion is estimatedto be spent on constructingnew public housing. The LongTerm Housing Strategy (LTHS), approvedin 1987,provides a frameworkfor thedevelopment of futurehousing programerup to 2001.It aimsto satisfysubstantially the outstandingdemand for publicrental flats and that for homeownership by the turn of thecentury. Thiswill meanthe construction of an additional336,000 homes between 1994/ 95 and2000/01. The aim of the departmentis to clear all urbansquatters on

Governmentland by 1996. Rural squatters affected by Government's developmentprogram will also be clearedand rehoused.There are about U Figure 1 Aerial view of mixed-use areas in .Old i and new block types laid side by side along the oldest commer- ,900 Housing Authority flats in 151 public rental estates and 187,000 home 0 cial street, Nathan Road. Source: Hong Kong Government

10. Government.Public Housingin Hong Kong. HousingDepartment of Hong Kong. 1994 16 (HOS/PSPS) 122 3.1 million people,or 51% ( ownership flats in courts. About 0D of the population,are now living in various types of assisted housing, U

comprising41% in publicrental flats and 10%in homeownership flats. Under y the LTHS,the basic policy objectiveof providingadequate housing at an i affordableprice or rentto all householdsis reaffirmed.This policyis reinforced CL by increasingthe opportunityof assistedhome purchaseand extendingthe redevelopmentprogram. The Strategyprovides for: redevelopingolder public rentalestates in a morecomprehensive manner; increased opportunity for the purchaseof homeownership flats; and the introductionof a HomePurchase LoanScheme to low and middleincome families to purchaseprivate sector flats. The projecteddemand for flatsfrom 1994/95to 2000/01amounts to 525,000 units from all sectors. In order to satisfy the projectedhousing demand, the public sector productiontarget has been set at 375,000, comprising175,000 rental and 200,000sale flats. The remainderof the demandis expectedto be met by the privatesector. By 2001, it is estimated

that about51% of householdswill be livingin subsidizedhousing, where the split betweenpublic rental and assistedhome ownership is likelyto be 33%

and 18%11.

Tremendoushousing demand for the districtsof Kowloonhave been pointing towardthis reasonablylarge piece of flat landthat may servea lot morethan just opened-spaces'2 . Moreimportantly, the qualityof publichousing should redevelopedwithin the contextof harborlife.

0 Figure 1 Aerial photo of Kai Tak airport site, with adjacent dis- 11. Hong KongGovernment. 1996 tricts. Photo source: Hong Kong Government. 12. PlanningGovernment of Hong Kong 7 a 'I)

CL 0. ca Chapter 2 DISAPPEARING EDGES

a

2.1 ProposedPlan Of The Planning Department

The South East KowloonDevelopment Proposal from the Planning

Departmentof HongKong governmenthas been publiclycriticized sinceits releasein 1994,for itsamount of landfills andthe destructure to the harbor.

The HongKong PlanningDepartment's development on new urban areasgenerally follows the broadpattern of land-useand guidelinesin the Metroplanand integrateswith the re-planningand redevelopment

0) of adjoiningold areasin a co-ordinated manner. Afterthe relocation of HongKong International Airport to Chek LapKok in 1998,an areaof Ile_ about 670 hectares in South-EastKowloon will be releasedfor 0

C Figure.1 The Victoria Harbor might not remain a sufficient width after 1. HKIA * proposed reclamations. Photosource: Hong Kong Government,1994 developmentfollowing Metroplan 2 . Ofthe 670hectares, 300 hectares e o> -o will be obtained W will be reclaimedfrom KowloonBay, about hectares (D fromthe existing airport site and 100hectares will be reservedfor the y proposedtyphoon shelter and cargo-workingarea at . j

The adjoining260 hectaresof existingurban areas at HungHom, To ) 0. Kwa Wan, and KowloonCity will alsooffer opportunities C for urbanrestructuring. The developmentand restructuringof South- EastKowloon will requirea vastamount of land reclamation;highway constructionand the provision ofdrainage, sewerage, sewage treatment and other publicutilities. The developmentwill be implementedin phases continuinginto the next century. Upon completion,it will accommodateapproximately 285,000 people and provideabout 110,000 jobs 3.

Underthe government'sproposal, the entireKowloon Bay wil befill-in. Not only we will lose about200 hectaresof water surface,also the harborwidth will beshrink to 1300meter 4. Whilemany other cities in the worldwidening their river into harbors,the governmentplans to shrinkthe Victoria Harborinto a river5. In addition,land fill the polluted KowloonBay will not resolvethe problemsof theKai TakNullah and

other industrialdischarge into the harbor. Heavypollution will only

2. Hong Kong Government,Hong Kong 1996.Hong Kong Government.1996 Figure.1 Land Use map of Kowloon Peninsular of Hong Kong. 3. Metroplan S 4. PlanningDepartment. The Shape of Things to Come. Hong Kong Government, Figure.2 Photo dof the Metroplan proposal model of South East 519991995 KowlonPlaninDeartentof ongKon. Surc: Hng ong 5. Lo, Christine.Asia GSDCoinference. Harvard University.April, 1997 1 stay whilenew towns being built on top of the new plan. More importantly,this schemepushes a major publicpark awayform the water but leaving the public exposurealong the edge minimum. Similarly,infrastructure is designedto dissectthe centralpark, which carriesthe mostvaluable element for the public.This potentialurban centerfor Kowloonwill no longerfunction as a coherentpublic place.

Figure.1 As parts of the new Airport Core Projects,the WestKowloon reclamation has been planned to be finished in 1997. Picture source: Hong Kong Government. Table 1: Statistic Comparison. Source:Planning Department

Proposals of Planning Department

DevelopmentArea 670 hectaresa

Public 80 hectares Facilities

WaterFront 3.7 km openedto public

Jobs 110,000positions

Population 285.000people

Land Fill 350 hectares

Harborarea -350hectares

a. KowloonBay=300hectares; Airport=270 hect- ares; AjoiningArea suchas HungHom=260 hectares

e Figure.1 Current map of South East Kowloon areain Hong Kong. Pic- ) C ture source: Hong Kong Government, 1995 0 Chapter 3 SUSTAINING THE CITY EDGES

3.1 UrbanDesign Proposal

In light of the Hong Kong government'sproposal for the South-East Kowloondevelopment', this proposaloffers a counter-planthat meets the samelong termgoals assumed by the PlanningDepartment while avoidingmany of theenvironmentally hazardous elements.Futhermore, the project alsoestablishes an urban prototypefor the water edge fabricsfor harborcity. The designis focusedon the utilizationof public wateredges and opened spaces, urban residential redevelopment and blockprototype.

The first steptoward a integratedharbor 2 will be makingand keepingit cleaner.Then, the publicneeds tobe able toaccess the waterfront. In order forthe schemeto be marketable,the real estatevalue alsohave

1. PlanningDepartment of Hong Kong.The Shape of things to Come, Planning, Figure 3.1 Sketch view from the Promenade toward Kowloon Environmentand Lands Branch, Hong KongGovernment. 1995 76 Peninsular. Illustration by Bundit kanisthakhon 2. Wang,pp- 22 to be carefullyelevated. Thereupon,the increased publicservies can be

establishedaccordingly. (D

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C The urbandesign principles for the South EastKowloon Development U) havebeen incorporated with thefollowing categories: CU - the Event:Hierarchy of the KowloonBay Park

e the Places:District Identity and itsPrograms - the Guidelines:Block Design

123 3.2 the Concept

The designis generatedby the simpleconcept of a Bay Park,which : C preservesthe harborfront and reutilizesthe urban environment.The . schemeprovides a pollution-freeKowloon Bay Park that actsas a U) centralizingurban element not onlyfor the SouthEast Kowloon District but also forthe restof the city.

With the underlininggoal to accomodateas much as the proposed populationgrowth in the area, theurban designstrategy has been driven with the purposeof reutilizingtraditional local blocks,such as thosein WestKowloon along Nathan Road 3 . Further,the KowloonBay Parkfunctions as a district centerof the public realm.While the new fabricsare design towardthe maximunvalue of harbor view,he coast line also has been preservedfor the use of thepublic. With dynamic publicprograms surrounding the Bay,prominent connections among old and new urbanfabrics are strengthenthrough tree-lined pedestrian linkages.

0 0

r 33. PlanningDepartment. Consolidated Technical Report on the Territorial DevelopmentStrategy Review, 1996. Planning Department, Hong Kong Government. 1996. 24 " 2" 3.3 the Event

The KowloonBay will be establishedas the public domainfor the developmentdistricts with the creationof theBay Park,with continuous pedestrianizedwater edges suroundingthe Bay andwith the elongated e Boulevardand the grandCentral Park. The Bay Park,serving not only = the KowloonPeninsular but also the wholecity, will be enhancedby new ferry servicesas well as numerousdynamic public programs such as an aquarium.

The characterof the Bay Park drew upon the qualitiesof the Tokyo MarinePark in Japanand the HarborPlace development in Baltimore andother successfulharbor cities. Instead of a largeand singularpark 4 dissectedby elevated infrastructure, thisis a predominanturban place that offersvarieties of publicfunctions. With comprehensive programs and their connections,the KowloonBay Parkis designedto becomea coherenturban core that drawscitizens toward the Bay.As Bernard Tschumi,in EventCity, suggested:

".the staticnotion of formand functionlong favored by architecturaldiscourse need to be replacedby attentionto the actionsthat occurinside and around the buildings- to the movementof bodies,to activi- ties, to aspirations;in short,to the properlysocial andpolitical dimension of architecture."e.,6

C 4. Planning Department of Hong Kong, Metroplan, Planning Department, 1994 5( 05. Tschurni.Bernard. Evenit Cities (Praxis). The MIT Press. 1994. 25 x

- New Circulations = Existing Circulation Infrastructure MixedUse: * Opened-Spaces Typical commercial podiumwith Publicpark, promenade, residentialtowers above facilitiesand boulevardand etc. Commercial * Residential business districtswith commercial residentialonly areas withseparate and office-industrial buidlings commercialfacilities. Land Use Plan A - A 'A .At - -'A 'A- 4 '' A A' A - A. A A A

-S .

Hong Kong: City of Edges

Chapter 1i. Sustaining the City Edges City Kai Tak Central Park FAR= 6 - 10 Megadevelopment of High Density Q -Circular park with majorpublic programs Residentialand Mixed Use. such asgymnasium, swimmingpool and runningtracks IX,

Kai TakDistrict Ratio = 4 - 10 Medium toHigh DensityResidential with RestrictedBlock Type. Airport Boulevard Podiumof commercialswith gardenson top supportingresidential towers.

-2.5 kilometerlong boulevardwith park in the middleand local comme I podiumon both sides E Mega PrivateDevelopment High DensityResidential HungHom Ferry Park Ratio= 6 - 10 Estate-typeof residentialtowers with transportation and with minimumfacilities publicfacilities

KowloonBay Promenade

-Public broadwalk with and public pavilions ul -Purpose Docks

HungHom Point high-end high-densityresidential Kai Tak Bridge ratio = 4 -6

0 500M DevelopmentPlan ED 0 (D

The publicrealm will be fosteredby a seriesof city-scaleopen spaces W

andsupported by animated pedestrian passages: park extends itself into the residentialblocks along Kai Tak Distritcs;tree-lined boulevard > introducesfresh new public experiencfor citizents both inside and . outsideof the areas;major harborfunctions occursin the stageset of over the water and a low-scaledbridge connectedboth sides of the .i Cu areas with pedestrian-friendlywalkways. Futhermorehigh-density 6 commercialdistrict, with integrated light-industrialzones, will be developedsurrounding the circularCentral Park andalong the Kai Tak Boulevard. Park view-oriented commercial buildings will be implementedaccording to the new urban design guidelinein which buildingsshould be well orientedtoward the connectionbetween the newand existingwater frontprograms. In a simplerterm, from district planningstrategies to buildingheight restrictions:there is no urbanfabric without water front connectionsand no water front without urban connection.And, all thesefabrics orchetrated by the deviceof theBay Parkto createa coherentharbor city.

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0 C

0 33 CO 3.4 the Places

This new South East Kowloon willcontribute to the spatialquality of a .0 VictoriaHarbor with a linear facadeof residentialhigh-rises along the -G westernedge ofthe KaiTak City. Public access along thewater front are U) networkedwith the connectionbetween the Promenade,the Bridge,the

HungHom Point as well asthe redevelopedareas of EastKowloon. This ( five-kilometersubsequential broad walks will createthe identityfor the missingurban links of the eastand west sides of the KowloonBay. 'Layersof visualconnection inside an urbansettings plays an important rolein city life'6 The Bayarea is a placeaccomodates the successful commercialelements of TsimSha Tsui East7 , the humanepedestrian

6. Koolhaas,Rem. DeliriousNew York: a retroactivemanifesto for Manhattan,ed. Figure 3.1 Sketch of a view from a ferry pier. (Illustration New York; MonacelliPress, 1994. by Bundit Kanisthakon) 7. Tsim ShaTsui East is a district in Southerntip of KowloonPenisular, Hong Kong.

34 G)(I 8 connectionof the Mission Bay, as well asthe distinct residential W orientationof the Back Bay9. Developerswill be able to produce successfulprojects that offersmaximum real estatevalue. The Urban Councilwill be able to provideabout 150%more park spacesthan the O 10 current planning strategy of the Planning Department. More "

importantly,residents will find their valuablehomes and their working ( Cu placessurrounding with boulevardand parksand harborviews.

New City of Kowloon:

The newCity of Kowloon,named after the demolishedKowloon Walled City,is a districtlocated to the northerntip ofthe site whichboundered

byNgau Chi Wan,San Po Kongand Ma Tau Kok, where the buildingKai TakAirport is located.High density commercial development surrounds Few megasized private residential development take placeat the east sideof thedistrict. The meansof the commercialsand mixeduse serve most of the job requirmentin the area. Infrastructureruns along the perimeterof the Parkinstead of cuttngthrough it. BayPark activities also openstoward the southerncorner of the Parkand extending into the Kai TakCitiy North and South.

0

8. MissionBay areais indowntown area of San Francisco,U.S.A. 9. Back Bay is a land-filledarea in the northernside of downtownBoston, U.S.A. O 10. UrbanCouncil is a governmentdepartment that managespublic facilities in Hong 0 Kong. 35 Kai Tak North and South New districtlocated at the northernpart of the Airport runwayand the west of KowloonBay district.Residential densities goes up towardthe sky withinhighly restricted blocks. Streetscapesof podiumand towers are lineed-upwith eitherbouevard or waterfront or both. Suchstreets are perpetuallytree-lined, shaded and pedestrianactive. With the exceptionsof the alley street inside the great blocks,all streetsare orientedtoward bay view connections.Hong Kong has notbuilt enough such streets for the past twenty years, not in new towns, nor redevelopmentareas. Kai Tak Cities willsure be a newurban model for the 21st century.

New districtlocated at the southernpart of theAirport runway and the west of KwunTung district.

The Bay Point Bay Pointis a new reclaimeddistrict extended from the east of Hung Homdistrict. High end residentialbuildings occupy about sixty percent of the newpenisular while public and semi-publicfacilities are planned aroundand inside.Citizents will find this is a intimateplace viewing towardthe Island andthe new Kai TakCities. The visual experienceis intelligentlyamiable in a city that only providetower skylinesfor its 0 postcards.The newbridge finally complete the broadwalk from the Bay 0 Pointwith the Kai Tak Citiesto allow pedestrianas wellas secondary Xa0 traffic.

C Partialview showinginfrastructure separated from the Parks 0 0, Park L-o

The Bay Promenade

COC New linear water front of two kilometer long promenade along the C/) edge of the Kai Tak City North and South.

CO The Boulevard

A north-southoriented boulevard stretched between theCentral Park to the TyphoonPark, withneighborhood-scale of commercialactivities on eithersides.

The Cove

New water front along the eastern edge of district.

The new Bay Park is the largest openedPark consists of the Kowloon Central Park, the Promenade, the Cove as well as the Bay Point Front and the Marine facilities. The Central Park locats at the middle area of the New City of Kowloon; with gymnasium, swimming pools and

4) other park facilities. It extends itself into the Boulevard and the LU 0 promenade with green ways and pedestrian links. the Cove is a redeveloped parts of the Hung Hom district offers local community 0

0) X 37 functions and transportation. Marine Park will set the stage in between and will draws in all parts of the Bay Park

C ,e Figure 3.1 Sketch of water front organizations from residential blocks to Bay Parkand Ferry. (Illustrationby Singh Intrachooto) 3.5 BasicDesign guideline: Blocks, > Streetsand Water Edges

(I) With the longitudinalside of the Kai Tak Airportrunway and the newly - reclaimedKowloon Bay Point, the amount of water edges will be ) Cz increasedto morethan eight kilometers long for the publicuse. Series of 0 dynamicprogram will allowcomplete pedestrianconnections from the KaiTak Central Park to thePromenade, theCove and To KwaWan Park andthe KowloonBay PointWaterfront.

New urbanprototypes on the runway siteare accomplishedthrough the reuseof post-warurban blocks on HongKong Island and West Kowloon. The urban design restriction scheme has been generated from reevaluationof post-warand current local urban model of Hong Kong.

New KowloonCity:

AveragePlot Ratio= 6 -8

Approximately 300sq.meter lots for medium tolarge private developments 0) C 0 39 Kowloon Central Park and commercial districts

Average Plot Ratio = 6 = 10

Developent lots between 2 - 18 hecatres each

Kai Tak City North: and South Average Plot Ratio = 4 - 8

Blocks 125Mx 85M and variations

Kowloon Bay Point: Plot Ratio = 4 - 6

Blocks 125 x 85 and variations

The new city of Kowloon Bay - the new city...the new edges

A new edge creates new skin that allowsthe city breathesthrough living envelopeof membrane.that revealsorder of organism. As the public utilizingthe harborwith moreintimacy, the newcity grows witha balanceof fast developmentand environmentalintimacy. MaximumDomestic Ratio - MetropolitanAreaa

Maximum Density Type of Area Location Zone Domestic Plot Ratio

R1 Existing Development Hong Kong Island 8 / 9/10 Area

RI Existing Development Tsuen Wan, Kwai 6/ 7.5 Area Chung & Tsing Yi

R1 Existing Development Kowloon 6 / 8 Area

New Proposed New South East 6/ 10 Proposal Development Kowloon Area

a. Planning Department, Consolidated Technical Report on the Territo- rial Development Strategy Review '96. Hong Kong Government, 1996, pp-150. General Buidling Height Guidelines

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Kai Tak Cities

U) A variety of block size and building height will be developedwhich empohasizesthe qualityof residentialunits. In order to maximizethe C

Bay view, residentialtowers are responivein height along the water - front. Buildingheight will be reducedalong the commercialstreets three layersaway from the promenade.Podium height is directlyproportional to the quantityof commercialstreet fronts needed. Buildingheight can be maximizeto the ratioof 8 towardthe east sideof the Kai TakCities wherethe districtmeets the highways.

New

Commercialzones allowsbuidling ratio to reachthat of 10.Tower height will rest one layer betweenthe residentialarea and the new central businessdistrict. Megasize developmentsholds general ratio of 6 to

10. Plotsize can be rangebetween 2 to 18 hectareseach or combined.

C) O

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0 4 CommercialStreet sho plnq mail - 6 Stries

Side Walk Block Type 2A Example Type 1 15 M Wide 120x 85 M Treeed linedStreets connectingthe Westand the Eastof the Podiumfootprint 80 % Boulevard Plot Ratio = 5 - Suggested Stories = 20 CommercialStreets DistrictScale shopping malls, Modeledafter Nathan Road BlockType 2B Example Type 1l 120x 85 M Podiumfootprint 80 % Plot Ratio = 8 SuggestedStories = 38

Pan A/A20 ---- ater u~icrontKai TakBoutiad Park VWith=100 M g0om Podium 2 -3 stories Podium 5 -6 Stories

BlockType A ExampleType I 120 x 85 M Podium coverage 80 % Plot Ratio = 6 SuggestedStories = 30

connectingthe We, BlockType A ExampleType I1 CI 120x 85 M District Sc Podium coverage 80 % Modeled Plot Ratio = 8 SuggestedStories = 38

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Plan1 A/A T o 2cou 2 15M 15mRn m5r 15j Sm6 m-;n5g qn Fmrrfnm 5[n 5m || \\ \\ || E E

C

E

OD E

2'r

Plan I A/A .0 85 M x 120 M Block TyoeC Block Tyoe B Block Tyoe C Width = 80 M Widthm= 80 M Width = 80 m Public Kai TakBoulavargI Water Front Park Width = 100 M 0 100M 60 m ResidentialTowers Districtscale shopping mall Mediumto high pricedprivate development Podium ExampleType W A- D -Commercial,Transportations 30 - 40 stories, Plot Ratio= 4 - 8 i Community Facilities .8 5 - 6 stories PublicPedestrian Bridges - Privately and Publicly Funded NewM.T.R. Stations -ConnectingPodiums and PrivateDevelopment the oleard KowloonBay Promenade Publicfacilities with BayBroadwalk and Marinefacilities

StarFerries

-Routingbetween Kowloon and HongKong Island

Section3 A

0 V) ------i C mmm r 5m 46 CommercialStreet shopping mall Residential Towers ___ 5 -6 Stories Plot Ratio= 6 - 8 Typhoon Park Residential Towers Plot Ratio= 4- 6 Mega- Size Iriva velopment Public Pedestrian Bridges Plot Ratio 2 - 4 Kowloon Bay Promenade Bay Bridge

fyrxl

SectionB/B Commercial with ShoppingPodium and OfficeTowers

KowloonCentral Park Mega-Size PublicFacilities of Sports PrivateDevelopment and others Plot Ratio3 - 4 CommercialArea CommunityCenter Plot Ratio = 5 and SportFacilities

Tree-Lined Boulevard -

L~% ...... J

SectionC/C

K Hung Hom Point

high-endresidntial providing public park on both of the man-made island

Kai Tak Cities accomodateshigh density mixed use buildings with varieties opened-spaces

New infrastructure with minimum interferencew water edges

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Partial Rendering of an Aerial View

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0) XC Chapter 4 SUMMARY

This proposalaccommodates around eighty percentof the population and providesthree hundred percentmore water edges for the public. Blocktypes have beenre-examined for the goal of maximizingview to the Bay as well as the livingquality. Reconsidering building heightand orientationfor the purposeof maximizing waterviews and real estate value. However,only minimumland reclamationwill be used in the zoningof residentialdensity. The harboris broughtto the publicand vice versa.The publiccan clearly experiencethe Bay from all differentscale and pointsof view.

In additionto the programmaticdimension, the newBay Parkwill provide a newplace for thewhole peninsular as well as for the city.This proposal virtuallymeets what thePlanning Departments plan ofthe South East Partial view toward the new KowloonBay with residential and Parks.

Kowloon:City Withinthe City. Importantlythe thesis presentsa new alternativefor the urbandesign model for the city, especiallytoward the

21 st. century.The urbanenvironment and city scale is dynamicand sufficient.At the sametime of fitting itselfinto the planningsystem and urbanmodel, the newdistricts attracts new economy and different urban model. This thesis is meaningful,first satisfy the growth but also accommodateneeds of newchallenge. Bibliography

Bonavia,David. OverHong Kong. Andredeutsch,1987.

Bristow,R. Land-UsePlanning in HongKong. OxfordPress, 1984.

Cuthbert,A.R., and H.T.Dimitrion. "Redeveloping the Fifth Quarte/', CITIES,August 1992:186-195.

Endacott,G. B. A Historyof HongKong. Rev.ed. OxfordUniversity Press, 1973.

Fong,P.K.W. HousingPolicy and the Public HousingProgram in HongKong. Universityof HongKong Press, 1987.

Howlett,Bob. HongKong 1996. HongKong ; the GovernmentPrinting Department, 1996.

Hughes,Richard. HongKong: Borrowed Place, Borrowed Time. New York,F. A. Praeger[1968].

Jacobs,Allen B. GreatStreets. Cambridge;The MIT Press,1995.

Koetter,Fred and ColinRowe. CollageCity. Cambridge,The MIT Press,1978.

Koolhaas,Rem. Delirious NewYork: a retroactivemanifesto for Manhattan,ed. NewYork; MonacelliPress, 1994.

Koolhaas,Rem. Small,Medium, Large, Extra-large, Office for MetropolitanArchitecture. 010 Publishers; MonacelliPress, 1995.Lampugnani, Vittorio Magnago. TheAesthetic of Density Prestel-Verlag,1993.

Lo, C. P. HongKong. BelhavenPress; HalstedPress. 1992. Bibliography

Lynch,Kevin. GoodCity Form. Cambridge; MIT Press.1984.

Lynch,Kevin. A Theoryof GoodCity Form. Cambridge; The MIT Press,1981.

Meier,Richard L. Life Alongsidea Revolution: a HongKong Diary, June 1989, Instituteof Urban& Regional Development,University of Californiaat Berkeley,1989.

Rowe,Colin. Thearchitecture of goodintentions: towards a possibleretrospect. ; Academy,1994.

Wai-chungLai, Lawrence.Zoning and PropertyRight: a HongKong Case Study HongKong; Hong Kong UniversityPress, 1996.

The Chineseand theirfuture : Beijing,Taipei, and HongKong, AE I Press,1994.

Hong KongArchitecture: theaesthetics of density PrestelVerlag,1993.

AirportAuthority of HongKong. Air andLight, HongKong ; the GovernmentPrinting Department, 1996.

HighwaysDepartment. Hong Kong's Highway, HongKong ; the GovernmentPrinting Department, 1995.

Planning Departmentof HongKong. TownPlanning in HongKong: A QuickReference, Hong Kong ; the GovernmentPrinting Department , 1993.

PlanningDepartment of HongKong. ConsolidatedTechnical Report on the TerritorialDevelopment Strategy Review, HongKong ; the GovernmentPrinting Department, 1996. Bibliography

Town Planning Office,Buildings and Lands Department. Townplanning in Hong Kong. Hong Kong ; the Government Printing Department,1988. Listof Illustrations 8

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Chapter 1

Hong Kong Island views in the 1880s and 1990's. source: Hong Kong G overnment ...... p .6 Kowloon City water front in 1890's. Source: Hong Kong Governmen p.7 A water fall on Hong Kong Island, 19th century. ource:Hong Kong Governm ent ...... p. 7 Central business district and WanChai on Hong Kong Island. More and more reclamation will push the coast line into the Harbor in the next 20 years. Picture resource: Formasia.Above the Barren Rock. Formasia, Hong K ong, 1993 ...... p.8 Aerial view of Hong Kong Island with South Eas Kowloon in the far right. Photo source: Hong Kong Government...... p.9 View of a landing plane in the demolished Kowloon Walled-City, Hong Kong. Source: Manga Entertainment, USA, 1995 ...... p.10 Airplane taking off from the Kai Tak Airport runway. Photo source: H ong Kong G overnment...... p. 1 1 Land reclamation in Hong Kong through the century. Figure source: the Architecture Department of Chinese University, Hong Kong...... p.13 Public housing in anew town in the New Territory region of Hong Kong. Typical prototype with low podium of facilities and transporta- tions supporting the high-density housing towers above. Source: Hong w Kong Government, 1995 ...... p.13 O View toward a Harbor. source: Hong Kong Governemtn, 1995 14 Public housing project built after 1995. Photo source: Hong Kong Gov- ernm ent ...... p .15 Aerial view of mixed-use areas in West Kowloon. Old and new block O5! types laid side by side along the oldest commercial street, Nathan Road. Source: Hong Kong Government ...... p.16 Aerial photo of Kai Tak airport site, with adjacent districts. Photo source: Hong Kong Government...... p.17

Chapter 2 The Victoria Harbor might not remain a sufficient width after proposed reclamations. Photo source: Hong Kong Government, 1994 ...... p.18 Land Use map of Kowloon Peninsular of Hong Kong. Source: Hong Kong G overnment, 1994 ...... p .19 Photo of the Metroplan proposal model of South East Kowloon, Plan- ning Department of Hong Kong. Source: Hong Kong Government. 1995 ...... p. 19 As parts of the new Airport Core Projects, the West Kowloon reclama- tion has been planned to be finished in 1997. Picture source: Hong Kong Governm ent...... p .20 Current map of South East Kowloon area in Hong Kong. Picture source: Hong Kong Government, 1995 ...... p.21

Chapter 3 Sketch view from the Promenade toward Kowloon Peninsular. Illustra- tion by Bundit kanisthakhon ...... p.22 Geometric diagram of South East Kowloon ...... p.24 Sketch of a view from a ferry pier. (Illustration by Bundit Kanistha- k o n) ...... p.3 4 Sketch of water front organizations from residential blocks to Bay Park and Ferry. (Illustration by Singh Intrachooto) ...... p.38

All other illustrations by the author

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