City & Sustainable Development

1. City & Sustainable Development Central District

2. Central District = CBD • Land use characteristics of CBD • Mainly commercial land use / absence of industrial land use • e.g. offices, shops • Occupied by tall buildings / skyscrapers • Shops selling specialty goods / high-order goods • Open space / parks for tourists • Transportation land use, e.g. bus terminal, ferry piers, MTR / railway stations

3. Old buildings in Central District • Development versus Preservation • A case study: Central Police Station • Reference: • http://www.cps.gov.hk/ • http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Monument/en/monuments_53.php

4. Locational advantages of Central Police Station • High accessibility • Well-connected by roads / elevated walkways • Suitable for commercial development • Demand for offices in Central District is high • High land value • Large site for comprehensive development • May provide recreational land use for residents nearby

5. Why preserving the old building? • Central Police Station is a declared monument • With high cultural and historical value • Special architectural design • Potential for developing tourism / may become a popular tourist spot • By establishing a museum • For educational purpose

6. Difficulties in preserving old buildings • High maintenance cost of the old buildings • Lack of fund to operate museums in the old buildings • High cost to renovate / restore the old buildings • The old buildings do not match the surrounding environment

7. Central-Wan Chai Reclamation

8. Urban design concept and key features of Central-Wan Chai Reclamation • Waterfront promenade + three design corridors • The corridors will provide direct and continuous pedestrian and visual connections between the existing urban area and the new waterfront • The three corridors are • Statue Square Corridor (comprises Open Space and Historic Corridors)  • Civic Corridor  • Arts & Entertainment Corridor 

9. Waterfront promenade

10. Statue Square Corridor (comprises Open Space and Historic Corridors) 

11. Civic Corridor 

12. Arts & Entertainment Corridor 

13. Land use zoning in Central-Wan Chai Reclamation

14. Characteristics of the land use zoning • Little space for commercial land use • Large proportion of the land is for open space • And construction of transport route, i.e. Central-Wan Chai Bypass • Some land is planned for institutional land uses, e.g. government headquarters • Reduction of scale of reclamation • Construction of waterfront promenade

15. Reference materials for Central-Wan Chai Reclamation • PowerPoint slides: • http://www.hplb.gov.hk/eng/new/criii2.files/frame.htm • http://www.hplb.gov.hk/eng/new/criii.files/frame.htm • Basic facts • http://www.hplb.gov.hk/reclamation/eng/basic/central_map_recl.htm • http://www.hplb.gov.hk/reclamation/eng/basic/proposal.htm • http://www.hplb.gov.hk/reclamation/eng/basic/fs3.htm

16. Common questions on this topic • What are the characteristics of the CBD? Give map evidence. • Is it rational to carry out the reclamation work in Central District? Explain your answer. • Do you agree that the old Central Police Station should be preserved? Why? • What are the difficulties that the government face when preserving the old buildings in Hong Kong? • Suggest some measures to solve the problems mentioned above. • How is the construction of waterfront promenade a sustainable city development policy? • Explain why the public oppose to reclamation in different parts of Hong Kong.