RECO6061 Development Case Studies — “The Kowloon Renaissance”
Throughout decades of development, the Kowloon district had undergone drastic transformation from being shanty homes and squatter villages within the notorious Kowloon Walled City to providing essential public housings and became a modern urban development to numerous residents in Hong Kong.
This week, we journeyed through Kowloon district. Let’s take a look at the landmarks and their history below.
Lok Fu Estate
Our first stop was Lok Fu Estate, which is a public housing estate in Lok Fu, Wong Tai Sin District, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Lok Fu Estate, or formerly called the Lo Fu Ngam Resettlement Area was built in the 1950’s. With a total of 23 blocks in the estate, the allocation units are, on average, only 22m3 in area.
From it construction until the 1970’s, Lo Fu Ngam (meaning Tiger’s Den) was a resettlement estate. It housed thousands of Chinese immigrates and provided refuge for those fleeing the war, famine and political persecution in China. The area was a transit between Hong Kong (HK) and China called New Kowloon. It was not originally part of Kowloon treaty and remained a part of China until 1998.
Lok Fu is symbolic in shaping development pattern and is a classic example of a town within a town, after becoming a MTR development in the 1980s.
Tin Hau Temple
Only several minutes walking distance away, we reached Tin Hau Temple. Tin Hau Temple is located on reclaimed land and was originally built on the edge of the sea for worship by fishermen looking for good harvest.
However, looking around the Kowloon topography now, the temple is miles away from the present-day coastline. This is attributed to rapid HK land development and active reclamation throughout the years.
Checkerboard Hill
To the west of the Kowloon Walled City stands the remains of “Checkerboard Hill”. It was named after the orange and white squares painted on the hillside, which pilots used as a visual reference when making their final approach to Runway 13 before landing at Kai Tak Airport.
We took a challenging hike up the hill to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of Hong Kong at height.
Mei Tung Public Housing Estate
After lunch, we arrived at Mei Tung Estate.
Mei Tung Public Housing Estate is a symbolic example of Public Housing development in the Wong Tai Sin District. Public Housing in HK is a housing program whereby the HKSAR government provides affordable housing for lower-income residents. The rental price is significantly lower than market price, as the government subsidies a large portion. It plays an important role in the lives of HK residents, with nearly half of the population now depending and residing in some form of public housing.
The history of Mei Tung Estate dates back to 1974, when the British Hong Kong Government had plans to demolish Sai Tau Village in Kowloon City and to build blocks of estate to clear the Squatter Area. However, after building only one block, “Block 6”, the plan faced major opposition from the village residents and as a result, it was abolished. Block 6 was renamed as Mei Tung House in 1979.
It was not until 1981 that the government redeveloped this area to construct more blocks, called Mei Tung Estate, which is now a Public Rental Housing Estate.
Mei Tung Estate can be considered one of the first major Housing Authority (HA) projects in HK.
Kowloon Walled City Park
The highlight of the day (for me) was perhaps visiting the Kowloon Walled City Park. The Kowloon Walled City Parks stands on the very site of the former Kowloon Walled City.
In the 17th century, it was a Chinese military enclave and built as a precautionary measure against the British who had recently taken possession of HK. When the New Territories was leased to Britain in 1898, Kowloon Walled City was excluded from the lease. It remained as a Chinese garrison, notoriously known for its crime and corruption.
Situated along the Kowloon peninsula, it was used by the Chinese imperial officials in the 16th century. However, when Hong Kong Island was given to the British in 1841, Kowloon Walled City remained as Chinese territory by treaty. It wasn’t until 1899 when the Chinese troops and officials were forced to vacate. They left behind what soon became a lawless slum filled by criminals, gangs, prostitution and drug dens and “the garrison became a city within a city” for the next 40 years.
By agreement with China, Kowloon Walled City was cleared in 1990–1995 and a Chinese-style park was built in its place. Many of its historic features were skillfully restored and now, visitors can see the preserved traces of the walled city and learn about its dark history.
Sung Wong Toi Rock (c. 1920) from Sacred Hill
The Sung Wong Toi Rock is an important historic relic in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was originally a 45 m tall boulder standing on the top of Sacred Hill in Ma Tau Chung above Kowloon Bay.
The three large characters cut into a boulder depicts the phrase “Terrace of the Sung King” which referred to the two boy-princes of the Song Dynasty. Many small inscriptions visible on the boulder were added later.
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1942–1945, the boulder was dislodged when Sacred Hill was levelled. The portion of the boulder containing the three characters survived the blasting operations. After the war, it was relocated in a small park close to the original site. Today, it stands very close to the To Kwa Wan MTR project site.
Kai Tak Airport and Development
Kai Tak Airport was the Hong Kong International Airport from 1925–1998. Located on the west side of Kowloon Bay, the area is surrounded by rugged mountains. In addition to its geographical location, the numerous skyscrapers built in the vicinity made the airport one of the most dangerous and challenging airports in the world for aircraft landing.
Kai Tak was initially a small strip runway airport for the RAF in the 1920’s. However, during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in WWII, the Japanese army expanded Kai Tak by building two concrete runways.
After the war, the airport became a Royal Navy shore base to the British and a plan to modify the land into a modern airport was released in 1954. Land reclamation and extensions of the runways progressively took place and the passenger terminal was completed in 1962.
As Hong Kong flourished to become an international business hub, the strain on the airport’s capacity increased. Air traffic was becoming a major concern as it exceeded the airport’s design capacity. By 1996, Kai Tak handled 29.5mil passengers and 1.56mil tonnes of freight; far exceeding the designed capacity of 24mil passengers per year.
As a result, the Hong Kong government searched for alternative locations for a new airport and finally decided to build the airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok off Lantau Island.
When the new airport at Chek Lap Kok finished construction and became operational, Kai Tak airport was closed on 6 July 1998.
Since then, the government had many plans for the urban development of the Kai Tak Airport site and carried out several founds of feasibility studies. A “Kai Tak Planning Review” was conducted in 2004 and the proposals included constructions of luxury hotels, housing development, two cruise terminals and various commercial and entertainment construction projects.
The Kai Tak Development (KTD) also included development in nearby areas including Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon City, San Po Kong, Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong. The planned population is 86,000 people, accommodated in 40,000 housing units, including 13,000 constructed as part of public housing estates. The total cost for the development is estimated at HKD 100bil.
The proposed developments were as follows:
First Stage Projects (targeted completion before or by 2013):
- Trade and Industry Tower (completed 2015)
- Kai Tak Fire Station (completed)
- Kai Tak Cruise Terminal building and first berth (completed)
- Kwun Tong Promenade (completed)
- Kai Tak Runway Park (completed)
- District Cooling System (first phase) (completed)
- Kai Ching Estate
- Tak Long Estate
Second Stage Projects: (targeted completion in or before 2016)
- Kai Tak Cruise Terminal: second berth, helicopter landing zone and Tourist Centre (completed)
- MTR East-west Line Kai Tak Station (construction began 2012, expected to be complete in 2018)
- Route 6 (Central Kowloon Route and Trunk Road T2) (under consultation, construction is expected to begin in 2016 and finish in 2020)
- Underground street to Kowloon City and San Po Kong
- Kai Tak River (expected to be finished in phases between 2015 and 2018)
- Residential and some commercial land at north apron
- District Cooling System (second phase)
- Hong Kong Children’s Hospital (construction began in 2014, expected to be complete in 2017) and Centre of Excellence in Neuroscience
Final Stage Projects: (targeted completion in or before 2021)
- Muti-use stadium (expected to be complete between 2019 and 2020)
- Environmentally Friendly Linkage System (EFLS) (expected to be complete in 2023)
- Metro Park
- Remaining residential and commercial land at north apron
commercial land at south apron - District Cooling System (third phase)
Thoughts and Insights
As seen from the list of proposed developments for the Kai Tak site, I cant help but wonder just how feasible is the whole project to create, in essence, another city within a city.
The government has made huge efforts to include greening, recreational and education/ entertainment facilities in its plan while also trying to bring in hotels, shops and other supplementary facilities to be run by a developer or mega cooperation. However, I, like many members of the public, am left confused about the focus and purpose of the plan. Will the Kai Tak site be built to promote and encourage a healthier lifestyle for Hong Kong residents or is it targeted as another tourist hub?
The plan to ambitiously increase about 11,000 units to the stock of mostly private residential flats and much more for public housing, further adds confusion to the focus. Not only am I doubtful of the success of suddenly providing some 40 odd thousand housing in Hong Kong’s biggest prime urban site, but I can also foresee the possible complications with zoning.
Currently, in 2016 there are 192 plots of land across Hong Kong slated for rezoning, including 70 greenbelt sites — that could allegedly provide 170,000 housing units. However, thus far, only 91 of the plots had been successful, 3 were rejected and 17 are still in the process of being rezoned. As detailed by Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po, they are still constantly facing district-level opposition against rezoning.
To add to the challenge, even if rezoning becomes successful, Hong Kong is currently experiencing a severe labour shortage. Will there be enough manpower to meet these Kai Tak targets when there are still so many ongoing projects that are delayed for the same reason?
At present, although the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal has been completed, the area still lacks many elements to make it successful and accessible enough as a hub. With poor transport links, the facility continues to attract very few local visitors, and the empty lounges and shopping areas attest to its lack of attraction.
“When the government built the Kai Tak cruise terminal, it was very ambitious and it said it would bring in a lot of visitors … But the projects now seem to have been over-optimistic.” — Former Town Planning Board vice-chairman Stanley Wong Yuen-fai
As a civil engineer myself, of course it would be an honour to have the opportunity to participate in any one of the above projects as part of the KTD. However, I certainly hope that this development will not follow the footsteps of West Kowloon, with long-delayed facilities while the “government strive to combine commercial viability and a social mission”, which it is now starting to sound riskily familiar.
Reference:
http://ilovehongkong.org/sung-wong-toi-park-kowloon-hong-kong/
http://www.hkmemory.hk/collections/hkplaces/AllItems/images/201107/t20110725_44014.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/hong-kong/sights/parks-gardens/kowloon-walled-city-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housing_estates_in_Wong_Tai_Sin
http://www.checkerboardhill.com/what-the-hill/