published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

This thesis is mainly about how we read city as whole. City is a simple word with extremely complex information that interacts to each other. City is where we live. Though this thesis will not be in touch with some deeper topics about city, we can still read city in an unusual way. And this is the purpose for this thesis. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

In between the congested crowded urban layout of old districts in Hong Kong, it is not hard to discover one and another small left behind “gaps” in between the buildings. These lots, being left over, are either as land banking lots, or rented out for short-term tenancy. They, as being falling into the result of urban renewal, have an ultimate destiny of being redeveloped, but well before that, they are just leave there and wait for their other accompanies, in order to redevelop as a larger foot print. While the short 4 to 9 storey tall old Tong Lau had been redeveloped into 30-storey tall high-rise building, the capacity of affordable households had been raised significantly. Under the government policy of providing 1 m2 of open space per person, the growth of open space is obviously cannot catch up with the rapid redevelopment of old district. The urban land banked gaps, as a byproduct of the urban renewal process, are actually could be taken as a potential buffer to the imbalance development speed of urban redevelopment and open space. In connection to the temporary nature of the urban gaps, this thesis is aimed to focus on temporary landscape and to provide a sustainable strategy for coordination of different stakeholders, so as to utilize the gaps in a more valuable and sustainable way. Based on three main concerns: temporary, flexibility and sustainability, this thesis will test out how the strategy, in operational and design aspect, could work. An experimental case of Kowloon City district would be used as an example for testing the temporary landscape system. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

The government plans to redevelop Tai O into a tourist spot. Recently, the government is seeking strategies to maintain the existing community of Tai O and retain the cultural heritage, natural environment and local economy of the place. This will shift Tai O’s major economy from fishing to tourism. The stilt houses are an important element of the history and the fishing village character of Tai O. Under the Government plan, all stilt houses in Tai O will be kept as one main tourism attraction, however the Government does not have intention to help the residents in the ongoing maintenance of the stilt houses. The conditions of the stilt houses for most of the households, especially the elderly need to be improved. If the vulnerable states of the stilt houses are not well-identified, they could soon fall apart and disappear within our generation. This should force us to consider the preservation of the stilt house. Also, with the rebuilding project ahead, some signs of history will disappear if not controlled and conserved. As such the vulnerable factors need to be identified and suggestions are needed for the preservation purpose. In order to thoroughly understand the vulnerable factors of the stilt houses, interviews with residents and members from Tai O Rural Committee, Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Tai O Alliance Church and Tai O Residents’ Rights Concern Group were carried out in order to seek their views on the vulnerable factors of the stilt house and their opinion towards Tai O stilt house development and cultural & heritage conservation. The dissertation is as attempt to address key queries such as: – Impact on Tai O stilt house resulted from disaster, natural degradation and Government policy – Human impact relating to the stilt house, including depopulation, environmental condition and tourist – Opinions regarding improving Tai O stilt house from residents – Future of Tai O Stilt house. For the development of the Tai O stilt house, the opinion of local residents and actual situation in Tai O should be considered. In view of better development of stilt house in Tai O, cooperation and compromise between Government, Tai O Rural Committee, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), Tai O Alliance Church, Tai O Residents’ Rights Concern Group and residents would be more constructive for stilt house in Tai O. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture