published_or_final_version / abstract / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Community-driven approach to Heritage Conservation has been increasingly discussed internationally. One of the principles in the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas drawn up by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) stated “the participation and the involvement of the residents are essential for the success of the conservation programme and should be encouraged.” (ICOMOS 1987) One of the more well-known bottom-up approaches is Machizukuri from Japan. 　　The origin of Machizukuri in Japan largely stems from the desire of local residents to maintain and develop aspects of their living environment that can otherwise be threatened by external forces. The need to voice out on behalf of their own community is often a relatable trait for various communities all around the world. 　　In the case of Machizukuri, its origin was cast in the backdrop of a post-war Japan, where at first glance the entire country seemed to homogeneously focus solely on modernisation and economic development regardless of costs (Siegenthaler 2004, 3). But as the truth revealed, many local communities—far away from the Japan National Government in Tokyo and its consideration when shaping the country’s urban planning scheme of the time—often differ from the opinions of top-down decision makers on how their own neighbourhood should be developed. 　　When this Japanese concept of bottom-up approach first started, the leaders of these organisations were mainly made up of local non-professional residents, contrasting greatly to the conventional decision makers comprised of scholars and bureaucrats—the “traditional elite”. And yet, despite its modest beginning, after decades of development, Machizukuri is seen as a proven method to effectively solve a wide-range of issues in areas such as planning, heritage conservation, and disaster relief. 　　Over time, the Japan National Government gradually accepted the merits of Machizukuri, eventually incorporating it into national planning law. It was evident that local inputs often improved upon planning decisions made by top-down approach, and thereby increased the chance of successful implementation. 　　After several decades, Machizukuri is recognised as a proven bottom-up, community-driven concept that aimed for the improvement of quality of living through the participation of local citizens of Japan. It represents an important development in local politics and urban management in Japan. The recent citizen movement of Hong Kong, since the 1997 Handover, shared similarities to the situation that led to the creation of the Machizukuri movement in Japan at that time. 　　 　　As Machizukuri gradually matures over the past decades, it became fully recognised in Japan and internationally as an effective method to conduct community-driven citizen participation activities. It can be a viable option for Hong Kong to consider as the citizens are exploring bottom-up conservation solutions. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / abstract / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / abstract / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

The sense of belonging and identity of people in Hong Kong has strengthen since the 1990s, particularly after the 1997 handover, there was a growing recognition of the importance of heritage conservation. In response to the growing public concerns and heated discussions on the issue of conservation of heritage structures after the demolition of Star Ferry Pier and Clock Tower in December 2006, the heritage conservation policy and new initiatives are drawn up in the 2007-08 Policy Address and Policy Agenda. However, the conservation policy and initiatives are limited to individual building level only. This may result in the incompatibility of the heritage building with the surrounding developments. As a result, many conservationists and scholars comment that it should expand the heritage conservation work beyond individual buildings by embarking on an 'area-based' approach. Overseas experiences especially from United Kingdom in area based heritage conservation have been studied to provide legitimate guidance i.e. Conservation Areas. On the other hand, Area Based Heritage Conservation cannot be achieved without the facilitation of a town planning system. As a result, the relationship between heritage conservation under the town planning system has been reviewed, problems and issues has been examined. This study reveals that after the Government’s recent policy and initiatives in the past few years, to a large extent, have resolved or alleviated some of the decades-old problems under the existing town planning system. The objective of heritage conservation has been incorporated to different levels of town planning system. However, it is surprised that the adoption of Area Based Heritage Conservation is still not yet incorporated into the town planning system like Conservation Areas in the UK. Are there any difficulties to adopt this in Hong Kong? The answer is yes. Although there is still no timetable for the adoption of the designated area of "Special Design Area" ("SDA") proposed in the "Comprehensive Review of the Town Planning Ordinance" 1991 for area based heritage conservation in statutory plans, the introduction of planning application submitted to Town Planning Board ("TPB") for consideration under section 12A for planning permission under Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 is found to be a usable tool for the area based heritage conservation under the statutory power of town planning system at district level. In practice, this may not work, as seen with the s.12A planning application submitted by the Central and Western Concern Group ("CWCG") which was not agreed by the Metro Planning Committee ("MPC") under TPB on 8 May 2009. If political and economical considerations were ignored, CWCG’s proposals in the s.12A planning application can be implemented "in theory" under the existing planning system of Hong Kong. However, gaining the approval of s.12A planning application from MPC is just the first step of the whole town planning process. This study continues to examine the following steps in town planning processes under different sections of Town Planning Ordinance ("TPO"), particularly in the plan-making process under section 6 of the TPO, which CWCG needs to go through in order to incorporate the accepted proposal eventually into the relevant approved statutory plan for area based heritage conservation. The whole process is lengthy and during the process CWCG’s proposal may subject to the attacks of the individual property owners and the developers, etc., as the development potential of their properties is being affected. If political and economical considerations were ignored, CWCG’s proposals in the s.12A planning application can be implemented "in theory" under the existing planning system of Hong Kong. However, gaining the approval of s.12A planning application from MPC is just the first step of the whole town planning process. This study continues to examine the following steps in town planning processes under different sections of Town Planning Ordinance ("TPO"), particularly in the plan-making process under section 6 of the TPO, which CWCG needs to go through in order to incorporate the accepted proposal eventually into the relevant approved statutory plan for area based heritage conservation. The whole process is lengthy and during the process CWCG’s proposal may subject to the attacks of the individual property owners and the developers, etc., as the development potential of their properties is being affected. This study concludes that although s.12A planning application has 'hidden' potential for area based heritage conservation, under the current political sentiment, it will not have the chance (i) to be accepted by the TPB and (ii) to incorporate the approved proposal into the relevant statutory plan subsequently unless it can obtain the consent of the sole current land owner/all current land owner(s) (private/government). As there are several successful projects of area based heritage conservation implemented by the Urban Renewal Authority in the past few years e.g. the Blue House Cluster in Wan Chai, the MPC recommends discussing the issues in the recent Urban Renewal Strategy Review ("URSR"). However, from the latest "Public Views and Future Direction – Paper for the Consensus Building Stage of the URSR" released in May 2010, does not mention about Area Based Heritage Conservation. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

The Repulse Bay Cultural Landscape can be identified as a “Continuing Landscape” in the UNESCO cultural landscape categories. At the south end of the beach is the Hong Kong Life Saving Society Headquarters, Club House (HKLSS), and seafront Garden, which has evolved over the last fifty odd years. It continues to do so, and is highly acclaimed in Hong Kong for its water safely education and its recognition by the international community. Over the years, the HKLSS placed more than one hundred religiously related (Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese folklore) architectural elements including statues, memorial tablets, and steles, as well as pagoda and pavilion In this seafront Chinese style garden This site is used by a massive number of “stakeholders” including HKLSS members, local residents and tourists, etc. And the place is without proper management and maintenance because of lack of financial and expert support. Also, through lack of social awareness, the condition of some of the structures which may have heritage value is declining disintegrating badly. Because this place was mainly developed from the 50s onward, it is unlikely to be considered as a heritage site by conservation professionals. In order to identify this seafront property’s potential heritage value, the focus of research should be on discovering and recording the heritage value of the place. My dissertation aims to reveal and explain the physical aspect and related elements-architecture and space- of this seafront property, and the social aspect- achievement- of one of its major stakeholder (The Hong Kong Life Saving Society). I have produced a SWOT Analysis Report and Heritage Assessment (Using the heritage criteria of the Hong Kong Antiquation and Monument office) in order to identify the heritage value of this place, and explain why “Preventive Conservation” is necessary. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

In Hong Kong Cemetery, there are many stories of the prominent figures which are said to be significant to the history of colonial Hong Kong. However, there are also some quiet stories left yet to be told. Being a Christian, I have put my focus on those people who died for the Christian belief. Not far away from the entrance, I am deeply impressed and sympathetic to a story inscribed on a grave: Mrs. Henrietta Hall Shuck, the first American female missionary to China, died young in 1844 when she was only 27. What was the driving force pulling this young woman from the comfortable home in America and bringing her to Hong Kong, and finally buried here? Is there any reference left behind by her to let me know much about her life? Her story has been in my mind for years if I can find much information on her life. Every time when I take bus running along Caine Road and Bonham Road to the University of Hong Kong, I see a splendid architecture sitting on a platform at the junction of Bonham Road and Seymour Road, like a lighthouse guarding the area. Afterwards, I know that it is called Church of Christ in China (CCC) Hop Yat Church. Once when I walked along and came closer to the church building, I found a stone plaque embedded on the fa?ade of the church, on which there were four Chinese words: “To Tsai Hui Tong” (道濟會堂), which is “To Tsai Church” in English. The first question came to my mind: why the plaque of another church was embedded on the fa?ade of this church? Is there any story behind? What is the relationship between this “To Tsai Church” and the existing CCC Hop Yat Church? These questions finally converge on many of the “firsts”: Henrietta was not only the first foreign female missionary to Hong Kong, but also sharing the other three “firsts”: the first foreign female resided in Hong Kong, the first person started female education in Hong Kong, and finally, the first foreign missionary died in Hong Kong. For the To Tsai Church, it was also the first independent Chinese church in Hong Kong. These “firsts” imply that both Henrietta and To Tsai Church were in significant positions in the early Christianity development in Hong Kong. Henrietta joined the first foreign missionary to Hong Kong but died in Hong Kong like a seed; To Tsai Church developed from the foreign missionary works and rooted itself in the local Chinese community and finally came to harvest. All these pioneer stories lead to this study: to work out a heritage trail on the footprints of Henrietta and To Tsai Church so as to illustrate how the early Christianity developed in Hong Kong. The dissertation is divided into three main parts. The first part, covered by Chapter 2, describes the definition of heritage trail, and introduces the purposes of the heritage trails by making reference to those in Hong Kong. Then, referring to our case of a heritage trail in Christianity, discussion is focused on the nature of the religious heritage trail with examples. The second part, covered by Chapters 3, 4 and 5, gives a detailed description on the history of how the Christian missionary reached China and then Hong Kong from the time of Jesus until the British occupation of Hong Kong in 1841. Then, histories of the missionary by Mrs. Henrietta Hall Shuck and the evolution of To Tsai Church to CCC Hop Yat Church are discussed and the associated heritage sites are identified for the design of heritage trail. The third part, covered by Chapters 6 and 7, focuses on the heritage values of this heritage trial, the justification for developing this trail and then the detailed design of the trail. The concluding chapter 8 describes the importance of a religious heritage trail in the congested developed city like Central and Western District and also Hong Kong. Re-examination of the hypothesis and the answers to the research questions are to be illustrated. Finally, recommendations are suggested to find the possible ways to turn the heritage trail into reality. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation