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

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

Hong Kong, being known as Asia’s World City and an international metropolis, possesses topography and sub-tropical climate that supports the habitat of a wide range of flora, fauna and wildlife. Many are surprised to realize that 70% of Hong Kong’s total land area is countryside and mountains, in which 40% of them is officially protected as country parks, marine parks, areas of special scientific interest, etc. under the Country Parks and Marine Parks Ordinance (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, 2012). Much emphasis and protection have been put in these natural open spaces; however, urban open spaces, especially those within private developments, seem to be of a lesser concern to the public. Recently, there are raising discussion and concerns over the shortfall of open space in urban areas, especially in older districts. As the population of Hong Kong increases exponentially, the existing provision of public facilities cannot cope with the rising demand. Some new public spaces are created to address the increasing demand, yet their quality is questionable. The provision of public open space in private developments (POSPD) became a controversial issue in 2008, when reporters discovered the misuse of the public open spaces in Times Square and Metro Harbour View. The developer of Times Square made use of the public open space to generate revenue by renting it out for exhibitions and events. As for Metro Harbour View, its podium garden was never opened for public use after the development was completed. Also, as these public spaces are being operated and managed by private companies, privatization and commodification of public open space are emerging phenomenon in some spaces. Thus, the general public started to express concerns over the provision of POSPD. In this dissertation, understanding of various key concepts and their interrelationships will be illustrated in the literature review. This together forms the theoretical framework for this dissertation. Elements that constitute a successful public open space will be identified. Privately-owned public space in New York City will be used as a detailed overseas case study to draw insights and best practices in order to enlighten the current practice in Hong Kong. The current policy and practice of provision of POSPD in Hong Kong will be reviewed. Problems and key issues in the existing POSPD will be illustrated by two detailed case studies. Questionnaire surveys, site visits, field observations and interviews will be done as data collection methods. The goal of this dissertation is to analyze whether the recently published guidelines on the design and management of POSPD is comprehensive enough to address the existing problems and key issues. Recommendations will be given to improve the guidelines if there are some missing elements and to illustrate the appropriate design and operating approaches to guide future planning, design and management of POSPD in new developments and public open space in planning projects. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

As addressed by Lefebvre's theories on the 'Production of Space', there has always been discrepancies between the conceived spaces of the producers and the perceived / lived spaces of the users. Particularly with public spaces, history has shown that these spaces have often contested and conflicted in Hong Kong, where the public realm has been shrinking at an alarming rate, becoming less accessible, and often overly maintained and subject to surveillance and policing. This study attempts to carry on the debates in this regard, and provide a new limelight towards how public spaces can be considered and planned for in the case of Hong Kong. Through the extensive review of literature and numerous interviews and discussions with various professionals, scholars, government officials, local bodies, etc. it was found that institutional and procedural gaps, along with the focus on maintaining and satisfying standards and the economic well-being of the city, hinder the development of a healthy and vibrant public realm. However, there is ample room for many possibilities and ways to resolve such issues, particularly when under the framework of a placemaking approach. With all things considered, much more research is needed to substantiate the multifarious collection of issues addressed, particularly in terms of the political economy of Hong Kong and its effects on the development of our city and its spaces. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

There is a rising concern on the management of public open space in private development (POSPD) upon the conflicting interests between public users and private owners. For the public users, POSPD is almost equal to a public playground or a park which does not require entrance fee and general requirements. For the private commercial development, POSPD is a by-product of decoration which can be used to exchange for higher plot ratio and a catalyst attracting more consumers for making profits and the management of POSPD is not a difficult thing. For the private residential development, POSPD can be a selling point or gimmick to attract potential buyers in such a way pushing up the selling price but the management agencies would face a big problem in observing the guidelines of the provision of POSPD required under lease for the use by the public. In practice, the POSPD was never opened for public use after the development was completed and the best example is Metro Harbour View. In response with the issues of commodification of POPS, the Development Bureau (DEVB) undertook an in-depth policy review of the subject matter in 2008 and commissioned a consultancy study in 2009 for drawing up a set of clear and practicable design and management guidelines for POPS for reference by property owners, management agencies and the general public. The “Design and Management Guidelines for Public Open Space in Private Developments” (“the POSPD Guidelines”) were promulgated in January 2011. The POSPD is equivalent to POPS in this dissertation and one of which is to avoid provision of POPS on private land in private residential developments so that individual owners would not be made liable to manage and maintain those public facilities. In this dissertation, the study aims to illustrate the understanding of various key concepts and their interrelationships together forming the conceptual framework for this dissertation. This would examine the roles of POPS in Hong Kong and reevaluate the effectiveness of the design and management guideline. It also examines the different information released by the websites of the Lands Department (LandsD) and the Buildings Department (BD) in connection with the POSPD. In response to the public criticism and concern, the LandsD and the BD each announced its own list of the existing POSPD named "Provision of Public Facilities in Private Developments" for public investigation and supervision in 2008. This dissertation will also suggest some recommendations to improve the guidelines if there are some missing elements and to illustrate the appropriate design. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

How public’s social and political power can be sustained in public space? From Tahrir Square to Zuccotti Park, physical public space reminded us of its multiple ambitions and capabilities for accommodating consequential political activities as well as everyday practice of life. Put plainly, place still matters. ‘Design to Occupy’ is a starting point for the revolutionary making of space as well as the making of public. The Occupy toolkit is made for the public to fully utilize the place of the public, the richness and complexity of the toolkit helps users to open a discussion of the interrelationship between individual and the commons, private property and public commodity, the implementation of biopolitics and biopower. The idea of antagonism is used here as a type of programmatic generator, it is when two different positions or views collide between different groups of people. Rather than try to erase this moment, we, as landscape architects, should nurture it and make tools for its production. The three scenarios: the totalitarian, the utilitarian and the utopian, are the demonstrations for three representations of space. They may coexist or standalone in one place at one time. The intent of the design proposal is not trying to render an ideal democratic space, but to promote an independently operating public space that question public’s evolving dialogue with power and governance, especially in Hong Kong. The further intent of the proposal is to test a theory proposed by Michel Foucault, aiming to engage urbanism apparatus with biopower and biopolitics. To offer an idea that the usage of public space cannot be predetermined, but defined by discursive practice of everyday life. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

The lively and enjoyable public spaces are of critical position to planning a great city (Burden, 2014). Public space is widely believed valuable for sustainable urban life due to its provision of physical environment for social interaction and possibly natural diversity. Throughout history, cities as production of human activities provide provision of spaces for public life, such as social communication and commercial activities (Unwin, 2000). Public space is also an important part of what defines the city. At early 1960s, academics in the West criticized that urban planning was abstract and humanly distant (Gehl & Svarre, 2013). Citizen groups fought for urban redevelopment plans in connection with the historical background such as the youth revolution, protests against nuclear power plants or anti-war protests. The activities all took place in public spaces and as now at political dimension public space have it very important position (Gehl & Svarre, 2013). Within the context of global competition, nowadays the provision of public spaces is believed as the enhancement of infrastructure asset for city marketing and promoting the population influx which keep the livability of the city (Gehl & Gemzoe, 2000). However, it’s criticized by scholars that public space has been aided with too much commercial interests and thus public sphere would be impoverished (Degen, 2008). Sequently, it is always critical to keep the public life flourishing. In spite of the commodification of contemporary urban public space, its ever-presented nature of public decided it would be always “in the process of being shaped, unshaped and challenged by the spatial practices of various groups and individuals whose identities and actions undermine the homogeneity of contemporary cities” (MacLeod, 2012; McCann, 1999). At present, the public open space in Hong Kong cannot secure the interest of public and in that case it is not successful to cater public everyday life. The social interaction is significantly affected by the physical arrangement as well as the way such public spaces cater for the specific characteristic of public life in Hong Kong. In this dissertation study, the main focus would be how does the public space of consumption interact with public social life and how could the institutional framework influence the whole process by its power. In context of Hong Kong, consumer culture has strongly influenced urban form by multiple scales of commercial developments, and the public life style has also been shaped by the physical setting and shopping habits. The interaction between human and material can be negotiated and guided by institutional power. By considering power, urban planning practitioners have the responsibility to provide recommendations for public space developments. The dissertation study will develop the research scope to a more specific scope – public open space of consumption in private development, i.e. shopping centers in Hong Kong. In order to carry out the study of public life, key concepts and issues will be examined through literature review. Institutional background of public open space of consumption in Hong Kong will be reviewed for a better understanding of the research. Both Hong Kong and overseas best practices will be studied to find out problems and reference experience in design and managing public open space of consumption. In the end, possible recommendations for planning public open space will be proposed to achieve quality public life. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

Tse Wai Tsun. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2003-2004, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 62). / Chapter Part 1 --- Proposal / Chapter 1.1 --- Issue --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Literal Studies --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Precedents --- p.4 / Chapter Part 2 --- Research / Chapter 2.1 --- Background Research / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Urban Boundary --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Street Boundary --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Podium Boundary --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2 --- Study of a Edge / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Site Plan --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Fabric Context --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Outside of the Edge --- p.20 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Inside of the Egde --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Trace of Activities --- p.28 / Chapter Part 3 --- Design / Chapter 3.1 --- Articulating the Boundary --- p.29 / Chapter 3.2 --- Street Idea --- p.36 / Chapter 3.3 --- Edge as Penetrable --- p.41 / Chapter 3.4 --- Final Work / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Model Photo --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Drawing --- p.53 / Chapter 3.5 --- Review Record --- p.57 / Bibliography --- p.62 / Acknowledgement --- p.63

Luk Wing Lun William. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2008-2009, design report." / Includes bibliographical references. / Chapter 1.0 --- Background / Chapter 1a --- Phenmenon / Chapter 1b --- Thesis Statement / Chapter 1c --- Catagories / Chapter 1d --- Methodology / Chapter 2.0 --- Definition / Chapter 2a --- Publicness Openness / Chapter 2b --- """Public""" / Chapter 2c --- History / Chapter 2d --- Timeline / Chapter 3.0 --- Hong Kong Situation / Chapter 3a --- Regulation / Chapter 3b --- Cases Study / Chapter 3c --- Urban Scale / Chapter 4.0 --- New York Situation / Chapter 4a --- Regulation / Chapter 4b --- Cases Study / Chapter 4c --- Urban Scale / Chapter 5.0 --- Grid City and Site / Chapter 5a --- Grid Fabric / Chapter 5b --- Site / Chapter 6.0 --- Policy and Design / Chapter 6a --- Process / Chapter 6b --- Plazas / Chapter 6c --- Master Planning