published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

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

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Though billions of dollars has been spent on traffic infrastructure in Hong Kong for the past decades, it is still an unsolved traffic problem. Especially in peak hours, vehicles have to pay for the traffic congestion in the way of waiting time and air pollution. The public is interested in congestion pricing as it is effective in allocating resource. Also the revenues raised in road pricing can be used to invest in transport infrastructures which will benefit the whole society, especially in Hong Kong where more than 90% trips are taken by public transit. The existing policy is that growth in the private vehicle fleet should not exceed 3% per year. Currently, the increase rate of private vehicles is much higher than 3%. This generates the need to do the feasibility of ERP system in tackling congestion in Hong Kong. The ERP system is not a new term for the public as the Hong Kong Government has done two studies about road pricing in 1983 and 1998. However, the studies did not promote the implementation of ERP system in Hong Kong for various reasons. At the same time, the ERP system has been tested successful in many areas, such as Singapore and London. Lessons learnt from the two cases will guide the implantation of ERP system in Hong Kong. The study is conducted to evaluate the proposed implementation of the ERP system and attempts to recommend on future practices in order to achieve a more efficient, equitable and flexible means of managing the road space particularly in congested areas during busy hours. Questionnaire surveys will be conducted to get data for analysis of effect of ERP system. Combined with analysis of supply of transport infrastructure in next five years, the research finding is that the ERP system is not proper to be adopt to solve traffic congestion in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

The infrastructure is one of the key elements to construct and stabilize the sustainability of a nation or a city by providing a particular function and service to support the communities in a strictly fundamental way. The traditional structures and programs of infrastructure are always presented and constructed in a functional means lacking of relationship between natural and human system as well as cooperation with the social, ecological and aesthetic components while the engineering concerns has dominated the design and development of infrastructure. Additionally, those supporting programs are always required and occupied a huge amount of space. However, seems that the traditional approach for infrastructure could no longer fully cope with the new urban development, changing of public value and shifting of living pattern. The public and some of the professional has already formed a group and started the discussion of the lands where are lack of usage and development, especially the space under the bridge or space surround by the road system. In the contemporary world, especially in the situation of Hong Kong, the highway or road system requires and occupies a huge amount of space, which contains 665,640 vehicles on 2,090 kilometers of road fig.1that distributed by 442 on Hong Kong Island, 462 in Kowloon and 1,186 in New Territories together with 1,325 flyovers and bridges as well as 1,197 footbridges and subways. There are different site conditions and adjacent environments consisting of residential area, shipping port, recreational area and commercial area, etc. On one hand, the highway acts as a medium to connect people from place to place whilst at the same time providing efficiency and convenience to people by saving travelling time. However, it is also as a barrier in terms of separating the local communities due to the restricted area under and around the system. The result of disconnection of space has reduced the accessibility while minimized the opportunity of the integration for different groups of people. In addition to the existing typical road system in Hong Kong, it can be generally presented and constructed into four main parts, namely the above surface for sound proofing units and signage, on surface layer for traffic, below surface area for supporting structure and below ground space for foundation Fig.2. The usage of space is relatively mono-functional and limited in use while it is different from the multi-functional means of urban development, such as the complex residential and commercial area. As a matter of fact, the high density in Hong Kong needs a multifunctional and flexible approach to the built environment in order to provide a maximum usage of space. The multi-layering of programs of a site or architecture is the most common, productive and efficient approach for urban development while maximizing the usage of space. Bringing the economic and ecological value of landscape to the mono-functional transportation system might be an alternative to the new urban development in order to expand the possibility of land use and unrealized potential of space that integrated with ecosystem and contained with economical values. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Civil and Structural Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Master / Master of Philosophy