HK needs to do more for the sake of quality of life
Ag lobal financial center’s success often depends on how well it can lure talented people from around the world to come to work and live. In Hong Kong, we believe people will come when there’s money to be made.
Indeed, they did. That approach worked because we don’t have many potential rivals in the region nipping at our heels. Not anymore.
The question is: What can Hong Kong do to stop it from falling further behind its regional competitors, including those on the Chinese mainland, particularly Shanghai, in the quality of life. Escalating rents and worsening air pollution aren’t going to help. The traffic that routinely clogs up many major roads and inner-city streets isn’t going to get better any time soon.
It’s, therefore, heartening to hear that our town planners are serious about what they call “out-of-the-box” solutions incorporated in the “2030 Plus” vision plan. These “solutions”, focusing on making available recreational space in built-up areas for public use, are exactly what many community leaders and social activists have been demanding for years.
Reclaiming streets for sole pedestrian use is a growing trend in major cities in many developed economies around the world. Previous proposals to ban cars from selected sections of the worst congested streets had been met with stiff objections from the business sector, which claimed that such a move would drive many retail shops in the affected areas out of business.
This time, though, the town planners seem to have a more comprehensive plan to give inner-city residents a bit more living space. For instance, in Mong Kok — one of the world’s most densely populated districts — roads take up 27 percent of the ground-level space, while public areas account for just 5 percent, according to a town planner.
He reckons that Mong Kok’s public space can be increased by 5 percent after converting merely 1 percent of roads for sole pedestrian use. Anyone who has been to Mong Kok recently would certainly welcome that.
The proposal may not have aimed at enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international city. But what’s good for local people must be good for expatriates too.