ON THE AGENDA

A host of transport and urban planning projects promises to improve the city’s air quality and liveability in the next five years. Environmental considerations are at the forefront of plans to redevelop Kowloon East, where greenery, spacious promenades and pedestrian areas will enable outdoor recreation away from heavy traffic. Numerous buildings, including the alreadybuilt Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, will sport energy-saving features such as solar-powered hot water, double-glazed windows, rooftop gardens and efficient lighting systems. Likewise, the West Kowloon Cultural District promises to be an “urban oasis” boasting copious parkland, with its own tree nursery, solar-powered hot water, environmentally friendly on-site buses and the burying of roads underground to enhance ground-level air quality. On the transport front, the MTR’S South Island line will ease critical traffic bottlenecks, and the Sha Tin to Central Link will relieve heavily congested areas such as Kowloon City. Then there is the Des Voeux Road transformation project, which would rejuvenate the very heart of the CBD. The Hong Kong Institute of Planners has been lobbying the government for more than a decade to turn what is one of the city’s most polluted and congested thoroughfares into a pedestrian-only zone between Western Market and Pedder Street. The laying of grass around the tram tracks, planting of trees, setting up of outdoor cafes—and the absence of polluting vehicles—would bring a breath of fresh air to the centre of the city. “We like this plan,” says Loh. “I think it is realistic. I think it is doable. But it requires a bit more work. The Transport and Housing Bureau is very important [in making this a reality], so we need to see how we can coordinate.”