The Council for Sustainable Development encourages members of the community to participate in a discussion about Hong Kong's sustainability. It seeks the public's input to make informed choices about how best to advance Hong Kong's economic and social development while protecting its natural environment.

It is focusing on three pilot areas, solid waste management, renewable energy and urban living space.

Recently, news.gov.hk took part in a tour of Sai Ying Pun, part of Western District that is rich in cultural heritage, to learn more about efforts to protect Hong Kong's urban living spaces.

Urban facelift: The residential block at 27A Gage Street, Western Market and the Sai Ying Pun Community Centre serve as examples of the many ways a community's character can be preserved.

Diverse examples reflect innovation

At 27A Gage Street, near Peel Street, the Urban Renewal Authority has revitalised half of an ageing five-storey building. Its brightly coloured green and yellow external walls stand in stark contrast to the dingy grey walls on the buildings surrounding it.

Inside, the top-floor flat is open as a before-and-after showroom. Large photos inside the freshly painted, refitted rooms show what they looked like before the facelift: sorry and bleak.

The authority spent about $800,000 to paint and refinish the exterior and bring the drainage system up to date. It now serves as a model for other buildings in the area. Owners of delapidated flats are invited to submit proposals to the authority to have their own buildings revitalised.

Michael Lai, a member of the Sustainable Development Council's Support Group on Urban Living Space, explained the initiative.

"Buildings are hardware," he said. "You want to find ways to help people stay in their community, to preserve the character of the community."  

Urban living space affects quality of life

Hong Kong has one of the world's most dense urban environments.This leads to certain advantages, such as easy access to efficient transport and other services, and helps make such services affordable.

But not everyone has a pleasant living environment. Some housing is of poor quality, there are few large open areas for recreation, and many buildings lack sustainable design features.

To improve decaying urban areas, the Government and private sector developers have often demolished old buildings, replacing them with new developments.

It may be worth considering to what extent renovating existing buildings, upgrading local amenities and preserving built heritage can make older neighbourhoods more socially and economically viable and environmentally attractive, without recourse to full-scale redevelopment.

Sustainable building design can help minimise waste, reduce energy usage and complement the local social, physical and natural environment. Creating incentives for more sustainable design of individual buildings and neighbourhoods can have a positive impact on a city's urban living space and public health conditions.

Financial viability key to project's success

When considering projects for refurbishment, Mr Lai says you have to strike a balance between the financial and social aspects. "There is no point doing it if it is not financially viable."

Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road serves as a reminder of the area's heritage. Built in the 1800s, it was named after two gods: Man, the god of literature, and Mo, the god of war.

Today, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals owns and operates the temple which has become a popular tourist attraction. The charitable organisation has proposed setting up a visitors' centre with refreshment stands and boutiques in the garden area across the street, with proceeds from the commercial ventures used to pay for the temple's upkeep.

Fusion of Chinese, Western culture makes HK unique

Mr Lai makes a case for preserving Western-style architecture as well as traditional Chinese. "Tourists come to see Eurasian culture," he said. "China has opened up. If they want to see Chinese culture, why come to Hong Kong when you can go to China?"

Besides, he adds, "We should treasure the particular heritage we had."

Another popular attraction for visitors is the grape-coloured Western Market, on Morrison Street, between Des Voeux Road Central and Connaught Road.

Built in 1906, the four-storey red brick Edwardian Western Market was originally called the Harbour Office. It became a food market, and operated until it closed in 1988. It was declared a historical monument two years later. The former Land Development Corporation renovated it, and it re-opened in its present form in 1991.

It now houses boutiques filled with arts and crafts, fabric merchants and tailors, and one of Hong Kong's finest restaurants, along with an open area for dance classes - or Chinese opera performances.

Today, a specially designed structure in front of the building hides a huge vent for the MTR system, located directly below. It is an ideal way to maintain the area's historic character while accommodating modern transport demands.

Preserving the old alongside the new

If walls could talk, the Sai Ying Pun Community Centre would have fantastic tales to tell. Most local residents know it as a lunatics' asylum. Built in 1891, it was actually used as nurses' quarters until Word War II. After the war, it served as a mental hospital until 1962, and then as an outpatient services hospital until it closed in 1971.

The vacant building was costly to maintain and fell into disrepair. Ghost stories began to circulate, and workers would no longer go inside. Two fires, probably set by vagrants, damaged it further.

In 2001, the decision was taken to keep its imposing granite facade with sweeping arches, and construct a new building behind it. It would have been too costly to preserve the entire structure, the only one of its kind in Hong Kong.

Keeping the facade avoided the building's complete demolition, reducing waste generation. It also helped rehabilitate and revitalise High Street, the surrounding neighbourhood and the district of Sai Ying Pun. 

Today, the Government complex contains a community hall, dormitories for single people as well as social welfare facilities. It serves as a community landmark and a shining example of sustainable architecture.  

Sustainable development's traits for success

The projects described above, while quite distinct from each other, share common traits that are key to sustainable development for urban living spaces. These include:

* respecting and preserving local character and heritage;

* enhancing the community's quality of life;

* building on local advantages and better using local resources; and

* achieving a balance between re-development and heritage preservation through better planning and consultation.

Making choices for HK's future

The Government welcomes views from the community on sustainable development initiatives, and encourages discussion on local planning issues.

To see the full text of the Council's Invitation and Response document, Sustainable Development �V Making Choices for Our Future, visit its website, www.susdev.org.hk.

Hard copies are also available on request. You can also participate in forums at the website, or send your views in writing to the Sustainable Development Unit, M/F, Murray Building, Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong.