OBSERVATION: Much of Hong Kong’s planning and development happens behind closed doors with minimal consultation with the public.
SOLUTION: Encourage “participatory design” activities in all sectors of society to establish dialogue with residents and to better understand the needs of the end users.
Idea competitions, charettes, and placemaking work sessions are used across the world to engage the public and to arrive at innovative design solutions for the built environment. Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s often top-down development and planning approach, and lack of a clear long term vision leaves much to be desired.
IDEA COMPETITIONS:
Idea Competitions are an excellent and relatively affordable means of soliciting public feedback in the evolution of the built environment. As an example, this locally-produced winning entry in a 2008 idea competition for the redevelopment of the Central Police Station proposed the creation of a new hub for arts and culture revolving around historic preservation; this helped shape Government and public support for what would later become Tai Kwun a decade later.
PLACEMAKING WORKSHOPS
Some forward-thinking developers in Hong Kong, such as Swire Properties, have hosted a series of “placemaking” workshops which solicit creative ideas from the local residents who live within their developments. Residents of all ages are supplied with a small artbox and variety of arts and crafts materials to construct a vision of how they would like to see their community in the future. The collection of ideas — small artistic creations in their own right — are then exhibited in local shopping centers for feedback from a wider audience. This type of participatory process can be used by both developers and the Government in shaping future design and planning decisions related to the built environment.
DESIGN CHARRETTES
Architects, planners and other design professionals from around the world often participate in design “charrettes” which seek to find collaborative design solutions within a very constrained amount of time. Design professionals often volunteer their time and expertise to help solve some of society’s more pressing problems on a probono basis. Within Hong Kong, the American Institute of Architects Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects are two such organizations that frequently host such charrettes in an attempt to improve the built environment.
An increase in participatory design activities might help bridge the gap between what the people ACTUALLY want, and what the Government THINKS the people want in their built environment.