Hong Kong is a small but densely populated city. As an international metropolis, urban redevelopment is an inevitable step in modernizing the city. Yet, not everyone is pleased about it. There would be conflict of interest during the process as different stakeholders hold different opinion. Our goal is to minimize their loss, maximize their interest and striking a balance between the stakeholders. If you had been living in a place for more than forty years, would you be willing to leave your home? It would probably be a no. For the residents who have spent most of their lives in the area, it is a place full of memory. They feel like they belong and are tied to this place. On the other hand, we shall not overlook the fact that despite the strong social tie, the living environment might be really deplorable. Shabby buildings, poor hygiene, not to mention the long-standing traffic problem residents have been facing almost every day. In consideration of this, to preserve and to revitalize should be the aims of redevelopment. For example, the redevelopment project in To Kwa Wan has successfully improved residents’ lives. It proves that redevelopment can be indeed a win-win situation for both the residents and the authorities. One key thing is that not all the residents are against the idea of redevelopment. In fact, a study found that more than half of the residents support redevelopment (see link). It shows that as long as the government provides sensible compensation, it would not cause so much harm to the residents. Compensation and rehousing are two major issues that the government should focus on in order to minimize the loss of residents. In terms of compensation, the government can consult the owner-occupiers, owners of vacant and residents about the suitable allowance that should be given so that more people will be pleased with the policy. For rehousing, the aim of it is to keep the social tie of the residents so that residents who want to stay in the original area would have options. A case in point would be the URA’s flat-for-flat scheme, in which residents can cash compensation. A study found out that a majority of owners in Sham Shui Po would opt for the flat-for-flat scheme. This is no doubt an effective solution to balancing all the needs of the stakeholders. Apart from residents, shop owners are also facing immense loss due to redevelopment. They are forced to shut down their stores during the period and they might not be able to afford the rent in the redeveloped district. We should understand that those stores exist for some special reasons and there are reasons why they could survive in that particular area. It is absolutely essential to “save” these shops. A shop-for-shop scheme perhaps would be an ideal solution to the problem addressed. Under this condition, the expense in compensation could be reduced while the shop operator can remain working in the same area if they wish. Not only can this achieve a reasonable balance, those local characteristics can also help establish the townscape. Streets like Bird Street, Lady Street are places tourists are looking for and would love to explore. A shop-for-shop scheme would be a good direction for tackling the possible problems that might be encountered by the parties. Conflicts between stakeholders are inevitable but we should bare in mind that our primary concern is to solve urban decay problems so as to improve the overall living standard. After all, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all policy, but in the meantime, I believe it is also possible to achieve a sensible balance! Source: districtcouncils.gov.hk/ssp/doc/common/publications_links/report_of_survey/urban_renewal/UR%20Appraisal.pdf 4810
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 15:25:44 +0000
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