DYNAMIC CITY IN A GARDEN

The project incorporates four strategies to upgrade the existing town: (1) Extend and improve the quality of urban green spaces; (2) Promote mixed land-use and vibrant street spaces; (3) Enhance the attraction of local economies (4) Strengthen educational institutions to support local disadvantaged groups.

In Yuen Long Town Centre, there are many vacant spaces while at the same time there is a lack of public space for everyday activities. According to surveys, local residents’ satisfaction with quantity of open spaces, attractiveness of greening and landscaping is low. This project explores therefore how leftover and in-between spaces can be transformed into high-qualit public spaces for leisure, sports and socialising.

The project strategies include transforming the existing concrete drainage channel into an ecological realm, providing waterfront spaces for the residents, plants and animals. Different sections are materialised according to different themes, with a core function determined by the context and target users, to match the demands from different demographic groups. This strategy includes appropriating alleys and parking lots to create a connected series of outdoor spaces. By introducing street art, greening, seating, water stations and other facilities, the quality of the environment could be improved and the alley spaces would become more attractive to the public.

The study also identifies in-between spaces and low-density buildings that could be redeveloped, to increase building density in strategic places and promote mixed land-use and vibrant street spaces. This would strengthen the attractivenes of the local economy and bring revenues to support to introduction of new cultural and educational institutions to support local disadvantaged groups.

The detailed urban design strategy for this dynamic ‘city in a garden’ approach is to emphasize green spaces for nature and public uses, following international case studies. The new green axis culminates in a new and permeable type of TOD node, which integrates public open space at its heart.

An existing concrete drainage channel is transformed an ecological corridor to provide waterfront spaces for the residents, plants and animals. The axis unites pedestrian circulation and branches out into the separate commercial and educational zones.