ISSUE 02: ‘CITY WITHIN THE CITY’: IMPROVING GATED COMMUNITIES IN NEW TOWNS

Due to the phased development of Hong Kong’s New Towns by separate stakeholders, areas in Sha Tin and Tin Shui Wai appear to consist in independent urban modules. These self-contained estates contribute to urban resilience and help create self-sufficient communities. However, they also bring problems such as segregation of the community at the town scale, reduced walkability and separation of live and work.

Tin Shui Wai consists to a large extent of Mega housing estates, both private and public. The monofunctional use of these megaplots results in a segregation between high and low-income groups, and reduced social interaction in the wider community. Redefining the zoning restrictions on permitted uses could help to incorporate synergetic functions with the housing estates, such as co-working spaces, cultural and educational facilities for residents. By opening up these facilities to the surrounding contexts, the new function could promote regional sharing and exchange (project by Li Yibing and Lin Shuiyang).

Li Yibing Lin Shuiyang