ISSUE 01:

VILLAGES ARE SEPARATED FROM NEW DEVELOPMENT AREAS, PHYSICALLY AND SOCIALLY

In the context of new town expansion, many villages in Hong Kong seem to have merged into polycentric new urban districts. However, there are significant differences between the two entities in many regards. The population composition and governance structure in villages, to some extent, is still based on the close-knit indigenous communities from the same clan. While villages and urban areas are geographically intermixed, there are several regulatory, socio-cultural and political differences that prevent synergetic urban relationships.

1 Original village

2 Development of new towns 3 3-storey small houses in villages surrounded by high-rise in new towns

4 Current typology of village-town spatial relations

The development of the Tin Shui Wai area over time, with original settlements gradually surrounded

Renderings of the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area, enclosing Ha Tsuen Village (Urbis Limited).

The New Territories are characterized by different spatial structures, as villages and new towns have developed on a different scale and through different sets of rules. Similarly, the interpersonal structures in the villages and new towns are also different.

Upgrading the open space in villages can be a potential key to strengthen community functions, as well as promote the integration between the two areas.

This project for the intensification and upgrading of public spaces in Ha Tsuen Village, Hung Shui Kiu is based on principles of strengthening edges, to form a more complete and continuous street space. New types of open space are formed, opening up to historical buildings in the village such as Tang’s Ancestral Hall, combining and complementing each other. The project also opens up new open spaces at suitable locations at the interaction zone with the surrounding urban areas, introducing sports and recreation facilities where different communities can come together.