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REDEFINING PUBLIC SPACES
Nature Play as a Response to Homogeneous Outdoor Public Playgrounds and L ack of “Natureness” in Government-owned Neighbourhood Public Open Space in Hong Kong
C ath er in e C h ao S u p er vis or : J u d it h L ö sin g C ont a c t : c h a owin gs z e c at h erin e@ gm a il.c om
Issues
Issues
Insufficient Dull Restrictive Lack nature element Underuse Fast food standardised
Outdoor public playgrounds in Hong Kong are often being characterised as “’fast-food’ standardized” and underused. Their
Flexibility
design focuses on having less safety issues, easier management and maintenance rather than on engaging children in play. They have also been noted for their lack of natural elements that provide exciting ways of play for children. In addition,
Inclusiveness
government-owned neighbourhood public open spaces (POS) is scarce in Hong Kong, only about 2% of the city is designated as ‘open space’ and many are not for recreational use. They have also been criticised for being lack of “natureness”. Most of them
LCSD-managed playground
are extensively covered by manicured landscape with limited green cover. Co-solution
Greening in tight urban fabric
Nature play as “co-solution” The issues of underuse, insufficient, and inadequate quality of outdoor public playgrounds and Government-owned
Nature Play Principles
neighbourhood public open spaces (POS) in Hong Kong suggest that more efficient use of public spaces is needed in general.
Hong Kong
This can be done through better use by intended users, and to widen the user group by being more inclusive and flexible in
Issues
the design. There are currently no open-space planning policies and standards, urban design guidance, or urban-greening
Insufficient Lack maintenance Lack nature element Hostile design Low quality Lack appropriate facilities
Urban re-/development project public spaces Privately-owned public spaces
Expose to nature
Openness Diversity Creativity
governance that simultaneously and directly address both identified issues in Hong Kong. Hence this research proposes to develop a conceptual and design toolkit that supports multi-use public spaces using concepts and elements of nature play. It is hoped that the flexibility and greening of nature play allows a design of a place not only children are interested in playing, but simultaneously be a general POS that everyone can enjoy.
POS
The 3 + 6 Framework In light of the insights from the literature review, case study review, and observational review, below gives an overview of the conceptual and design toolkit to facilitate the
People-driven
reconstruction of both neighbourhood POS and playgrounds in Hong Kong. 3 interrelating
Meeting the real need of the people that use the space and creating a sense of community to make people feel welcome
key principles – People-driven, Nature Encounter, and Reconciliation – provide a clear direction on how the 6 tools are developed and what they should achieve. The 6 tools are: • Community-centric • Inclusive to all ages
Using “nature closer to home” as an overarching theme to create natural features and elements that have meanings and purposes
• Diverse activities • Natural materials • Distinctive design
Encouraging multi-use by people of all ages, gender, and ability through high flexibility and adaptive to change to enable long term vitality of the space
• Multi-managed system
Nature Encounter
Reconciliation
Community-centric
Natural materials
Create pockets of “nature-dominant” small public open spaces that are dedicated to the local community / neighbourhood, and bringing them closer to nature
Use sustainable natural materials that are easy to maintain, and suitable for local climate (i.e. hot and humid)
Inclusive to all ages
Distinctive design
Settings, layout and facilities that welcome the use of space and play for people of all ages
Establish a strong theme that stands out from others while maintaining original local character
Diverse activities
Multi-managed system
Allow users to have the flexibility to create their own settings that foster a variety of informal, social, and play interactions at different times of the day
Institute a management approach that allows both the public and the government to make planning and design decisions together through active partnerships, participation, and communication
Tools
Sites of Intervention
MONGKOK
Despite the noise, crowds, and light pollution from the busy shopping streets and
Inclusive to markets in Mongkok, according to the latest Hong KongCommunityCensus more than 67,000 centric
Diverse activities
all ages
people still choose to live in the cramped living space of the old, mid-rise residential
Natural materials
Multi-managed system
Distinctive Mongkok design
anytime soon, it is still possible to make Mongkok a more desirable place to live in by
Kowloon Peninsular in Hong Kong
The MK Greenlink is an area-wide initiative in retrofitting and revamping current POS and playgrounds in Mongkok to become greener, livelier, and . The ultimate goal of the scheme is to form an intimate linkage between the 16 POS and playgrounds. Among them, 4 of the larger sites will be the public space pillars,
buildings, perhaps due to convenience in transport and its proximity to the Central Business District in south Kowloon. Whilst Mongkok’s population may not be reducing
Vision - The MK Greenlink
“Busy” / “Prosperous” / “Crowded”
Yau Ma Tei Districtin Kowloon Peninsular
“Corner”
known as “leisure parks”, and the rest will be smaller focal points that bonds them together, known as “leisure gardens”. It is hoped that the MK Greenlink will be part of Mongkok’s unique characteristics alongside with its markets, traditional residential buildings, and neon signs.
increasing and improving the playgrounds and POS in the neighbourhood so that the
N
people can have greener, more open and diverse designated spaces to escape the hustle and bustle of Mongkok life. In Mongkok, there are 16 playgrounds and POS that are located at most 15 minutes
k Road
Mongko
Nathan
walking distance apart from each other. However almost all of them suffer from Argyle
Street
Road
issues of homogenous playground, lack of natureness, and other relating issues that are stated in the beginning of the report. The playgrounds and POS in Mongkok
1
are appropriate sites for the testing of the proposed conceptual and design toolkit. 2 of the 16 playgrounds and POS have been chosen to be the sites of intervention to examine different design possibilities and management styles – Site A: Mongkok
Garden / sitting-out area Playground
Road Playground, and Site B: Ferry Street Sitting-out Area.
Mongkok Road Leisure Park (Site A) Public Toilet
mounds add a mple mounds pes of
Site A is located in the core of Mongkok. It is bounded by 2 residential / industrial buildings
10m
to the North, Shanghai Street to the East, Mongkok Road to the South, and Canton Road to eet hai Str
Shang
the West. It is a relatively large site with greater opportunities hence a proposal with detailed
down by
designing is created on the basis that the space would be government-owned, government-managed.
n Canto
Mongkok Road Leisure Park is transformed from a monotonous playground into a “nature-based” multiuse
Road
public space that attracts a diverse uses and users. Main features include: sloped terrain and sculptured landforms, hammocks, loose parts play area, wooden fortress and game space, open multi-use lawn,
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shallow pond and garden bridge, bamboo pavilion, outdoor kiosks, and fish-shaped island.
companions. ults. It creates
Pathways
Soft edges
Hard landscaping
Activity nodes
Adaptive spaces
Topography
ad
kok Ro
Mong
Shelter and protection
Other partnerships in Mongkok
Continuous process
Ferry Street Leisure Garden (Site B) Site B: Ferry Street Sitting-out Area located on the periphery of Mongkok. It is half enclosed by residential buildings at 3 sides with Ferry Street to the West. Its compact size and proximity to the
The MK Greenlink Association
Ferry Street Leisure Garden Partnership
Public consultations
predominately residential area is appropriate for a government-owned, neighbourhood-managed
Secure funding Design schemes & project plans
space, hence a proposal with strategic management plans is devised. Ferry Street Leisure Garden
Ferry Street Leisure Garden is transformed from an underused, “concrete-based” POS into a multiuse green garden that is tailormade for the community to meet their needs and requirements. It works by working in partnerships and supporting statutory bodies, the community, and organisations in the area. By uniting local residents, businesses, schools, the district council, charitable non-profit organisations, professional
Management & maintenance
associations, and visitors, it is hoped that Ferry Street Leisure Garden can promote community spirit and sense of shared responsibility to secure the interests of different users and stakeholders