A BREATHABLE CITY Projecting An Inclusive Public Space System with the Lense of Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDH) Hong Kong, China Wenyuan Mai Master (of Science) Urbanism, Landscape and Planning Faculty of Engineering and Department of Architecture Promoters: Viviana d'Auria, Jeroen Stevens, Illze Wolff (External) Academic Year 2021 - 2022 Source : author.byDrawnKowloon.fromIslandKongHongofPanorama
2 3 © Copyright KU Leuven Without written permission of the thesis supervisors and the authors it is forbid den to reproduce or adapt in any form or by any means any part of this publication. Requests for obtaining the right to reproduce or utilize parts of this publication should be addressed to Faculty of Engineering and Department of Architecture, Kasteelpark Arenberg 1 box 2431, B-3001 Heverlee. A written permission of the thesis supervisors is also required to use the methods, products, schematics and programs described in this work for industrial or com mercial use, and for submitting this publication in scientific contests.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Overwhelmed in all humbleness and gratefulness, I would like to acknowledge my depth, for the super inspiring spark and generous guidance, toViviana,JeroenandIllze for the true-hearted domestic help and storytelling, toallmyfamily'spreviousforeigndomestichelpers for the great interest and attention that motivate me most to go forward, toallprofessorsandPhDcandidatesinOSA; for countless chit-chat and adorable companion from different time zones, tomybuddiesandparents; for always the safest earth I could stay, toYogaandmyuniverse; for thousands of times of every philosophical stand-up comedy, toDayoWong; for the innermost precious memories since childhood, toHongKong Thank you. Bedankt. Dor Dze.
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An orderly urban space sounds like a very abstract and idealistic state, espe cially when the object of this discussion is public space. However, as we have concluded above, our ambition is not to regard order as an ideal state, but the state of in between. In other words, it’s the state of common In the book EndingtheAn thropocene,Lieven de Cauter pointed out that common is in fact a very fragile and weak state, and only when common is threatened can we truly notice commons Step on the ground a bit to the issue of urban public space, as a common sense, the opposite word of public space is private space. Theoretically, it is clarified accord ing to the ownership of the space, but in fact it has nothing to do with the user. In Hong Kong and New York, there is a kind of space that just exploits this definition. It is called Privately Owned Public Space (POPS). The owner of space is prior to the user, and the latter is blurred by the former, resulting in a vacuum in this part of urban space. This is a typical example of public space losing its publicity due to capitalist hegemony, and public space revolution is to return this part of common to the public. Common is common because it is not bound by the owner and bor der. It is for everyone and for no-one.(de Cauter, 2021) Another important defini tion of common in Latin is share. (de Cauter, 2021) In other words, publicity and common are inseparable from share so what exactly are we sharing? Someone has given a romantic and Physical answer: time. (de Cauter, 2021)In front of time, we are in the real borderlessness.
“Houseswillstruggletogrowsignificantlyinsizeagain:itdoesnotmakesensetogobacktoanunsustainableandinequitablepast,butneithermusttheyblindlyenterintoafuturewhereinequalitieschangeonlyinform.Whileweshouldn’tbedesigninghomesandcitiessolelyforperiodsofquarantine,thiscrisishasshedalightonissuesthatmighthavebeenignoredpreviously,givingthemnewurgency.Theideaofcommunityandtheneedtoshareandcarehaveriseninpriority.”
A BREATHABLE CITY
At the moment we could rethink about the two questions raised at the begin ning. Are shopping malls and streets really public? Are they common and borderless? What about the existing so-called urban public space? The answer is at hand. In my following research, I would give observation from scale to scale to one of the most acute social space phenomena in Hong Kong, the occupation of public space by foreign domestic helpers, to find the loopholes and revolution scenarios of public space in Hong Kong with the sharp lense, so as to further explore the elasticity of publicity in high-density cities.
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Common
Before we step into the main discussion on what is publicity and the revolution of public space, here are two very simple and daily-related questions raised as the opening of my research: Is a shopping mall public space? Could a street that equally treat every passer-by be called public space? We don't need to rush into the answer for the moment. The ambition is that through this discussion and the subsequent story between foreign domestic helpers and Hong Kong public space, we could think a bit deeper and share more comprehension of how public space and its publicity plays its role in social ecology. This is a public reflection. Order Public is both orderly and disorderly. In the standard system of Physics, entro py is created to measure the degree of chaos in the universe. The fluctuation of entropy shows a dynamic balance in physics. Similarly, there is also a dynamic balance in the order of human social ecology. The industrial revolution has brought about great speed-up in means of transpor tation, and the subsequent growth of population flow has greatly impacted the original order of social structure and urban structure. (Hou, 2013) Since then, human beings have had to face the problems of multiculturalism following the flush of migrant populations, along with conflict and inequality. (Hou, 2013)From the perspective of urban planning, a few advanced countries, such as Britain and the United States, have launched multicultural policies to promote the realization of mixed neighborhood and diverse community in the early 21st century. (Hou, 2013)Until now, multiculturalism is still a hot social issue with huge gap. This is also the most outstanding contradiction when Hong Kong faces the Foreign Do mestic Helpers issue. The reverse of urbanization owing to industrialization and gentrification is the marginalization happening in another part of the city. Some of these are the con Projecting An Inclusive Public Space System with the Lense of Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDH) cealment of traditional industries from the urban center, and some are the con cessions of the elderly to the young labor force. However, marginalized groups do not mean that they physically disappear or become invisible from the urban space. They often appear in the urban space in a more abrupt form. (Bourget, 2015) They are truly indigenous habitat and announcing a crisis of publicity. In Hong Kong, why do foreign domestic helpers segregate in the most bustling and devel oped economic center instead of more secret and open urban space or even natural space? The answer is also coming out. Sociologist Michel de Certeau put forward in her book thePracticeofEverydayLife that the unreasonable occupation of ur ban space by outsiders is a guerrilla tactic of the weak against the strong, which is a political struggle in daily life.
The last issue on public order to be discussed is infectious diseases. The most ob vious post covid symptom that is happening now is that the physical and mental state of people using public space has changed, so urban public space may face new reforms again to adapt to the new order. Maybe before the next crisis, we might still ignore other public issues like ignoring FDH in the past by chance. But just like Covid crisis, we couldn’t avoid being pushed to a cliff by history to think about what is our next step. However, this does not mean that every time the historical process throws out a question, we then straightly could give an answer. It is instead about what is the continuous iteration of safer space and time. On the positive side, what we might stick to is that in this iteration process, we should never maintain order by establishing borders and frames. On the contrary, establishing public se curity is a border crossing process. From this point of view, when we take public order into consideration, we should answer the questions from nature and history from a programmatic perspective. It is always in a state of in-between, on the move, and yet to settle.
Public Space Revolution: Revealing Publicity to the Public
Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (2015). Public Open Space in Private Developments Design and Management Guidelines. [online] Available at https://www.devb.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_582/Guidelines_English.pdf [Access 1 Jun. 2022]
6 7 Books and scientific articles : Angélil, Marc and Malterre-Barthes, Charlotte. Migrant Marseille Architectures of Social Segregation and Urban Inclusivity. 2020. Ruby Press. Banerjee, Tridib. "The Future of Public Space: Beyond Invented Streets and Reinvented Places." Journal of the American Planning Association 67, no. 1 (2001): 9-24. Bourget, Paul. 2015. Cosmopolis - Volume II. Createspace. Brown, Gavin, and Jenny Pickerill. "Space for Emotion in the Spaces of Activism." Emotion, Space and Society 2, no. 1 (2009): 24-35. Chase, John Leighton., and Margaret Crawford. Everyday Urbanism: Featuring John Chase, Margaret Crawford, Walter Hood, Mona Houghton, John Kaliski, Dennis Keeley, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Norman Millar, Camilo Jose Vergara, Phoebe Wall Wilson. New York: Monacelli, 1999. Choi, Hee Sun. Urban Marginality in Hong Kong's Global Diaspora. Cham: Springer International Publishing. Christ, Melissa Cate, and Hendrik Tieben. "Magic Lanes." In Asian Alleyways, 181-210. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2020. D Soloman, Wong, Frampton. Cities Without Ground: A Hong Kong Guidebook. 2012. ORO Editions. De Cauter, Lieven. Ending the Anthropocene: Essays on Activism in the Age of Collapse. Reflect #12. Rotterdam: Nai010 Publishers, 2021. De Certeau, Michel. Practice Of Everyday Life. University of California Press. 2011. De Meyer, Dirk. The Urban Condition : Space, Community, and Self in the Contemporary Metropolis. Rotterdam: 010, 1999. Gandelsonas, Mario. X-urbanism: Architecture and the American City. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. Hirsch, Alison B. "Scoring the Participatory City." Journal of Architectural Education (1984) 64, no. 2 (2011): 127-40. Hou, Jeffrey. Transcultural Cities: Border-Crossing and Placmaking. Routledge. 2013 Jász, Borbála. "Mental Map of the City: Elements of Visual Argumentation and Creativity in Modern City Planning." Creativity Studies 11, no. 2 (2018): 284-93. Kwok, Evelyn. "FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS IN HONG KONG: Occupation, Resistance, Autonomy. " PhD diss. University of Technology Sydney, 2017. Kwok, Evelyn. "Little Manila: An Unlikely Crowd of Resistance in Hong Kong." Architectural Theory Review 23, no. 2 (2019): 287-314. Lai, Carine. Unopened Space: Mapping Equitable Availability of Open Space in Hong Kong. 2017. Civic Exchange. Law, Lisa. "Defying Disappearance: Cosmopolitan Public Spaces in Hong Kong." Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) 39, no. 9 (2002): 1625-645. LeGates, Richard T., and Frederic Stout. The City Reader. 3rd ed. The Routledge Urban Reader Series. London: Routledge, 2003. Lu, Trumpf, and Valin. Interstitial Hong Kong: Exploring the Miniature Open Spaces of High-density Urbanism. Berlin: Jovis, 2021. Miazzo, Francesca, and Tris Kee. We Own the City: Enabling Community Practice in Architecture and Urban Planning. Amsterdam: Trancity-Valiz, 2014. Paans, Otto, and Ralf Pasel. Situational Urbanism: Directing Postwar Urbanity An Adaptive Methodology for Urban Transformation. Berlin: Jovis, 2014. Relph, E. C. 1976. Place And Placelessness. Constable, Nicole. 1997. Maid To Order In Hong Kong. Cornell University Press.
Rossini, Francesco, and Melody Hoi-lam Yiu. "Public Open Spaces in Private Developments in Hong Kong: New Spaces for Social Activities?" Journal of Urbanism 14, no. 2 (2021): 237-61.
References Rezaee, Elham Darban, and Fatemeh Kalantari. "Proposal of an Operational Model to Measure Feelings and Emotions in Urban Space." Journal of Landscape Ecology (Berlin, Germany) 12, no. 3 (2019): 34-52.
Cheung, Siu-ming. (2007). Breaking ground on the Queen: the daily life practice of Filipino maids in the Statue Square. [online] Available at https://www.ln.edu.hk/ mcsln/archive/8th_issue/feature_02.shtml [Access 1 Jun. 2022]
Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (2015). Report on consultancy study on public open space in private developments. [online] Available at https://www.devb.gov.hk/filemanager/tc/content_582/Consultant_Report_Chinese.pdf [Access 1 Jun. 2022]
Whyte, William H. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. New York: Project for Public Spaces, 2004. Zhao, Jianting, Guibo Sun, and Chris Webster. "Walkability Scoring: Why and How Does a Three-dimensional Pedestrian Network Matter?" Environment and Planning. B, Urban Analytics and City Science 48, no. 8 (2021): 2418-435. On-line documents and websites : Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities. The Pearling Path. (2011). [online] Avaiblable at https://pearlingpath.bh/en/visitor-information/ [Access 1 Jun 2022] Building Departments. Areas within private properties dedicated for public use. (2022). [online] Available at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/resources/codes-andreferences/public-open-space/index.html [Access 1 Jun 2022]
Salaff, Janet W, Arent Greve, and Shaolun Huang. 2010. Hong Kong Movers And Stayers. Urbana, Ill: Univ. of Illinois Press. Susanna Tillu, Jasmine. Spatial Empowerment: The Appropriation of Public Spaces by Filipina Domestic Workers in Hong Kong. Master diss. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2011).
Tice, James. "The Nolli Map and Urban Theory". Department of Architecture, University of Oregon. 2005 Too, Wing-tak. A Study of Private/Public space in Hong Kong. PhD diss. The University of Hong Kong, 2007. Uytenhaak, Rudy. Cities Full of Space: Qualities of Density. Rotterdam: 010, 2008.
Hogue, Martin. Fake Estates: Reconsidering Gordon Matta-Clark’s Fake Estates. (2006). [online] Available at https://martinhogue.net [Access 1 Jun 2022]
Leisure and Cultural Services Department. List of Facilities & Venues. (2020). [online] Available at https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/facilities/facilitieslist.html [Access 1 Jun 2022]
Lands Department. Provision of Public Facilities within Private Developments. (2011).[online] Available at https://www.landsd.gov.hk/en/dev-control-compliance/ public-facilities-private-developments.html [Access 1 Jun 2022]
8 9 RESEARCH QUESTIONS • What is the picture of social ecology in the city we could imagine for migrant foreign domestic helpers? • To what extent do urban public spaces participate into a common social ecology in a cosmopolitan city? XS SCALE FDH Story Collection (As individuals) a “VARIOUS” picture S SCALE FDH Space Occupation (As a group) a “COMMON” picture L SCALE Outer Environment (Public space morphology) an “INTERACTIVE” picture XL SCALE Research by Design (New scenarios) an “INTEGRATED” picture INSIGHT SCALE CROSSED SCALE SPACE REGIONSCALESCALE Hong Kong--->Asia--->Global DISTRICT SCALE Central &Wan Chai--->Hong Kong Island NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE World Wide House/Chater Road/ Gloucester Road Garden/ Victoria Park INFRASTRUCTURE SCALE Topographic Skywalk System/ Dedicated Public Space MINIATURE SCALE Urban Stage/ Water Recreation/ Cluster/ Cardboard Collection GENERAL INTRO Who are FDH? What are the issues happening nowadays? Where is my research area and why? X RESEARCH FRAME author.byDrawn2022.Central.inbridgetheonrestingHelpersDomesticForeignSource:
SEEKING FOR BREATHING GAPS Outer Environment (Public space morphology) an “INTERACTIVE” picture How do outer factors impact on self-segregation of FDH and vice versa?
A BREATHABLE CITY Research by Design (2 Scenarios) an “INTEGRATED” picture How to reimagine the common public space in the city? ARE THE MOST FILIPINOS ON SUNDAYS?" Who are FDH? What are the issues happening nowadays? Where is my research area and why? "I AM NOT ONLY A HELPER." FDH Story Collection (As individuals) a “VARIOUS” picture How do FDH give their definition to urban spaces they use daily/on Sundays? IS A MIRROR WE ARE FACING TO." FDH Space Occupation (As a group) a “COMMON” picture What is the logic behind the morphology of self-segregation reflecting on space occupation?
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“WHERE ARE THE MOST FILIPINOS ON SUNDAYS?" Who are FDH? What are the issues happening nowadays? Where is my research area and why?
"Where are the most Filipinos on Sundays?" is actually a cold joke that Hong Kong people are very familiar with. People usually blurt out the answer to "the Statue Square". One of the rules for Foreign Domestic Helpers working in Hong Kong is that one-day-off is required every week, but it is usually on Sundays, and it is not allowed to stay at the employer's home. Therefore, in Hong Kong people's cognition, Helpers’occupying public space such as footbridges and driving roads in Central every Sunday is a matter of common practice. In fact, this phenomenon declares a war on urban space in an extreme way: whether urban public space is sufficiently inclusive when people have nowhere to go but go into urban life.
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Hong Kong, famous for its high density and diversity, it has the extreme urban tissue and remains undeveloped nature environment around. My research area is Central and Wan Chai District which is a upper middle class district distrib uting largest part of economic growth. What makes it more significant is that it is the second toppest district account for FDH but having the lowest rate of countable open space per person.
From left to right Figure1.1.1 District Map of Hong Kong. from CIA(2016). Statistic from ServiceReport2017byMissionFor MigrantWorkers Census and Statistics Department, Education Bureau Figure1.1.2 District Map of Hong Kong Island. based on satellite imagery(2007). Figure1.1.3 Precised Map of Research Area in Central and Wan Chai. Drawn by author(2022).
Over 80 percent of the Central and Wan Chai district is reclamation area which was planned at the era of Vitoria Colonial Period for government benifit from lands. This tricky capitalist scheme resulted in the super crowded urban tissue fol lowed by many social issues such as housing problems. The linear developed area is mainly occupied by commercial and office use at present, with several patches of large scale cultural centers and parks.
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For example, Happy Valley is a favorite horse racing venue for British people. In 1853, the first public garden, Botanic Garden, was put into construction. Although there was no explicit stipulation that Chinese people are not allowed to enter the garden, and even there were bunch of Chinese people participated in its opening ceremony, its geographical location was beneficial European community rather than Chinese community. Also, located just in the front of Governor’s House, the garden was also cynically called “the Garden of the Governor”. Obviously, despite the emergence of public space, there was still no spatial concept of public in Chi nese mindset. As a result, the differences between Chinese and Westerners in the way they used public space led to some "weird" rules, such as "no cultivation is allowed". This reflects that the Chinese did not understand what they should do in public at that time. Street life was swept away by the extensive hawker control policy after WWII. Con sidering the burden of traffic, urban planners came up with the idea of layering to ease the pressure. This is the very first generation of Skywalk System in Hong Kong. It was dedicated by one of the largest land owners in Central, Hong Kong Land Ltd.. From then on, Hong Kong gradually developed into a city without ground. The Inception of "Public Space"
Before the concept of public space jumped in, in the traditional Chinese cul ture, public life mainly took place on the streets. The enrichment of street life mainly depends on the typical Chinese shop house typology. It was not until Britain began to colonize Hong Kong that the colonial government implanted the western type of open space. On the one hand, it also used it as a means of political colonization and of course, these public spaces were almost only exclusive for the European colonists. The most politically significant open space was the Statue Square located at the heart of the Victoria City, which is the Central district at present. It was originally providing a stage for royal military parade and had nothing to do with democ racy activities. Other so-called open spaces are actually European private clubs.
From left to right, up to down Figure1.2.1 1864 picture showing Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Government House and Victoria Harbour. http:www.uwants.com Arthor unknown. Figure1.2.2 Earliest picture of racecourse in Happy Valley. from SCMP(1906). Figure1.2.3 Picture of Botanical Garden in 1900s. http:kknews.cc. Arthor unknown. Figure1.2.4 Proposed deck linking Central and Admiralty. AStudyofPrivate/PublicSpaceinHongKong. (2007). The University of Hong Kong. Too Wing-tak. Figure1.2.5 Mapping of Historical Maps and Coastal Lines in Different Eras. Drawn by author. (2022)
Redrawn by author. (2022)
From left to right
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Due to Hong Kong's land policy, Britain continued to sell land to private de velopers during the colonial period, resulting in the fact that most of the de velopment land in Hong Kong was privately owned, including some "public spac es". So the government introduced two policies to return public space to the public.
The policy of incorporating public open space into private development projects has been in effect since 1980. The purpose is to better design and use public open space through private development, and to stimulate private development projects to absorb more profits. This is supposed to be a win-win solution, but issues con tinue to emerge. For example, the accessibility of some sites is too low due to short opening hours and improve maintenance What's more, the lack of public facilities and the confusion of information also reflect the attitude of private developers who refuse to "make public".
Public Open Space in Private Developments & Dedicated Public Space
Figure1.3.1 Existing Countable Open Space by Provider as of 2012 and Open Space As Defined by HKPSG in 2012. Originally from UnopenedSpace:MappingEquitableAvailabilityofOpenSpaceinHongKong.(2017)
Figure1.3.2 Location of Sample of Dedicated Public Space in Wan Chai, Central, and Causeway Bay. AStudyof Private/PublicSpaceinHongKong. (2007). The University of Hong Kong. Too Wing-tak.
The incentive policy of "dedicated public space" first launched in 1960 is to encour age private developers to provide public space for the public. It involves a series of incentive policies, such as bonus GFA.
From left to right, up to down Figure1.4.1 Origin and Destination Map of FDH in Asia. https://asia.nikkei.com. Author unknown.
Figure1.4.5 FDH Gathering at the Fountain of Statue Square. http://www.jiazhengtoutiao.com. Photo edited by author.
Foreign Domestic Helpers Issues
Figure1.4.3 FDH Expelled by Police. https://www.info.gov.hk. Photo edited by author. Figure1.4.4 FDH Occupying Chater Road. https://www.hk01.com. Photo edited by author.
Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers (hereinafter referred to as FDH) refer to foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong, accounting for 3% of Hong Kong's population, most of whom are women. By 2019, there were over 400 thousand foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, of which 55% were from the Philippines, 43% from Indonesia and 2% from other regions. According to the law, during workdays FDH must stay at the employer's home, having at least one day's holiday every week and not permitted to stay at the employer's home. Under this seemingly humanized regulation, FDH have no choice but to only become "home lessness" in the city on rest days, normally on Sundays, gathering in public places and even traffic ways in the city on a large scale. In addition to physical issues such as safety and hygiene, spatial psychology is not a proper urban experience for either FDH or Hong Kong citizens Although FDH has been exposed in very visible locations and people are physically close to each other, the fact is that the two groups are increasingly alienated from each other.
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Figure1.4.2 FDH in HSBC Headquarter. https://www.wenweipo.com. Photo edited by author.
Most Hong Kong people show their largest consideration on this situation, so they have always acquiesced in the occupation of urban space by FDH. Nevertheless, this is still an unhealthy social urban space morphology. Especially during the Covid19 period, since many people were not allowed to gather, living space for FDH has shrunk into nothing in Hong Kong. This is undoubtedly a breathless condition in space and time for both FDH and Hong Kong people. This may be an opportunity for everyone to no longer ignore the dilemma that FDH has been facing, and to be more aware of the absence of urban public space.
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"I am not only a helper." FDH Story Collection (As individuals) a “VARIOUS” picture How do FDH give their definition to urban spaces they use daily/on Sundays?
However, in addition to the identity of “helper”, this is also the first time I have learned about their hometown, their preferences and their emotions behind the metropolis, although my family and I often take care of them in daily life. In my conversations with them, I often exclaimed "so it is", but when I thought more of it, I realized they were just also ordinary women as I am. Neither insiders nor outsiders are an absolute concept. We have all experienced or are experiencing or will experience "belonging" and "not belonging", so every story is worth listening to.
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My family also have relied on the help of foreign domestic helpers for years, so I spend a large part of my daily life sharing space and time with them.
24 25 XS SCALE X REGION SCALE LAM (my sister's helper) • Female • Burmese • 28 years old • 2 sisters, 2 brothers, parents • helping in China for 4 years From left to right Figure2.1.1 Interview Notes with Lam. Noted by author.(2022) Figure2.1.2 Activity Map in Lam's village. Drawn by author according to interview. (2022)
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Story of Lam
Figure2.1.4 Average Living condition of FDH in Hong Kong. Drawn by author according to interview. (2022)
Lam is an FDH who has worked in our home for more than 4 years. She orig inally lived in a Christian village in Myanmar with her parents and siblings. She said that her goal of working in China was to earn enough money to build a better and bigger house in her hometown. Before that, her families now have to share a cramped bungalow with one floor without cubicles. In the interview, I also put forward her daily habits that I doubt, such as her habit of eating in the kitchen rather than at the table. These "special" living habits were actually reflections of her behavior patterns in the living space of her hometown, and she brought these behaviors to a new living space. Interestingly, in order to make the foreign helpers more comfortable, employers will also transform their common living space to adapt them, such as adding kitchen tables. After comparison, the daily living space in Hong Kong is not very different from that in their hometown. Even because of the huge land pressure, the space in Hong Kong will be more depressed. Thus, the public space became an opportunity for foreign helpers to breathe again.
Figure2.1.3 Activity plan of Lam and her family's house. Drawn by author according to interview. (2022)
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Behavior Pattern Reflection in the City
Chater Road and its surrounding open space is one of the most popular FDH concentrations in Hong Kong. It is located in the center of the Victoria colo nial center and the center of the FDH's political struggle.
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The ground floor has been unable to accommodate such large number of help ers, so FDH has grown their stronghold up to the Skywalk system. Despite the bustle of pedestrians, FDH built their own board shelters on both sides of the overpass, and the pedestrians turned a blind eye. However, the atmosphere is not as harmonious as imagine. I remember when I passed such an overpass as a child, I was very curious to see what they were doing, but my parents stopped me and asked me to speed up my pace. Since then every time I pass by, I could easily feel that this space is also filled with anxiety and ten sion, both for pedestrians and FDH.
From left to right
Figure2.2.1 FDH activity pattern in Chater Road area (ground level). Drawn by author according to Google Street View. (2022)
In this highlight spot of FDH behavior pattern reflection, it seems that you have traveled to another country in just 24 hours every Sunday. Therefore, some people call it "little Manila". Groups of FDH will spread their cardboards on every open space where they can sit on the ground, leisurely eating, drinking and chatting with friends, with relaxed smiles on their faces, and no one will expel them. On Sundays, the corners of churches and parks are also places for their recreation and prayer.
Figure2.2.2 FDH activity pattern in Chater Road area (skywalk level). Drawn by author according to Google Street View. (2022)
An anthropologist in Hong Kong, Ju-chen Chan has been studying in pageant of FDH for years. She mentioned that the economy community of pageant is in credible. Stakeholders involved in this community range from Philippine to Hong Kong. They could all get their benefits from these special events by different means of give-and-take. The coordination of interests of various stakeholders, large and small, and the contribution of small groups among FDHs support the whole sys tem, and the organizers of these activities are FDH itself. This is the outer relation ship in the economy circulation. From Ju-chen's word, most of the competitors are encouraged and sponsored for registration by their helper friends. In other words, some of them are more likely to take part in as a group with tailors, dressers and managers. This is the inner re lationship in the economy circulation.
MHELANIE (one of the pageant winner)
Another female named Mhelanie told her story of pageant in a BBC documen tary called Sunday Beauty Queen. She is Filipino and won 5th prize in the competition. Mhelanie was an educated midwife in her hometown. But it was not an easy term for females having their own career in her hometown. Also it was not her first time taking part in pageant. In Philippine, many events of beauty are held regularly which females have a large passion taking part in. So female helpers bring pageant to HK. The competition could be intense because they only have one day per week for preparation. In the documentary, Mhelanie sometimes racticed in the kitchen and prepared catwalking with her supporters on streets. Although it was always an exhausting competition but Mhelanie said it helped FDH build self-confidence in the progress.
• Female • Filipino • 33 years old • Mother, 1 brother and sister-in-law, niece and nephew • helping in Hong Kong
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Pageant Economy
From up to down Figure2.3.1 Pageant Economy Mind Map. Drawn by author according to interview of Ju-chen Chan by the Initium (2022) Figure2.3.2 Pageant Pattern in Central. Drawn by author according to Google Street View. (2022)
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There are over 3000 elderlies aging above 60 are living by collecting and selling cardboards in HK, most of which are female so they are called as "cardboard gran nies". They collect cardboards from every corner in the city and sell them at a very low price. However, the economy contributes to recycling industry of Hong Kong to a large extent. Hong Kong citizens are showing appreciation to cardboard grannies because the collecting work is a huge work load from random collecting points. What's more, it is a good offer for elderlies no matter if they need the in come for living or not. Also, FDH are part of the collectors of cardboard and reuse them for shelters and packaging. Therefore, the cardboard is acting a physical con nection between different roles in the city.
Another very potential economy circulation is the cardboard economy. The most interesting point of this one is that the economy is a unity of two mar ginalized groups, cardboard grannies and FDH.
From up to down Figure2.4.1 Cardboard Economy Mind Map. Drawn by author according to BehindaPieceofCardboard,the PlightoftheElderlyandtheRecyclingIndustryChaininHongKong by the Initium. (2022) Figure2.4.2 Trade and usage of cardboard by FDHs; the journey of the cardboard. Drawn by author according to UrbanMarginalityinHongKong'sGlobalDiaspora by Hee Sun Choi. (2022)
To establish a new identity and generate new emotional links, Sandercock pro posed "common space". If insiders and outsiders establish a sense of responsibility to participate in the construction together, it is possible for them to generate a new identity and stand in the same position. The cardboard economy is giving a good example for a common identity.
Cardboard Economy
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"Life is a mirror we're facing to." FDH Space Occupation (As a group) a “COMMON” picture What is the logic behind the morphology of self-segregation reflecting on space occupation?
When more and more voices emerge and vivid images are assembled into the portraits of the adult group, each different individual is actually making the same sound: being understood. The data collected in this chapter are from the journalistic project of the Journalism Department of Hong Kong Baptist Universi ty, TheseLifeAsaDomesticHelper.uniquestoriesofwork and daily life in Hong Kong form a larger ethno graphic tapestry of what it means to leave behind family and friends in search of a better income and more stable future. Behind them as foreign domestic helpers are their families, their experiences, and their dreams. More importantly, their attitude towards life.
3
Female Filipino, 32 years old
Open English classes for free Realizza Fuetunes Otarra
WorkloadSalaryEmployer
36 37 S SCALE X REGION SCALE
•
• Earn some money on YouTube
Female Indonesian, 43 years old
•
Female Filipino, 32 years old
Ninik Sri Banunawati
Figure3.1.1 FDH Migrant Journey Maps. Drawn by author according to the journalistic project of the Journalism Department of Hong Kong Baptist University, LifeAsaDomesticHelper (2022)
In this relatively inclusive environment, FDH gradually has other roles in Hong Kong, such as YouTuber, magazine editor, etc. While striving for their rights with their own strength, they are also committed to making the world aware of the FDH group. Connecting with the outside world is a very prominent desire in their hearts, which also reflects some of their broken links in real life.
• Chairman of Filipino Workers Union
Rose Jean E. Cabarles
• Write papers for FDH
• Book community founder
Female Filipino, 30 years old
•
• Leader of Indonesia Community
Otarra
Hong Kong has the highest salary Ivy Sabundo Female Filipino, 43 years old Hard to find job in Taiwan over 33 House is too big in Kuwait
From left to right
• Use phone for shooting daily life
Figure3.1.2 Multiple Identities of FDH in Hong Kong. Drawn by author according to the journalistic project of the Journalism Department of Hong Kong Baptist University, LifeAsaDomesticHelper (2022)
Kurinh Btrnmin Kasmadi
• In Saudi, 8 kids, 5 floors, work on her own • Cannot smile to employer
Female Indonesian, 41 years old
Realizza Fuetunes
Most of the interviewees have working experience as a domestic helper in many countries, from Asia to Europe. Obviously, it is a job suffering a lot of toughness, both physically and psychologically. Fortunately, most of the inter viewees said that Hong Kong is by far the most inclusive and open city with the most considerable income, and the factors that affect their satisfaction are mainly considered as salary, workload and employee treatment.
•
Satisfactiontreatment Link to the World
Alarge proportion of the space transition of FDH on weekdays revolves around employers’ homes, employers’ children's schools, and food markets. The dai ly schedule is also very fixed. Many interviewees said that the workload is not very heavy, but it is very important to meet a friendly employer. Generally speaking, the origin of positive emotions often comes from the harmony with the employer and the employer's children. In addition, there is the enrichment and relaxation of the self world, such as the recharge of learning skills and beliefs. the Emotional Map
Figure3.2.2 FDH Emotional Map in Central. Drawn by author according to Google Street View. (2022)
hope
Residential gardensCityResidentialareaSchoolsCommercialareagardensNegativeemotionPositiveemotionMarkets Brenda Talledo Female Filipino, 48 years old • Diffilcult in cooking and communication • Love her job • Miss her children Joyce Flores Female Filipino, 33 years old • Light workload • Kind employer treats her as family • Have fear going out Marieluz Daguio Female Filipino, 29 years old • Cry to sister about work • Church is
From left to right, up to down
Figure3.2.3 FDH Daily Routine Map and Statutory Map. Drawn by author according to the journalistic project of the Journalism Department of Hong Kong Baptist University, LifeAsaDomesticHelper (2022)
Figure3.2.1 FDH Emotion Curve Graph. Drawn by author according to the journalistic project of the Journalism Department of Hong Kong Baptist University, LifeAsaDomesticHelper (2022)
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S SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE
CityResidentialareaSchoolsCommercialareagardensNegativeemotionPositiveemotionMarkets
40 41 Residential gardens
Figure3.3 Mapping of the Reflection from Emotion to Urban Function. Drawn by author (2022).
When I try to reflect various abstract emotions of FDH into physical urban space, I find that the emotions accumulated in different urban structures are different and reflect certain logic. For example, high-density urban structures tend to accumulate negative emotions and gather in the streets; When the urban structure transits to a more relaxed state, people's emotions gradually turn tender, and there are also open spaces to release their emotions. However, sometimes there is an exception such as the eastern large park. This is due to other factors which will be told in the following chapters. Mapping Emotions
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OpenCardboardgatheringeventsLowusedstreetHighusedstreet
Activity Morphology Mapping
Figure3.4 Mapping of the Reflection from FDH Activities Pattern to Street Usage. Drawn by author (2022).
S SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE
The activity form of FDH will show a more linear form in places with high street density, that is, they will gather in traffic channels such as streets or pedestrian overpasses. As the street density becomes lower in the East, the urban rhythm becomes less tense, and the activity form of FDH begins to become a settle ment form. The analysis of space syntax points out a problem: is it really necessary to have high-density traffic streets? On the contrary, the redundant driving streets will become one of the factors that hinder citizens from taking a breath freely in the city, thus developing into the situation of FDH unproperly occupying passages.
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Outer Environment (Public space morphology) an “INTERACTIVE” picture
How do outer factors impact on self-segregation of FDH and vice versa?
Seeking For Breathing Gaps
Within the research area of my study, there are many interesting spaces where FDH form their self-segregation. These indigenous women are looking for various gaps in the city to take a breathe. This chapter will study the outer factors of four different types of FDH concen trations within the research area, in order to explore the relationship between the aggregation form of FDH and environmental factors. These four sites include high-density commercial areas, medium density city squares, high-density office areas, and low-density large-scale urban parks. After the disassembly and overlap of multi-layer analysis, the chemical reaction between each factor and human be havior pattern gradually emerges.
4
46 WORLD WIDE HOUSE CHATER ROAD L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE Figure 4.1 FDH Concentration Map in Wan Chai, Central, and Causeway Bay. Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
PublicseatingGreenery/ParksBuildingshelterPedestriannetworkPublictoilet L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.2.1 Summary of Influence Factors on FDH Activities in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
PublicseatingGreenery/ParksBuildingshelterPedestriannetworkPublictoilet L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.2.2 Summary of Influence Factors on FDH Activities in Chater Road Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
Figure 4.3.2 Building Functions and Street Sections in Chater Road Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
Chater Road is the Victoria Center with several memorial plazas and Chater Garden, which results in the fact that it is one of the most concentrated spots for FDH. In addition, the largest developer in Central, Hong Kong Land Ltd., sug gested Chater Road turn into pedestrian zone on Sundays due to huge amount of consumers on weekends. And this became another beneficial factors for FDH self-segregation.
Figure 4.3.1 Building Functions and Street Sections in World Wide House Area . Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
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GreenOfficeCommercial
World Wide House is the parcel packing and collecting point for FDH send ing goods to their hometown due to its location nearby the general post office. Therefore, surrounded bridges and streets are usually occupied by help ers. This area is a high-density commercial area with several super highrise office buildings and large scale shopping mall centers facing the sea.
GreenOfficeCommercial
4.4.1
World
House Area
Chater Road
54 55
L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
Figure 3D Model of Wide Drawn by author according to Street View(2022). Figure 4.4.2 3D Model of Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath Static and Dynamic Flow of in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Street View(2022). 4.5.2 Static and Dynamic Flow of in Chater Road Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
56 57 MTR
Figure
MTR
Figure 4.5.1
UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath
Pedestrians
Pedestrians
58 59 MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpathFigure 4.6.1 Foreign Domestic Helpers Flow in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.6.2 Foreign Domestic Helpers Flow in Chater Road Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
60 61 MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath Figure 4.7.1 Public Transportation in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.7.2 Public Transportation in Chater Road Area . Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
62 63 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.8.1 Number of Public Seats in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.8.2 Number of Public Seats in Chater Road Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
64 65 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE treescanopy Figure 4.9.1 Soft and Hard Shadow in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.9.2 Soft and Hard Shadow in Chater Road Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). watertreescanopy
66 67 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.10.1 Accesses of Public Space in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.10.2 Accesses of Public Space in Chater Road Area . Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
This radar chart is based on the summary and evaluation criteria obtained from the overlap of the above layers. Four more abstract criteria are derived from the overlap of shadow coverage, public transport conflict, seat availability, and the area of the number of entrances Accessibility is determined by public transportation and access; Permeability is determined by shadow and access; Randomness is dertermined by public transportation and seating; Pausibility is determined by shadow and seating.
4.11.1
At World Wide House and its surrounding area, FDH activities concentrate on streets and bridges, so the high rate of Accessibility is without doubt; At the same time, it causes very low rate of Pausibility. Unexpectedly, Randomness is not as high as I thought. This is because FDH avoid public transportation stations, but pedestrian flow still makes a chao.
Figure Space Quality Evaluation Radar Chart in World Wide House Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility
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Chater Road area is the site with the most favorable factors. However, it is also a great pressure for the Chater Road area to accommodate so many FDHs at the same time, so the flow of people will overflow to the streets and the overhead floors of office buildings, sometimes even bus stop. In addition, in the bustling business district, the large-scale gathering of FDH has a negative impact on the surrounding shops.
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There are fountains and pavilions in the square to provide rest space. FDH some times uses these spaces to spontaneously organize fairs, pageant competitions and other activities. This is not only a place meet FDH's needs, but also what they want.
AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility
Figure 4.11.2 Space Quality Evaluation Radar Chart in Chater Road Area. Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
73 GLOUCESTERROADGARDEN VICTORIAPARK L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE Figure 4.12 FDH Concentration Map in Wan Chai, Central, and Causeway Bay. Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.13.1 Summary of Influence Factors on FDH Activities in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). PublicseatingGreenery/ParksPublicseatingGreenery/ParksBuildingshelterPedestriannetworkPublictoiletBuildingshelterPedestriannetworkPublictoilet GatheringAccess place
L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.13.2 Summary of Influence Factors on FDH Activities in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).PublicseatingGreenery/ParksPublicseatingGreenery/ParksBuildingshelterPedestriannetworkPublictoiletBuildingshelterPedestriannetworkPublictoilet GatheringAccess place
Victoria Park is the largest park in Hong Kong Island. It was the first largescale reclamation project in Hong Kong after World War II with various fa cilities such as a swimming stadium, basketball courts, tennis courts etc.. It is more like a functional park rather than a leisure open space.
Gloucester Road Garden area is located among office zone. The garden is sur rounded by three highrise buildings and it is supposed to be a leisure area for office workers. Thanks to small pavilions and tree pools, it becomes popular among FDH. Inevitably, there is still overflowing to the streets in this case.
CulturalResidentialGreenOfficeCommercial&Sports
ResidentialGreenOfficeCommercial
Figure 4.14.2 Building Functions and Street Sections in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
78 79 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
Figure 4.14.1 Building Functions and Street Sections in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
80 81 Figure 4.15.1 3D Model of Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.15.2 3D Model of Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
82 83 Figure 4.16.1 Static and Dynamic Flow of Pedestrians in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.15.2 Static and Dynamic Flow of Pedestrians in Victoria Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
84 85 MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpathFigure 4.17.1 Foreign Domestic Helpers Flow in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.17.2 Foreign Domestic Helpers Flow in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
86 87 MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath MTR UndergroundTramTraBusHelperSDynamicflowstationtaticflowsflowstationmstationtrailpath Figure 4.18.1 Public Transportation in Gloucester Road Garden Area . Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.18.2 Public Transportation in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
88 89 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.19.1 Number of Public Seats in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.19.2 Number of Public Seats in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
90 91 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE treescanopy Figure 4.20.1 Soft and Hard Shadow in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.20.2 Soft and Hard Shadow in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). watertreescanopy
92 93 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Figure 4.21.1 Accesses of Public Space in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022). Figure 4.21.2 Accesses of Public Space in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
94 95 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
Figure 4.22.1 Space Quality Evaluation Radar Chart in Gloucester Road Garden Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
Gloucester Road Garden is located near an MTR station, ensuring its accessi bility but also cause randomness. A large part of the reason why FDH choose here as one of the concentrations is because on Sundays, office area is usually va cant. However, it is difficult to ensure that the flow of people does not overflow to the streets, so it will always cause chaos in the passages. This kind of office leisure plaza is very common in Hong Kong but due to the own ership, it seems that only FDH "dare to " occupy during Sundays. It is acting as a kind of protest
AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility
Figure 4.22.2 Space Quality Evaluation Radar Chart in Victoria Park Area Drawn by author according to Google Street View(2022).
96 97 L SCALE X NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility
As the largest park in Hong Kong Island, Victoria Park, the utilization rate of it is far from matching its scale. And it's not as open as it claims. Although it has a huge coverage of trees and providing beautiful environment, it only welcome people who come here with specific activities. FDH only occupy the edge of the park not because the park is not open for them, but there is no "space" for them. Helpers, again, flush on the streets and occupy access passages, which also makes the park more unfriendly to other citizens.
What's more, although it seems like the park is located in the very center of the city, the accesses only open at one side. It makes the park more like a hidden pocket without enough permeability.
98 DESIGN AREA DESIGN AREA DESIGN AREA DESIGN AREA L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE Figure 4.23 Zoning Map of Wan Chai, Central, and Causeway Bay Drawn by author.(2022)
From left to right, up to down Figure 4.24.1 Exposion Diagram of Skywalk System in Central. Cities Without Ground (2012). ORO Editions. Jonathan D Soloman, Clara Wong, Adam Frampton. Figure 4.24.2 Temperature Effect of Skywalk System in Central. Cities Without Ground (2012). ORO Editions. Jonathan D Soloman, Clara Wong, Adam Frampton. Figure 4.24.3 The System of skywalks and underground tunnels in Central District. Origin source from Public openspacesinprivatedevelopmentsinHongKong:newspacesforsocialactivities? by Francesco Rossini & Melody Hoi-lam Yiu. Reproduced by author.(2022)
Hong Kong is called as "City Without Ground" for its complicated skywalk system flying over the city. This is true both physically (built on steep slopes, the city has no ground plane) and culturally (there is no concept of ground). Den sity obliterates figure-ground in the city, and in turn re-defines public-private spa tial relationships. Perception of distance and time is distorted through compact networks of pedestrian infrastructure, public transport and natural topography in the urban landscape. The world's longest elevator, Mid-level Elevator, is located in the area.
Skywalk System in Central
100 101 L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALEL SCALE X INFRASTRUCTURE SCALE
POSPD in Central Figure
102 103 L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALEL SCALE X INFRASTRUCTURE SCALE
POSPD mentioned in the first chapter is an important category of public space in central. Within the scope of this design, POSPD is a very potential object for public space reformation. To separate these large and small POSPDs from cit ies, indoor pedestrian passages are the types with the lowest possibility of utili zation due to the private use of shopping malls and office buildings, and outdoor open plazas and street setbacks are the types with high possibility of utilization and they have a closer relationship with people's daily life. 4.25 The Classification of the POSPDs according to Typology in Central District. Origin source from PublicopenspacesinprivatedevelopmentsinHongKong:newspacesforsocialactivities? by Francesco Rossini & Melody Hoi-lam Yiu. Reproduced by author. (2022)
104 105 L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE Figure 4.26 Canopy, Green System and Water Recreation in Central District. Drawn by author according to Google Earth.(2022) Figure 4.27 Temperature Impact in Central District. Drawn by author according to Cities Without Ground (2022)
106 107 L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE Figure 4.27 MTR Station and Public Toilet Radius in Central District. Drawn by author according to http://www. fehd.gov.hk (2022) 300m
Drawn
Overlapping and evaluating all these potential open spaces in the design area, and considering the opccupation of FDH nowadays, they are at present demonstrating a fragmented and chaotic usage. In addition, most of them are still "under the control of" private developers. In order to improve their utilization, it is neccessary to reform an integrated and outstanding public space system to achieve the ambition of making an inclusive city. Open Spaces for Improvement. by author. (2022)
Figure 4.28 Evaluation of Potential
108 109 RandomnessPermeabilityAccessibilityPausibility RandomnessPermeabilityAccessibilityPausibility AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility RandomnessPermeabilityAccessibilityPausibility AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility L SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE
Chinese traditional culture attaches great importance to the state of "Neutrali zation". It is an in-between dynamic balance. Everything in the world has an internal balance of Yin (feminine or negative principle in nature) and Yang (mas culine or positive principle in nature). Breaking the balance will lead to discord.
Only when the state of "harmony" is reached, can Qi (air inside) pass through.
5
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A Breathable City Research by Design (2 Scenarios) an “INTEGRATED” picture How to reimagine the common public space in the city?
It is precisely because Hong Kong is in an unbalanced state, such as the instability of urban density, the occupation of cities by capital hegemony, and so on, that the city loses part of its publicity. My design goal is to achieve the balance and harmo ny of urban space by opening up the vein of urban congestion, so that every citizen could have a breathable city.
Urban Structure
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From left to right Figure 5.1.1 3x3x3 Mapping of Historical Maps. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.1.2 Urban Structure Analysis. Drawn by author. (2022) Infrastructure Occupation Overlap (Government owned)
Disassembling and tracing historical maps make the story of urban sprawl from west to east, from coastal to the mountain jump onto the paper. Also, the main road Des Voeux Rd Central- Queensway- Hennessy Road have acted as the urban spine since 1845. When comparing to the zoning map today, the urban structure is demonstrating a linear form with a coastal corridor at the seaside and village area at the foot of the mountain. My design area is a mixed area of fast developed zone and slow zone as a buffer in the city, with the main urban spine road mentioned above linking west to east, and the famous world longest Mid-level skywalk system linking the sea and the peak.
A A B B XL SCALE X DISTRICT SCALE Figure 5.2 Master Plan of Design. Drawn by author. (2022)
Two Scenarios: Yin and Yang
Urban shadow is the second scenario. It is the Yin of the city. Hong Kong is a city in tropical climate. It is hot in summer, warm in winter, and humid all year long with large amount of rain. Shopping malls are very popu lar in Hong Kong not only becasue of it is the paradise of shopping, but also thanks to air conditioner, people like staying indoor rather than outdoor. The ambition of "shadow" is the reversed side of skywalk system. The wild and free sculptural construction flowing inside the city works as a bonding of open squares and parks. It is a more feminine form while comparing to the masculine line of concrete buildings. With the help of trees and water, the softness would be brought about to the environment.
Figure 5.3.1 A-A Section. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.3.1 B-B Section. Drawn by author. (2022)
The first scenario is about reforming a more integrated and scalable skywalk system. The idea is to not only building new flyover construction, but to also make good use of the streets and spaces inside buildings. The new skywalk system goes up and down following the topography. My design ambition is to enrich the experience of city wanderers in such a complicated city: sometimes feel like sneaking while the next minute going down to the ground with bars and shops; when coming up to an open leisure park, but in fact it is an interlayer in side a bunch of buildings. In addition, people with different "identi ties" could encounter each other all at once. The pattern of cardboard grannies and FDH is also the pattern of the new system. The negative side of the city becomes the positive side of the city. It is the Yang of the city.
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The existing mid level Skywalk is mainly used for pedestrian passage, connect ing the Victoria Harbour, large shopping mall (IFC), Central Market and Tai Kwun Heritage Cultural Center from north to south to the Peak. It is still the long est escalator in the world and one of the most famous landmarks in Hong Kong. However, it still belongs to the fast-paced flow in the city. It is not an urban public space, but has irreplaceable significance for the Central area. The city is breathing through the sea and mountain with it.
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Figure 5.4.1 Panorama of Mid-level Skywalk System. Edbert Cheng. (2022)
THE MID-LEVEL SKYWALK
A B
Every time I walk to the Mid-level Skywalk, the most interesting things usually do not happen on the overpass, but the buildings almost face to face with the pedestrians on the bridge. Most of them are covered with commercial advertise ments on their windows, which has the best advertising effect; There are also busy small shops under the overpass. They are the most popular restaurants and the best rest places. Although the topography of this area is constantly rising, due to the varaible experience in space, prosperous business and strong cultural atmosphere, tourists and citizens never feel that this is an exhausting place. Instead, they regard it as the epitome of Hong Kong, which is both crowded and exciting.
120 121 AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibilityAccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility XL SCALE X INFRASTRUCTURE SCALE
From left to right, up to down Figure 5.4.2 Collage of Mid-level Skywalk System. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.4.3 Axonometric Drawing A of Mid-level Skywalk System. Original drawn by Edbert Cheng. Redrawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.4.4 Axonometric Drawing B of Mid-level Skywalk System. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.4.5 Axonometric Drawing C of Mid-level Skywalk System. Original drawn by Edbert Cheng. Redrawn by author. (2022) C
Figure 5.4.6 Collage of Back Alley. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.4.7 Drawing of Activies in Back Alleys. Drawn by author. (2022)
AccessibilityPermeabilityRandomnessPausibility
XL SCALE X INFRASTRUCTURE SCALE
The changeable back alley is different from the busy streets with busy traffic. It is another kind of urban expression in Hong Kong. In the long block design of the classic British colonial city, the land planner separates the plot from both sides, the buildings are closely back-to-back and listed in the streets on both sides, and a slender back alley is pulled out in the middle. It is said that the emergence of back alleys in Hong Kong can be traced back to the early 20th century. At that time, the urban area was attacked by pestis. In 1903, the government stipulated that no less than 6 feet wide (about 1.8 meters) passages must be vacated between buildings to ensure good ventilation and lighting. There are clothes aired by people at the bottom of the society, goods piled up by old wives who pick up paper, barbershops that have been open for more than 40 years and can only sit two people, freight workers who cut corners to avoid the flow of people on the streets, and restaurant employees who are busy stealing a cigarette... A few steps away, there are high-rise buildings with bright lights and busy roads. The back alleys are interwoven with a special transition zone, bringing the poor, wealth, brightness and darkness gently separated, providing an inch of living space and breathing space for those living at the bottom of the city.
Back Alleys
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124 125 CBA A B C XL SCALE X INFRASTRUCTURE SCALEXL SCALE X MINIATURE SCALE
In one of the design experiments under this scale, a high-density and older com mercial block is chosen. This is a very typical Hong Kong block, with building heights ranging from 5 to 30 floors and building ages ranging from 10 to 40 years. There is also an existing hundred-year-old heritage building in this block, Pedder TheBuilding.design strategy is very direct: after judging whether the buildings in this block can be transformed or not, as a derivative of the regeneration plan of the central market, topographical interlayers are inserted in the lower floors of the commer cial buildings to complete the connection with the new Skywalk system. This is a fully open lifting space, without missing the interaction with the ground floor, such as the business activities in the back alley and cardboard collection Topographical design provides urbanstagesfor urban artists, including FDH pag eant competition. Some of these stages are outward facing and some are inward facing. From an ecological point of view, the undulating shape and small water cluster everywhere form a rainwater collector, ensuring the vitality and elasticity of the space. Interlayer In the Buildings
From left to right, up to down Figure 5.4.8 Small retail shops and cardboard collection on ground floor. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.4.9 Urban stage and water pool. Drawn by author. (2022)
Figure 5.4.10 Interaction of lift-up level and ground floor. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.4.11 Axonometric drawing of interlayer design. Drawn by author. (2022)
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These green plots are like green patches between high-rise buildings. Although some are only separated by a street, they have no interaction and communi cation.They seem even too lazy to announce to the city: I am here. However, these open spaces have their own unique stories and realistic functions, both from the historical perspective and from the current social perspective. They have the potential to bring the sea and mountains to the city, rather than just be coming a piece of grass land for reclamation projects.
Figure 5.5.1 Panorama
URBAN GREEN PATCHES of Urban Green Patches. Drawn by author.
(2022)
Figure 5.5.2 Collage of Existing Open Sapce and Roads In-between. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.5.3 Axonometric Drawing of Tamar Park. Drawn by author. (2022)
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In some studies researchers have claimed that because of the topographical lim itations and the visual relief of the harbour and the mountains, the standard of open space might be reduced in Hong Kong. This is completely nonsense. In 1997, after the release of the limitation on the building height, buildings have gone wild in height and form the present skyline of buildings which is in fact a wall blocking the sea and the mountains. What's worst, the reclamation is still going on and the harbour keeps shrinking. As a result, "visual relief" is in vain. The effort of opening up and leveling up open spaces has to be made. Take Tamar Park as a good example, it is a city park extending from the government headquar ters building to the seaside. Visually, through the hollowing out of the building and the gradual enlargement of the park shape, the link between the city and the sea is completed from the perspective of the city. Unsurprisingly, Tamar Park becomes the most popular park among Hong Kong citizens.
Opening Up Open Spaces
Dedicated Public Space
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Figure 5.5.6 Urban furniture turning into movie theater . Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.5.7 Axonometric drawing of dedicated public space design. Drawn by author. (2022)
Another design experiment is the reformation private owned public space with the principles of separating people and vehicles and regaining the inter action with the city. The flowing Skywalk system/urban canopy shuttles here to form a space of Yin and Yang. City performers could still have their urbanstage to show to whoever they are here. Here, in addition to becoming a performer to be watched, citizens could also become a free urban audience, observing the city or even watching movies. Water is seasonal here for both recreation and temperature regulation. You have the right to do nothing here, casually rely on the city furniture or sit on the ground, and none of any activities here will be deemed inappropriate. At the same time, on the skywalk system, city wanderers will transition down to the middle of high-rise buildings with hard lines like passing through a garden. By tracing the curve of the flow could wanderers find the route of roaming.
From left to right, up to down Figure 5.5.4 Urban sculptural canopy and sesonal pool. Drawn by author. (2022) Figure 5.5.5 Urban stage and tree pool interaction. Drawn by author. (2022)
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In the book The Image of the City, Lynch emphasized the importance to analyze cities from a dynamic perspective:
http://nolli.uoregon.edu.Rome.ofMap1748TheSource:GiambattistaNolli.
The1748NollimapofRome,regardedbyscholarsandcartographersasoneofthemostimportanthistoricaldocumentsofthecity,servestogeo-referenceavastbodyofinformationtobetterunderstandtheEternalCityanditskeyroleinshapingWesternCivilization.
How to Breathe: Dynamic Balance of Yin Yang
“Nothingisexperiencedbyitself,butalwaysinrelationtoitssurrounding,the sequencesof eventsleadinguptoit,thememoryofpastexperiences”(1960,p.1).Lynchalsoputforwardtheorganicmodelofthecity,that is, the urban organic planning based on human beings. Mumford thought about the argument in his book the city in the history that the structure of modern cities is partly responsible for many social problems in western society. (Mumford, 1961) urban planning should emphasize the organic relationship between people and their living space. He defined cities as "products of the earth, natural facts and human expressions" (Mumford, 1970). The theories of the two urban planners both point out that cities are dynamic, which is a consensus in terms of time and space. NolliMap Through simple and effective graphic methods, Nolli map hatches the building with dark gray and the gaps between with white or light gray to represent vegetation, paving patterns, etc., so as to intuitively understand the urban form of the city. (Tice, 2005)Therefore, the city is regarded as a huge block, and the outdoor space is carved out. Through this simple graphic convention, it becomes clear and vivid.(Tice, 2005) The relationship between interior and exterior, and the relationship between ar chitecture and place are Nolli's profound understanding of urban quality. (Tice, 2005)Environment restricts architecture, which in turn exerts external pressure on urban structure. (Tice, 2005)The dialectical relationship between architecture and environment shows the dynamic interaction between entity and nothingness, figure and ground, as well as the new and old. (Tice, 2005)Therefore, the evolu tion of city and its form and spatial structure is not a static proposition, but a dy namic, energetic and even capricious discourse, which expounds the competitive pressures, problems, needs and desires from the perspective of cities and human beings.(Tice, 2005)
CONCLUSION
In ancient China, Yin represented water and Yang represented mountains. The bal ance of Yin and Yang in ancient urban planning was designed to build a landscape city, with both ecological considerations and more emphasis on Feng Shui. Hong Kong has very favorable natural resources, facing the sea and backed by moun tains. However, urbanization has formed a concrete barrier against mountains and rivers. Arnold Berling once put forward that when people appreciate the environ ment, they always "focus their attention on the characteristic environment of large areas immediately and directly". This reminds us that the natural landscape could never be replaced by man-made landscape, so "showing mountains" and "revealing water" could truly make people feel the existence of nature in urban life. One of the balance in the urban space of Hong Kong needs to be realized by natural landscape. Another balance is the balance of social ecology. Yin may be a group like FDH that constantly occupies urban space, but it is actually every individual expelled by ur ban public space; Yang is a hegemonic capital and wanton urbanization. However, Yin and Yang seem to be opposite, but they could be neutralized. Only by neutrali zation could they coexist more healthily. Paul Bourget said in his book Cosmopolis II that the urban planner is actually more like a coordinator, so that the real stories in the city can be heard, and then become a good story teller. (Bourget, 2015)The purpose of this study is to let the story of Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers be seen, so as to expose and highlight the public space problems in Hong Kong, and then try to find out the contradictions and breakthroughs between capital and the public in urban space, by designing a more open and balanced public space system as the medium to build a healthy social ecology. :
Source
My comprehension of Nolli map's role in urban planning also lies in whether the city reserves enough breathable space for outdoor activities through the strong contrast between black and white blocks, which could be verified at a glance. Under this understanding, black in Nolli map represents concrete, shadow, feminine, negative for public, and white represents open air, expansion, masculine, and positive for public, which coincides with the balance of Yin and Yang in Chi nese culture.
(2022)author.byDrawnBalance.YangYininCity
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YinYang
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