TO WATER
A LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG’S FLOATING LIFE & OTHER STORIES
TO WATER
A LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG’S FLOATING LIFE & OTHER STORIES
CONTENTS
Global Intensive Studio_Map of Hong Kong _Introduction _Participants _Workshop Photographs Aquanet_Reflections _Corey Chao _Eric Romeo _Heming Zhang _Mashal Khan _Proposal Nomad Festival_Reflections _Emmanuel Oni _Darcy Bender & Tamara Streefland _Matthew Spanarkel _Noah Litvin _Proposal Staying Afloat_Reflections _Ankita Roy _Charles Andrews _Paul Kardous _Proposal Waterzen_Reflections _Kate Fisher _Winnie Chang _Zin Mon Thet _Proposal
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27 29 31 33 37
49 51 53 57 61
67 69 73 75
81 83 87 91
HONG
KONG
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COURSE Sai Kung
Polytechnic University
In January 2016, as part of the Global Intensive Studio course, a group of fifteen Parsons students traveled to Hong Kong to take part in the Floating City workshop organized by the School of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Students represented three different graduate programs at Parsons School of Design: Design and Urban Ecologies, Transdisciplinary Design, and Architecture. They worked together with a group of twelve graduate students in the MDES Urban Environments Design program at Honk Kong Polytechnic. The workshop was organized by HK Poly Professors Laurent Gutierrez, Valérie Portefaix and Pelin Tan, and co-led with Parsons faculty Victoria Marshall and Miodrag Mitrasinovic. The workshop title and theme – Floating City: Systems, Regulations, Strategies – came from a shared interest in: the intersections of global patterns of migrant mobilities; the precarious living conditions of migrant communities across South-East Asia; the context of political uncertainties in Hong Kong; and, the need to develop alternative scenarios for additional housing provisions in Hong Kong under the regime of extreme land-value extraction. Our task in this workshop was to develop design strategies and scenarios for water-based settlements intended to accommodate the increasing flows of transitory migrant communities to and across Hong Kong. We explored floating settlements of the migrant fishing communities in the Hong Kong Northern Territories, as well as practices of appropriation of public spaces across the city. We also investigated concepts, practices and forms of community, mobility, autonomy, hospitality, and transitory living in Hong Kong. Student identified phenomena and patterns of the specific condition of the floating city based on our study of the Sai Kung township in Hong Kong. Based on observations and field studies, student teams designed polemical scenarios for a floating migrant settlement in Hong Kong. Global Intensive Studio course has two components: first, the intensive workshop at our partner institution; and subsequently a period of reflection, reframing and further development of workshop projects. This booklet thus frames a shared experience of travelling to and experiencing Honk Kong through individual students’ narratives; and, in addition, it also brings together seven projects developed by synthesizing the ideas and concepts that had emerged from the workshop in Honk Kong into a four polemical proposal for framing water settlements in Hong Kong. The idea behind this project is to be able to collectively create examples of politically and environmentally situated strategies that could also be informative for other migrant geographies across the world, and create equally polemical outcomes. May 25, 2016 | New York City Professors Victoria Marshall and Miodrag Mitrasinovic
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INTRODUCTION
FLOATING CITY: SYSTEMS, REGULATIONS, STRATEGIES
Laurent Gutierrez_Faculty ValĂŠrie Portefaix Pelin Tan
Au Chak Ming, Jacky_Students Chan Kei Yan, Kiona Chan Wai Hin, Jacky He Cheng Lin, Ivy Huang Qingchun, Leila Lee Yin Man, Keith Liu Shanzhi, Adolph Wang Liyuan, Lily Wong Tsz Tung, Ada Ye Shu, Sherman Zhang Qiwei, Bonnie Zhang Xiuyuan, Ellen
10 11 Victoria Marshall
Ankita Roy_Students Charles Andrews Corey Chao Darcy Bender Emmanuel Oni Eric Romeo Heming Zhang Kate Fisher Mashal Khan Matthew Spanarkel Noah Litvin Paul Kardous Tamara Streefland Winnie Chang Zin Mon Thet
PARTICIPANTS
Miodrag Mitrasinovic_Faculty
COURSE
12 13
COURSE
14 15
COURSE
16 17
COURSE
18 19
COURSE
20 21
COURSE
22 23
Aquanet
Hong Kong is one of the densest cities on the planet, a quality one cannot doubt walking its streets or taking the MTR: Rush hour transit relies on special staff who direct the flow of passengers like a network of dikes, filling train after train to its utmost capacity. The 70-story buildings, like passengers on the subway, stand with apparent millimeters between them, block by block in every district of the city. During the winter rains, the sidewalks below are entirely covered by a canopy of umbrellas.
26 27 Corey Chao
But this density is apparent beyond humans per square meter. Along a pedestrian overpass in Causeway Bay, the dynamics of density are on display in every direction: acres of land reclamation to the north, dozens of new apartment buildings to the east, the canopy of Victoria Park just to the south, towering corporate headquarters to the west, the rush of constant traffic below not quite overpowering the prayers sung by Indonesian immigrants congregated on either stairwell. Layers of use, of purpose, and modes of seeing are densely overlain here, sometimes aligned, sometimes competing, sometimes indifferent: Graveyards honoring British war dead are terraced between multi-million dollar condo developments; foreign-born grave plots are repurposed to grow mandarin bushes and flower bulbs for the Chinese New Year; red holiday decor adorns Portuguese iconography in the Macanese state house; inaccurate facsimile church facades attract droves of tourists; a rooftop garden is tended by booksellers facing increasing political censorship, among skyscrapers built by Chinese elite; the ruins of Kowloon Walled City, “the densest area in the world� largely ungoverned until its demolition in the 90’s, is now celebrated on the walls of a restored 5th-Century military fort. These are images of an urban heterotopia.
REFLECTIONS
Overlain
Anxiety grows as the speed beneath my feet slows and my body is buoyantly boomeranged back into position. A cartoon like melody rings above and the masses move as the doors open with a powerful automation. It’s a popular spot, several people in front of me push their way through and I follow suit. Through the doors and it’s a combined effort now, the individual cars have all mixed together, forming a large mass of moving organisms all set on different trajectories, like bullets sweetly and swiftly whizzing past one another. Slowly I make my way through, avoiding bodily collision at every turn and double checking the signs to make sure I am going the right direction. Johnston Rd, I know where that is, I think that is the one, though I am never really sure. It seems like I come out of a different exit every day.
Eric Romeo
What I started to begin to understand about Hong Kong Subways is that there are very distinct exits for certain destinations. And access to these places may or may not be available if you take another route. The idea of the street grid as gaining one’s bearings is absent while experience and memory become critical tools in circulating the fabric. Touching my wallet to the octopus sign, the jaws open and I am allowed to rise above the transit level. Sunlight rakes the walls in several thin bars as my eyes scan the subterranean vista, I see the stairs, the final ascent. Escalating, I ignore the calls to stand while holding onto the handrail, I walk up the left side, sneaking by each electric stair passenger so patiently waiting. Like THX 1138, I anticipate my emergence, the smell of dried fish enters my nostrils, increasing with every breath and my eyes decrease in visibility for a moment as my foot transitions to solid ground. Rush Hour, the darkest hours of the day on the Island of Hong Kong. People clustered so close as to move as a single organism, the blob ebbs and flows as it passes through intersections. Unable to move beyond the limits of the barricaded sidewalks, I find myself pausing to let an older man with a cane pass, only to find that the mass allows for no breaks in productivity. Giving up, I move past the elderly man reclaiming my position in the perpetual flow. After a while I began to understand that movements in Hong Kong were not always carried over from one system to another. In a city where you drive on the left side of the street, the movement of individuals is typically on the right. Whether it’s the sidewalk or a stair, the majority of everyone adopts the opposite of what happens with street flow. In contrast to both of the previous systems, circulation within the market tends to be more chaotic and unpredictable and there seems to be a system of individuality that eludes either of the previous two systems and it’s within this system that lies the true spirit of Hong Kong.
28 29 Trying to identify the dried creatures is sometimes easy and sometimes very difficult. Mixed with a scale of proximity and even the most recognizable become a patterned unfamiliarity. While the dried varieties were all crammed into baskets, the live ones lived in an intricate system of partitioned overflow and remarkably similar to the apartment that I rented in Wan Chai. Trapezoidal in shape, cramped and stacked one upon the other, the living quarters in Hong Kong are multi modal units that superimpose one function upon the other in a forced flexibility. A thinned out crowd, mostly local residents makes its way through the streets and sidewalks on the mountain side of the market. Tiled and trafficked are the stairs leading into my apartment building, and as I ascend, I feel relief and familiarity surge through my body. Arriving on the fourth floor I see my door’s doppelganger, a cruel joke that I always seem to rediscover. Tired and socially drained, I continue to the next level and pass through the last threshold of the day. Small and cramped may be the living quarters of Hong Kong but the sense of relief that these small spaces create is huge. Quickly putting my things away, I welcome a wave of comfort and security that washes over my mind and body. Home again home again jiggity jig.
REFLECTIONS
The low roof line of the market shines underside. With trinkets associated with the Chinese new year dangling from above and stalls of dried fish and other sea creatures all cemented in a separate and single instance in time, I wait for the light to change. Still looking the wrong way when I cross the street, I move with the filtered mass no longer interested in the current trajectory and enter the glowing canopies. The market, the last portion of my daily journey and arguably the most interesting. The fruit stand always seems to smell exceptionally sweet, suspiciously exceptional. I seek out the super fruit, the source of this alluring aroma, but can never find it, so I buy bundle of small bananas to add to the giant stack of bananas and oranges I have stored at my rented flat. Swimming, flopping, dying, dead, dried fish were abound from one stall to the next all coexisting in different stages of life and past life. Appealing to a wide variety of palates and pocketbooks. Passing around the final bend, I see a lone goat head hanging from a bamboo rack, its phantom body slowly purchased throughout the day leaving only a soulless gaze and reduced purchase price.
Hong Kong is also a city with tremendous possibilities and the ability to surprise. In its suburban areas, beautiful and wild forests and beaches severe one from the urban jungle. When I sat on the quay, took off my shoes and soaked my feet in the cold water, I could not recall the last time I sat besides the river in my hometown. At one level, I was even embarrassed: I did not know how to interact – how to be comfortable with nature. This discomfort brought on a series of questions. What is the future of Hong Kong? What is the future of the earth? Could capitalism do anything to solve all these problems? Science fiction movies describe the scenario of cities in the future, but they rarely depict the role of nature. We have to learn from our ancestors how to live in harmony with nature. How to redesign the network for future generation where exchange between humans and nature is mutual. We need to acknowledge the human desire for power and control and design a network keeping this in view. The following two collages depict my current impressions of Hong Kong and how it may look like in the future. Can you figure out which one is my imagination and which the reality?
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REFLECTIONS
Hong Kong is a city with different scales, but each scale embeds the symbols of capital. When I looked around, many things vie for attention simultaneously: the streets are narrow but busy; the signals are tiny but showy; the stores are crowded. Everything is trying to occupy the limited space while there is not much elbowroom for attracting opportunity. People pass by rapidly, both residents and tourists, like the worker ants in an ant nest: they carry and create capital for their dreams to survive. In an attempt to achieve some Heming Zhang semblance of solace I looked skyward – only to find jarring glass skyscrapers blocking my vain attempt to escape reality – I could not get away from capitalism and its huge urban machine. I stood on the street alone, but never felt lonely; I moved along with the crowd, but didn’t know where to go; I tried to hide from myself, but I could not think anymore – I was lost in that crazy atmosphere.
Perplexed Regret and wistfulness are the two dominant emotions I experience when I reflect on the limited terrain I explored in Hong Kong. I was surprised by my own reluctance and uncertainty to unearth the mysteries of the territory famously known as the Fragrant Harbor. Being a seasoned traveler, I love submerging myself completely in a new culture’s art, history and cuisine. Therefore, it is a bit embarrassing to admit that I did not do justice in investigating Hong Kong’s complex urban metropolis. The question “why?” Mashal Khan continues to gnaw at my conscience. Because I am no foreigner to dense urban jungles, having resided in both Dubai and Bangkok. So why in particular did Hong Kong’s high-rises, despite all the readings of its “vertical and volumetric” structures, unsettle me? Was it because I was envisioning a romantic ancient Chinese architecture with bucket arches? Reading about Hong Kong’s density did not materialize until confronted with it. Was it a compilation of the looming towers and teeming seven million people all moving perfectly synchronized in a single direction that unhinged me? Yet, even this should not have unsettled me as people in Pakistan, India and even New York are constantly squeezed together on subways and trains similar to the MTR experience in Hong Kong. So, why? Why was I intimidated by Hong Kong when I am perfectly at home in similar setting in other parts of the world? Reflecting back, I presume it was the language barrier coupled with a sense of isolation – in spite of being constantly surrounded by people no one talks or smiles. My one venture to survey the city from Gloucester Road to HSBC Building in Central was shrouded in anxiety as I repeatedly asked for directions to The Peak and was the recipient of gestures indicating incomprehension. To make matters worse, I senselessly went to the aid of another fellow Asian tourist who was as lost as I. My good intentions were taken advantage off as I had to re-orient my schedule according to his and it was only thanks to fortune that I was able to evade the nosy tourist and find my way back to the hotel. After that excursion I could see why the residents of Hong Kong erected invisible barriers of self-dense. But I assume the reason for the self-imposed isolation of the population of Hong Kong was most probably for a different reason than mine. From my perfunctory observation during the commute to and fro my hotel, I got a sense of forced unwanted intimacy amongst the commuters, which presumably led to the creation of invisible walls of self-dense. Experts Alexander R. Cuthbert and Keith G. McKinnell similarly state how isolation may be triggered due to lack of public control of social spaces. They maintain that corporate power holds the reigns to all significant open spaces in urban areas and that ambiguous spaces arise due to this confusion between corporate and social spaces.
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REFLECTIONS Despite the alienation, the density and ‘big capital’ Hong Kongers are quite elastic as they reclaim their public spaces from state. This can be seen when the Filipino ladies reclaim public space during the weekends. Turning the austere barren hole of HSBC Bank entrance into lively hub where families mark off their personal space with cardboard or series of umbrellas. This was one of the few places where I witnessed Hong Kong’s humility as people sat on the ground and chatted with friends and family, had picnics, played music, danced and sold merchandise. Another example of resilience when confronted by lack of space is the floating settlements of Sai Kung on the outskirts of the city. As we trekked our way to these floating townships I was struck by the sharp contrast between Hong Kong’s tall kaleidoscopic infrastructure and the tranquil rocky gully. Mesmerized by the mountains, chirping birds, canopy of trees and the sea; surrounded by friends and colleagues, Sai Kung felt like a sanctuary. Was it just me? Or would life be less stressful, less isolating if the rigid buildings were fused with the mountains and the sea? Today, the liquid archipelagos of Sai Kung offer fresh seafood to the public and portray a simple alternative lifestyle to that of the hustle and bustle of city. However, these floating settlements are slowly disappearing as the younger generation search for more economically viable occupations. How to conserve this lifestyle? What is missing? What of the existing infrastructure can be enhanced so that it becomes a global model?
With the rising sea levels it would be wise to adapt and adopt a different way of living rather than constantly reclaiming land from sea. The floating settlements of Hong Kong offer a unique model for inspiration upon which designers, architects and urban ecologists can build on. Parsons students collaborated with Hong Kong Polytechnic University students in imagining future floating communities. We uncapped numerous local folklores such as those of the sea goddess Mazu, the trickster god Monkey King, the legendary Eight Immortals and much more. We aspired to create a space of “wonderment” that visually incorporates the local culture with the floating settlements making it a test-bed in the face of the anthropocene. Design is an iterative process. Like Hong Kong it is constantly moving and changing. From drifting cultural sanctuary, our design project metamorphosed towards the notion of creating a mutual exchange between both humans and non-humans – in this case the marine life. The role of “wonderment” shifted from cultural to ecological perspective as we sought to redesign our relationship with nature through shared space and shared resources. We may not be able to undo climate change but we can learn to live with the current climate. What if we learn to increase biodiversity? Fishermen of Sai Kung stated how the population of fish is depleting. Would harvesting a seaweed farm lead to rich and diverse ecosystems that may mitigate some effects of climate change and sustain a wide variety of animal and plant life? Through Aquanet we aspire to provide the resilient citizens of Hong Kong vignettes to an alternative lifestyle that gives them recluse from the cramped flat lifestyle of the city. The disconnect and the sense of loneliness perpetuated by the lack of private space and ownership can be curtailed through Aquanet’s proposed development of a network that builds community confidence by prioritizing human sensitivity between individuals. All things considered, Hong Kong is a deeply complex city. Through collaboration with Polytechnic students and the invaluable knowledge extended by Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix on issues of urban and regional planning, I gained rich insights about the land where East meets West that is not accessible to a common tourist. I only wish I could have explored the city more. No longer ignorant, next time I shall be more bold and observe the marvels of the city like a consummate traveler.
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REFLECTIONS WONDERMENT
=
AQUANET
+
SHARE TIME SHARE
As the flows of global investment give rise to the towers of Hong Kong, small villages float in the bays, the ground less firm, perhaps more elastic. This floating life suggests alternatives to the glass and concrete towers of Kowloon and the social, political, and physical relationships that make the latter possible. It makes visible a wealth of public space, hidden in plain sight behind our habitualized borders: commons on the water.
Aquanet is about exchange. It uses a digital network to coordinate the exchange of food, resources, waste, refuge, caretaking, housing and work – within the floating village, but also across the land. Exchange takes both new and old forms, inside and outside of the commercial realm: barter, recycling, simple recognition of trades and symbioses take place, among humans, within the ecosystem and between its agents. The aim is a sensory economy that trivializes the artificial boundaries lines drawn along territories, special administrative zones, human/ nature taxonomies, and biases against class, age, and labor. We have zoomed in to three institutions in Sai Kung and illustrated moments of exchange facilitated by this network. Short Rent refers to the rearrangement and sharing of living and working space among seaweed farmers, fishermen and women, students, and tourists, based on the season. Floating Market is the site where many trades and physical goods are bartered or sold. Swap describes the sorts of exchanges that are less about commerce, rooted instead in education in its broadest sense: learning about one-another and fostering mutual accountability. Aquanet itself was born from exchange, created from the DNA of two projects imagined during our studio in Hong Kong: Wonderment which sought to provide a multisensory immersion in aqua ecology, fostering a sense of wonderment for the ecosystem that supports humans (among many other creatures); the other, Time Share Time, aimed to fill the empty floating homes by using seasonal logic, making unlikely neighbors of new and old water-dwellers. The vignettes that follow will show that this is not a utopian vision: frictions still emerge, traditional borders fall while new ones find form. But Aquanet illustrates some of those relationships, the possibilities of floating life.
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Corey Chao � Eric Romeo � Heming Zhang � Mashal Khan
PROPOSALS
Aquanet
HO LEE OTT BOYC E HO LE
SAY NO TO INHUMANITY DO N HO ’T B LE UY E
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PROPOSALS Keep our oce
plastic-freans e
HO LEE OTT BOYC E HO LE
SHORT RENT
Affordable short-rents fundamentally changed the dynamics of the floating village. Some residents moved to the city, giving up seaweed farming for easy rental income; others built dozens of shoddy new rafts that lay mostly dormant. The situation escalated until the village voted to maintain a ratio of 70 percent collectively-owned and operated space.
Nearly 50 residents of urban Hong Kong rent houseboats here for short periods. Not quite tourists, not quite tenants, these visitors have transformed a raft to serve as a communal kitchen.
SAY NO TO INHUMANITY DO N HO ’T B LE UY E
40 41 oceans
e
The heads of the farming co-op tap into dependable, regular trips to and from the mainland to coordinate supply runs and send their produce to the market.
Basic renovations can cost a farmer their entire livelihood. Two adolescents request to study the farmer’s lifestyle and home to cage relevant areas for improvement. They coded the space to prevent future accidents and helped find new places to dry fish.
PROPOSALS
Keep our
plastic-fre
FLOATING MARKET
HO LEE OTT BOYC E HO LE
SAY NO TO INHUMANITY DO N HO ’T B LE UY E
Kong Hong youth are conscientious consumers. They do not fall prey to marketing tactics of vendors but boycott items that are unsustainably produced.
Floating markets offer a respite for residents and visitors: the water exudes an aura of adventure where shoppers become immersed in a world of treasure hunting and exchanging goods.
Aquanet, a recycled goods network, raises awareness of the importance of recycling and its effects on marine life.
Floating market presents strong economic potentials. Such as creating more job opportunities for locals thereby reducing youth out-migration to urban areas. While the local community relies on a barter system of goods and services, the inflow of visitors provides families with new income and entrepreneurial opportunities.
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ocea
PROPOSALS
Keep our
plastic-frens e
SWAP
Collaboration is a core value of Swap. Individuals from various fields gather to exchange ideas and knowledge.
Swap is an exchange event within Aquanet held every last Sunday of the month. Exchange is mutual and based on human relationships that share knowledge, services and goods. Swap believes each floating settlement has knowledge, goods and services to share, and that exchange creates empowerment for all.
TT BOYCO HO LEE
SAY NO TO INHUMANITY
PROPOSALS
DO N’ HO T BU LE Y E
44 45
HO LEE
Keep our
oce
plastic-fr ans ee
Swap presents a more financially-stable economy as recycled materials are reasonably priced and offer an alternative choice to the mainstream market.
To encourage others in the network to use recycled goods, Swap hosts learning workshops on the reuse of second-hand materials.
Nomad Festival
SERUTUF PAST Informality The notion of past futures is characterized in Hong Kong’s distinct nature, in which informalities exist that present traditional technique with modern development. An area of focus that initially seems simplistic but in actuality a contextual dynamic is apparent in which materials such as bamboo where the old still behaves as a foundation for the new. However, temporal nature of Hong Kong is also present due to the turnover of buildings that are quickly erected and then eventually disappear. In some ways I am drawn to the Emmanuel Oni idea that Hong Kong is even much faster in pace. This characteristic is also apparent economically if one considers skyscrapers to be machines for building capital, regardless of the program that occurs within (housing, work, mixed-use, etc.). Hong Kong exceeds Manhattan indisputably in the high-rise count (and counting). This positions and strengthens their global status on a cultural capital level. (I would also not be surprised if I applied for work there). Heterospace was a consistent theme throughout my experience within China. It was interesting to understand the various complexities and informalities of the social, physical, and spatial fabric within the two contexts of Beijing and Hong Kong. The traditional city of Beijing is tied more to legacy and preservation of the city, not the geographical layout of the city. Forbidden City still remains at the center of the urban framework, situated within a context that has modernized in some ways but still hold on to the heritage and past.
Future-past as a term stems from my experience in visiting the water communities in rural parts of Hong Kong. Upon learning about life on the water, we were tasked with developing a strategy that related to redesigning or reinterpreting life on water. The central theme in all of the projects proposed was that water is a key element in understanding our environment. This idea holds value in a lot of traditional cultures, but has somehow been neglected or de-prioritized in Western living. Although there have been trends of “living blue”, it still has not become a widespread practice. Isolated from the norms of city life, we found that the remarkable vistas surrounding the village brought a sense of satisfaction and ease. We were told that it was a common trend that the youth of the village were eager to leave the water life in search of something different and exciting. I found myself wanting to do the same, to explore new territory and a new way of life. During the tour of the area we had the opportunity to speak with the locals regarding the culture and everyday life of the village. The people support themselves through fishing and farming seaweed, but it became apparent that boredom was an issue for many of the young people. It seemed that every day was the same routine, where working did not occupy a significant part of the day, and the remaining hours were not filled by social activity; though there were small areas to play games and eat, there weren’t many areas for gathering. The one exception was the market near the shore, which, although small, had enough traffic to create a social atmosphere; however, it was a singularity in the area. We noticed another form of “floating” that occurred in the city, although not on the water. Every Sunday, Filipino migrant workers occupy the bridges, creating a place to socialize and congregate. They create a space of respite, a market, and service area within the microcosm. The act of storytelling and folklore is a central theme in many native traditions. These tales and stories act as universal ties between generations and cultures, and can be used to develop a platform for community building, between those who live on both land and water. This idea of “floating” inspired us with a concept to cater to those who live on water: to create a separate space that would accommodate these activities. Additionally, we postulated a themed festival – established from folklore – as an alternative to creating a commercial resort. The festival infrastructure would be comprised of a floating bridge that would allow for flexible use and multiple forms of recreation throughout the year, as it could be reconfigured. I would consider this act of old-tale new-way to be considered a neo-tradition, using heritage as a building block for innovative practices.
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REFLECTIONS
Foucault mentions that museums are one example of heterospace. He notes that they behave as time capsules of objects, that in some ways never age/decay. Therefore, these objects understand external stability in a way that generates a personal culture stability, one that is grounded and connected to a larger body of people.
Deriving Hong Kong It is Friday afternoon. Darcy & Tamara have just stepped out of the Hung Hom metro station in Hong Kong after spending time in China, one more then the other. They are looking for Hotel Sav, where they will be staying during the workshop, and try to localize themselves without internet, which is a challenge. Suddenly, Darcy spots a billboard high up on a building somewhere in the near distance. Glowing purple with white text it declares, “Hotel Sav” with an arrow pointing to the right. It seems very feasible to get there, however, a direct pathway doesn’t seem to exist. Following the sign’s suggestion they drag their suitcases up and down stairs, in and out of stations and malls, over pedestrian walkways, through underground stations and across fenced of streets without designated crossings. Finally they arrive at the reception of the cheerfully decorated and strongly scented hotel. Little did they know that this would be one of their few purposeful walks, as they would merely be ‘deriving’ on the rest of their days exploring Hong Kong.
Darcy Bender
The derive is a way of urban exploring widely used by the Situationists, where the explorer drops all of his activities, and tries to stay clear of any plans or motives. As Guy Debord mentions, this will bring the rare opportunity of a true authentic experience. Inspired by the derive, we went without purpose while only picking an initial direction, our sole plan being the act of exploring itself. DAY 1 With only a vague plan of walking along the waterfront, we retraced our complicated path on a pedestrian overpass, through a metro station and emerged at a construction site filled with cranes hard at work moving dirt and concrete. As we walked along the waterfront promenade, we see the people change from fishermen to joggers to tourists. “Derive includes walking fast.” The path ends abruptly at a museum and we continue until we happen upon a park. In the park, we see signs for the Bi-City Urbanism/Architecture Biennale. Following the signs, we stumble upon gardens, sculptures and a geodesic dome installation as part of the exhibition. The dome plays a loud movie declaring the future of cities as self-contained, green-roofed mega structures that displace the ‘dirty and crowded’ skyscrapers of the city today. Exactly whom this vision of the city is for and what happens to the people in the towers is conveniently left out. Sitting in a chair for 20 minutes gives us new energy to continue to explore the city before the green, smart city transforms all of the city spaces. As the sun begins to set we find ourselves back at the waterfront just in time to catch a ferry full of tourists unload and watch the skyline across the water as building by building lights up for their nightly show.
DAY 2 On day two of our drift, we decide to cross the water to Hong Kong island, taking the HSBC building where the domestic workers gather every week, as a starting point. It isn’t easy to navigate the masses, fenced off corners and of-limits streets. We initially start walking up a hill that ends up being a park surrounding this old church. Every corner of the park is used for picnics. After walking full circle we find ourselves on yet another overpass. We then arrive at a street that runs parallel to the waterfront and start walking on a fast pace in one direction. Although, the derive, according to Guy Debord, is a method to get out of the monotonous experience, on this road we experience a homogeneity of lined up dried sea creature shops. Miles of miles of very strong smells. At the end of the road we go left, the contrast is enormous as we run into a multitude of expat bars varying from Brooklyn Brewery to Ping Pong Gin Hub. Its strange how these worlds are geographically really close, but in terms of culture seem very much apart. We end the day learning how to play the violin over cheap beer in a French atmosphere. DAY 3 After spending a week going into the futuristic building of Polytechnic to think about ways of living the floating life inspired by floating fishing villages in proximity of Hong Kong. We have a last day before we will leave the city. Although part of deriving according to the Situationists is moving in a fast pace, this day starts kind of slow. We decide to stay in Kowloon and start on the waterfront, the city feels much more familiar now that we have spent more than a week there. We get to the Hong Kong science museum and Darcy’s wildest dreams come true as we find that their is an exposition on water waste, which fits exactly into her project. After the museum we continue to go northwest, towards the outskirts of Kowloon where we heard the low-income populations live. We get to a long street that has many different small scale manufacturing shops. This street is only three block away from the main shopping street in Kowloon, it seems like it is the back-stage area of the commercial strip where restaurants and cleaners and electronics stores and contractors buy their supplies and have their machines repaired. We stroll over a night market and then purposely walk to our 25th floor aquarium home.
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REFLECTIONS
The fog and the water refracts and reflects the colors to create a neon haze that illuminates our walk back along the waterfront promenade, past the cranes now resting for the night, back through the underground metro station, onto the pedestrian overpass and to the noodle shop with the with the best looking menu for the night.
Dérive (n.) lit. “drift”; spontaneous journey where the traveller leaves their life behind for a time to let the spirit of the landcape and architecture attract and move them.
My first impressions of Hong Kong happened to be arriving on my red eye flight with Cathay Pacific in the very early morning on a rainy Friday. The landing was during a torrential downpour and distracted me from looking at an aerial view of Hong Kong. Usually I enjoy looking at a bird’s eye view of somewhere I haven’t been to first understand the infrastructure of a given area. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise because Hong Kong cannot be truly understood in plan or from an aerial view but rather in section and Matthew Spanarkel through experience because it has so many layers of infrastructure and social connections with old traditions and new traditions that seem to find a way to dance with each other in the same realm of understanding. Although Hong Kong is a highly dense city, it seems to find a way to have a continuous flow. A flow that just from the few days I spent in Hong Kong observing I could see had a unique culture that has already begun to both adapt and resist to the notion of becoming a part of mainland China due to the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to China on July 1, 1997. I had the fortunate situation of traveling to mainland China for the first time in 2015, more specifically Beijing and Shanghai, so I was excited to visit Hong Kong to be able to compare the two different regions in the modern context. With the knowledge that the transfer of sovereignty hapened almost 20 years ago I thought that Hong Kong would have serious parallels to society in mainland China. But after visiting, I realized Hong Kong can be considered an interesting enigma. Due to its financial hub element and British roots, there is a serious international connection and clashing of cultures. But in a sense, it can be argued that it is not a clashing of cultures but yet that “clashing” or mixing of cultures, thoughts and ideas is the fabric of the complex culture or cultural identity of Hong Kong. Hong Kong in some ways is paralleling mainland China, but might not be considered to be influenced by its sovereignty rule from mainland China. Hong Kong in some aspects reminded me of modern day Shanghai, more specifically, the Pudong section of Shanghai. Hong Kong is in the process of incredible building, much like it has in past years and intense land reclamation on Victoria Harbor. This reminded me of the incredible development that Pudong has seen over the past 20 years. With globalization on the rise in mainland China, Pudong went from rice patties to financial centers and elegant high rises in two decades. At the tourist attraction “Peak Tram” in Hong Kong, there are historical pictures showing the layout of the waterfront of Victoria Harbor 20+ years ago. When I was visiting Hong Kong, I actually saw the old waterfront line on the harbor and the new filled in land reclamation. The amount of new space for development growth is incredibly significant and will add to Hong Kong’s GDP in years to come.
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REFLECTIONS
Hong Kong: A City in Subtle Transformation
In some aspects this shows that Hong Kong and mainland china are similar in large scale development because Hong Kong’s urban landscape as well as China’s urban landscapes of major cities have radically changed in the past two decades. But this begs to ask the question of whether or not Hong Kong will be able to stand out in terms of development, GDP and economic status when it becomes a full part of mainland and not an SAR. Is it somehow possible to integrate Hong Kong’s specific economy under the umbrella of mainland China’s vast and enormous economy? Or, would it be in mainland china’s best interest to extend the length of time Hong Kong is to remain an SAR in the idea to allow for it to remain an international hub for tourism (requiring visas on arrive for many countries) and to preserve the social, cultural and financial fabric that is quite different from mainland china and not redevelop it as part of mainland china’s culture? What is probably one of the most active transitions occurring in Hong Kong right now is actually the distinct complex pedestrian flow of the city. Being well over six feet tall I had the unique perspective of having a more “aerial” view of pedestrian flow when walking around the city. Since until 1997 Hong Kong was under the rule of Great Britain the signage and roadways were all oriented so that automobiles drove on the left side of the road. This also affected the flow of pedestrians as well. There was even signage dedicated to pedestrians to walk on the left side. Although, throughout my days in Hong Kong, I began to notice there were instances where people walked into each other on the vast interconnected elevated walkways, especially during rush hour. I began to realize most of those instances was because the flow of traffic was primarily on the right side, even though the signs said to walk on the left and there was one or two people walking on the left (aka British mindset). I began to keep a heightened notice on every elevated walkway I used and started to notice the transitionary dysfunction of the pedestrian flow. The flow on some lower volume walkways tended to be on the left side where as more popular, dense elevated walkways the flow tended to stay to the right side. Some people would be walking on the left but eventually integrate into the right side because the sheer dense flow of traffic lent itself to moving those people in line to keep up the speed of flow. This made me start to think of why this is and I began to realize this must be a direct translation of the diminishing influence of British rule and the rising influence of mainland china, since the flow of traffic in mainland china is usually staying to the right.
Regardless of opinion on the matter it brings to light the need study and to organize and design the city perhaps through its layers of pedestrian flow. The pedestrian flow through Hong Kong is relatively unique in the sense that the pedestrian flow dominates path instead of path dominating flow. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, sidewalks clearly defined where one was to walk versus not walk. In Hong Kong, many times the sheer number of pedestrians in any given moment doesn’t allow a single pedestrian to view the man created path or sidewalk, so therefore the experience of walking is used via context clues. In other terms, one navigates from point A to point B through a series of mental connections. A pedestrian notices that the person in front of them has taken a step forward, therefore they know they can take a step forward. This logic continues until a major intersection where this given pedestrian can deviate from this logic by identifying a turn in the flow and thus makes their intended directional change and continues this logic of “following” the pedestrian ahead of them. This really means that designing in Hong Kong must take great consideration of what the pedestrian population might do because it seems if pedestrian logic deviates from what something was intended for, it runs the risk of being unnoticed or quite literally “walked all over.”
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This begs to ask the question of whether or not this transitioning flow of traffic is considered a positive, neutral or negative aspect of the change of sovereignty. Is it a positive change in the sense that the integration of mainland china ideals are beginning to identify in Hong Kong since it is due to be a complete functioning part of mainland china in the future? Is it a neutral change in the idea that the flow of traffic isn’t a significant aspect of preserving a cultural identity and the flow would have inevitably changed? Or is it a negative? In the idea that the current rate of this flow transition, the “stay to the right” mentally, will dominate the pedestrian flow in all of Hong Kong and all traces of the historical British influence on pedestrian flow will disappear forever.
My group’s project proposal centered on creating a floating festival geared to attract the youth of Hong Kong that erects space to exchange valuable information and brainstorm new ideas for the future of Hong Kong. I would like to think things such as pedestrian flow, how it affects design and the importance of preserving pre mainland China versus accepting and integrating into mainland China as the SAR agreement ends in 2047 would be discussed at such a festival and in the smaller floating information centers during the year. The youth of Hong Kong need a festival like this to spark the conversation about such topics as a group and utilize these information centers to collaborate to find solutions. The only thing that is certain is that Hong Kong is changing. The Hong Kong youth of today are in an interesting position to create a new tomorrow, as they are the generation beginning to bridge the old Hong Kong with the unwritten future identity of Hong Kong. Overall, I learned that Hong Kong is truly a modern day beautiful and exciting enigma. It is full of so many different variations of cultural combinations as well as vibrant financial hub in conjunction with a plethora of different styles and mentalities. I feel so blessed to be able to visit such an amazing place during a true modern day transitionary city. Hong Kong has such a rich and distinct culture that I noticed adopted a few identities and ideas of mainland china but still holds true to some of its deepest cultural identities that juxtaposes it to mainland china even nearly twenty years after Hong Kong’s beginning as an SAR. Nevertheless, I am excited to see what will change and what will remain the same for Hong Kong in the future as it completes its journey as an SAR.
56 57 Noah Litvin
Yet despite all of this, upon arriving to Hong Kong, one may notice that the number of similarities to New York City are overwhelming: There are 7-Elevens and McDonalds; there are European tourists; there are silent cab drivers; there are talkative cab drivers; there is a need to call the bank when ATMs aren't working; wedding photos are taken in parks; there are rooftop gardens and independent bookstore; there are emails and deadlines; there are wait times to be seated; there are trendy neighborhoods; there are quiet blocks; there are students with girlfriends and professional aspirations; there are tourist traps and ride-hailing apps; there are restaurant recommendations; there are over-priced coffee shops; there are cemeteries; there are street maps and umbrellas; there are stores selling musical instruments; drunken businessmen celebrate holidays; there are misunderstandings due to accents... It’s easy to get the sense that many international tourists take these similarities between New York and Hong Kong for granted, but perhaps the large amount of similarities is what should be expected. History and politics aside, humans across the world have similar experiences in urban environments so it would make sense that the products and services designed around these experiences might hold similarities as well. As both New York City and Hong Kong are among the most prominent urban centers in the world, the similarities between these two areas should be even more pronounced. Imagining cities in which some of these consistencies were not present might yield interesting results, but in reality they would likely have practical issues that would interfere with their realization. After all, for two different cities on opposite sides of the world to implement the same design should imply, to some degree, that this way of doing things is likely for more technical and economic reasons, rather than social or cultural ones.
REFLECTIONS
One might imagine Hong Kong as a radically different place than New York City, whether this is due to media or anecdotes related by those who have travelled there. And, by many counts, this is correct. Hong Kong’s cultural history extends back millennia rather than just centuries. It has not one, but two official languages. Its political future is uncertain beyond the year 2047, at which point it may lose its political autonomy from mainland China entirely. Its population density is far greater than New York City's, and new construction is ubiquitous there.
Instead, one might focus on the subtle differences between New York City and Hong Kong. In these examples, we might find the spaces in which we know certain alternatives are feasible: The escalators move slightly faster; the subways are always on time; the buses have televisions; there are fewer trees; the buildings are taller; front doors are closer to the street; there is scaffolding made of bamboo in place of metal; there is grapefruitflavored soda for sale; coffee sold in aluminum cans is sometimes heated; some streets have unique odors; picnics are held on the sidewalks; vehicles drive on the left side of the road, rather than the right; surgical masks are occasionally worn on the streets; fewer homeless people are in sight; the pedestrian walk light turns green instead of white; different beers are more common on tap; chopstick and forks are inversely as common; there are four options for waste disposal and recycling in public places... These observed differences point to the things which one might otherwise give no thought. They are similar to the point that we may never have considered them at all, let alone potential alternatives. Perhaps, individually, these observations are uninteresting and banal. But, taken together, these are things which make for a “foreign” experience — not the things one might read about in a textbook. The broader historical and political aspects of an area largely do not make themselves known in the daily experiences of city dwellers. And a stark difference in language and commodities made available for purchase can be found by simply traveling to various neighborhoods in New York City (such as Chinatown) rather than another continent. One way in which these subtle differences come together to make for a more remarkable difference is through the food. Of course, there are restaurants and grocery stores, as well as utensils and dishes. But the ingredients used in Hong Kong’s cuisine, due both to tradition and availability, tend to include more starch and fewer vegetables than those in New York City. Only after a week of meals did I notice that I hadn’t eaten a salad; I hadn’t sought one out, but the option didn’t present itself either. In lieu of salads, though, I was certainly eating more breakfast. Pervasive throughout Hong Kong were small bakeries in which a wide variety of small, inexpensive savory pastries were available. One could, using tongs, gather one or more items they’d like and pay at the cashier. This business model isn’t completely foreign to New York City. Breads Bakery near Union Square in downtown Manhattan has a very similar model (albeit, at a significantly higher price). But, like salads in Hong Kong, these establishments must be sought out in New York City. Incorporating this into one's lifestyle becomes an intentional decision, rather than the default.
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Likewise, in both New York City and Hong Kong, public space is limited. Both cities have parks, but the streets are how we primarily understand the city. It would seem as if the natural state of the streets are unremarkable paths ways for pedestrians and vehicles, spaces to simply be moved through as efficiently as possible. Subtly, though, it feels as if Hong Kong resists this state more effectively than New York. From Mong Kok to Temple Street, passing through overpasses, underpasses and buildings, a pedestrian seamless flows to and from the streets. One is surrounded by vendors of food and various wares, street performers, and, at night, illuminated neon signs. All of these create a festive atmosphere which might be cultivated further in both cities. With this, we might add a stronger cultural dimension to the time we spend outside of our homes and offices.
Tseung Kwan
Lamma Island
Discovery Bay
Sai Kung
Though the density of urban centers tend to be striking to visitors, in Hong Kong, the limited amount of space is remarkable even to its residents. In the words of Lemo, a 31-year-old resident of Sai Ying Pun, “In Hong Kong I won’t ask to visit my friends’ houses because our flats are too small, I don’t even know where to place my legs.” But Lemo is the exception; 80 percent of the residents of Hong Kong, aged 18-35, live with their family. Two thirds of this group cannot afford to live elsewhere. The soaring cost of real estate has pushed the lower and middle classes into increasingly tiny apartments.2 Even from the streets, one can see the effects; land reclamation is prominent across Hong Kong’s shorelines.3 These long, expensive projects create more land, but with problematic environmental effects.4 Yet, a contradiction between physical proximity and social distance is captured by the observations of young Hong Kong residents; focus group participants have reported that there is little interaction among those residing in Hong Kong with their immediate neighbors.5 Hong Kong also has a sizable diverse, international population. But, despite this, a greater national identity is growing. Over the past decade, people identify more strongly as “Hong Kongers” than as Chinese. The feeling of being citizens of the People’s Republic of China is the weakest among all identities tested. This is most pronounced among the younger generation.6 This has been manifest in the recent protests, under the banner of the Umbrella Revolution, during which public space has been reclaimed by Hong 1 Kong’s youth for experimentation and expression of dissent. We believe Hong Kong youth would be well served by a new public space intended to 2 cultivate its national spirit. Accordingly, we propose a floating festival infrastructure. By utilizing space on the water, these structures could create new public space without requiring the purchase or creation of real estate. Additionally, by constructing these 3 platforms on the water, they can be more easily transported as needed. Specifically, this infrastructure would consist of four floating platforms stationed at different 4 locations throughout the city. This distribution is key to building solidarity between Hong Kong youth across the city. Each platform would have unique year-round programming and 5 structural form suited to its space. The first of these floating platforms could be located at Tseung Kwan. Also known as Junk 6 Bay, this area used to consist of a small fishing and horticultural village. Traditionally, its residents conducted annual festivals and regular trade among one another, but this is no
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Emmanuel Oni � Darcy Bender � Matthew Spanarkel � Noah Litvin
PROPOSALS
Nomad Festival
https://lsecities.net/media/ objects/articles/living-atdensity/en-gb/ h t t p : / / w w w. s c m p . c o m / comment/insight-opinion/ article/1704617/what-youngpeople-really-think-abouthousing-hong-kong http://www.nydailynews. com/life-style/real-estate/ photos-life-hong-kong-tiniestapartment-article-1.1273112 http://www.timeout.com.hk/ big-smog/features/68418/ reclaiming-hong-kong.html https://lsecities.net/media/ objects/articles/living-atdensity/en-gb/ https:// thediplomat.com/ 2016/02/a-fishball-revolutionand-umbrella-soldiers-thebattle-for-hong-kongs-soul/
longer the case. The standard programming at this particular location may consist of educational exhibits pertaining to traditional agricultural and horticultural practices, in addition to local vendors. Another floating platform could be stationed at Lamma Island. Here, the Lamma Fisherfolk’s Village visitors already find the tradition of fish farming alive and well. The floating structure at this location would ideally augment the pre-existing tourism industry in the area without imposing an undue strain on this community. Discovery Bay may host another floating platform with a focus on green issues. The community here is already very dedicated to sustainability, and an annual Earth Day celebration is one of the area’s most popular events.7 This, in conjunction with the area’s scenic greenery, makes it a natural location for a new public space dedicated to environmentalism. Sai Kung could host the fourth floating platform. This region, which is currently a typhoon shelter, was originally a crucial area during Anti-Japanese War (it served as the center of operations for the approximately 400 person unit known as the HK-Kowloon brigade). The programming and exhibition on this float could, accordingly, focus on the political and military history of Hong Kong. Annually, these structures could be brought together just off the coast of the West Kowloon Promenade to form a larger floating platform and host an annual festival. West Kowloon makes for the ideal location, as the Hong Kong government is already promoting the area for festival use. In addition, its close proximity, which already attract Hong Kong youth (e.g. Mong Kok, Central, and Kowloon), high visiblity to many other locations along the harbor, and past festivals held at this location have proven successful. The programming at this festival would incorporate aspects of the year-round usage of the floating platforms, and add programming unique to the festival. Live music, theatrical performance, and speaking panels, in addition to food and beverage vendors, would bring together the youth of Hong Kong from neighborhoods throughout the city. Ultimately, we submit that these structures would not simply offer a unique space for entertainment and commerce, but opportunities for education and a cultivation of political 7 identity. In the words of Joshua Wong, a student activist who has become the face of the Umbrella Movement, “Instead of only having the image or the perception of being anti-China, it is necessary to build up the pro-Hong Kong campaign.”8
http://www.thepress. net/news/discovery_ bay/discovery-bay-plansearth-day-celebration/ article_4e0211b2bb55-11e3-ba3e0017a43b2370.html
8 http://thediplomat. com/2016/02/a-fishballrevolution-and-umbrellasoldiers-the-battle-forhong-kongs-soul/
62 63 Local Music Performance Local Theater Performance Environmentalist Talks Information Booths About Nomad Rafts
Everyday Programming Food Stalls Volunteer Opportunities Game Center
Hong Kong Cultural Archive Maker Space/ Skill Share Library Kitchen
PROPOSALS
Festival Programming
Staying Afloat
My dear Hong Kong, I still remember the day I left Calcutta and made my way to you. Our flight got in late at night, but you were as awake as one could be, shining bright from the lights of all the skyscrapers. I must admit, upon first sight, I was a little intimidated. You seemed like you belonged to the cool kids crew; everything about you was so different from the world I had previously inhabited. You looked so put together, so polished, sophisticated and efficient. And amidst all that, if I can be honest, in all your hustle and vibrancy, you appeared cold and standoffish.
Ankita Roy
My first year with you was tough. Do you remember that? My heart ached – physically at times – for the comfort of the home I had left behind. I missed my friends from around the block. In this new home, there was no concept of ‘kids around the block’. You imposed a new social structure on me, a world in which one was to mind his or her own business and small talk was strictly prohibited. It was so not like that where I had come from. The difference was night and day. Could you blame me for thinking you were cold? But of course, as it happens, you started to grow on me. It’s hard to find an exact time to pinpoint the shift, but somewhere along the way the differences between you and Calcutta stopped constantly feeling negative. In fact, they became really positive. You started making it up to me and all of a sudden, your positive traits became so distinctly obvious that I no longer had to actively seek them. What you lacked in having a sense of community or excellent Indian street food, you made up with amazing infrastructure and safety that allowed me from a very young age to be independent. Had I continued living in Calcutta, there is no way I would have been allowed to explore different parts of the city on my own or with my friends the way I was able to with you. Also while your cuisine didn’t quite accompany the flavors I was accustomed to before, it took no time for me to become a fan of all the delicious food you had to offer. For me, you were a door to the world. On my first day of school, I met people from the Philippines, Malaysia, Korea, Israel, Australia, the U.K., U.S., and many more. Many of these people went on to become my closest friends. Before you, I went to a school where all the other students had the same background as me; we shared a common language in everything from food, games, cultural reference to family dynamics. But you disrupted this whole notion, pushing me to get to know people from vastly different parts of the world to mine. My childhood self didn’t quite appreciate what this meant, but my adult self understands that this experience at such a young age fundamentally shaped who I am today and my understanding and empathy towards people.
For years, I thought of you as the model city. Sure, you had your flaws here and there, but there was something so magical about the way you seemed to just work. Sometimes I wondered if there were magical fairies overlooking your operations, making sure it was all moving through smoothly. Really though, it appeared to me that nothing could stop you. You had an uncanny ability to stay resilient and efficient through everything. You always kept life moving, and you apologized for two minute delays on the MTR. Seriously, you were making all the other cities look bad. And then, it happened. On September 26, 2014 thousands upon thousands of people took to the streets to stand in solidarity for true universal suffrage and democracy. My emails, social media channels, text messages were all bursting at the seams with pictures and updates. This was the type of thing I’d read about in the news, happening in other places around the world. Not you. I had never seen you like this and I didn’t know what to think. After I heard about the police using pepper spray on the (peaceful) crowds, I stayed awake in bed, restless the whole night. I surprised myself with this kind of reaction; I always knew that I cared about you, but this instance made me realize the intensity with which I cared and what exactly it was that you meant to me. It was after my move to New York and the distance it provided between us that I have been able to really reflect on the time we shared together, as well as the experiences you have been going through in the last couple of years. Here in New York, I am surrounded by conversations about resiliency and most of the discussions revolve around systems and infrastructure. When I first got here, some of these conversations felt like they were rooted back in time. Issues that we being discussed were things you had solved for years ago. And that’s the thing about you – you have always been the resilient one especially on these fronts. You don’t need to be told that.
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I remember visiting the U.S. for the first time. We did a road trip around the East Coast. When we got to New York, I let out a sigh and exclaimed excitedly to anyone that would listen how much the city reminded me of you. The bright lights, the crowds, having to take the subway everywhere, and the skyscrapers. While most people feel overwhelmed during their first time in New York, I felt like I was home. It was in that moment that I realized the shift had happened. You were my new baseline for home.
But over the last few months, I have had the chance to dig deep into the meaning of resiliency and what it means to be resilient as a society and community. Beyond the terms infrastructure and systems, there are people who hold it together, and between them occur interactions that feed relationships. Society and community therefore are at the core of what it means to be resilient. My most recent trip to come and see you with my peers and faculty from Parsons left a strong impression on me. Throughout the whole week, I heard people dissect and analyze the various problems that are occurring in the place I hold so dear to my heart. So many of the discussions had a quiet undertone of the elephant in the room: Hong Kong’s political future. I had been having my doubts, but finally I admitted it to myself – you had always been so strong and resilient, but I think the recent events have shaken your core. The society of Hong Kong, the people who have done such a wonderful job at holding it all together – they have been disturbed and affected. And they are charged, angry and frustrated, but I think you know that underneath all that rests a community of people that are determined, motivated and optimistic. Therefore, what you do next is going to make a lasting impact. It might even make history. This is your wake up call. Perhaps it’s time you acknowledge the cracks in your foundation. There is a range of social problems you haven’t been addressing, that you have largely dealt with by sweeping them under the rug. Now I know you’re not the confrontational type, but this isn’t like you. You usually deal with problems head on, but I think you’ve become a little complacent these last several years. This is your opportunity to bounce back from the set backs and return stronger than ever. You have a chance to get stuck in and meaningfully engage with the issues you’ve been trying to ignore. There’s room for you to reimagine a new future for yourself. Here’s a tip: this book is full of ideas to inspire you towards that future. To many people, you are a fleeting destination. A hub for tourists and expatriates, people dip in and out for business and sightseeing, with a side of dim sum and nights out in Lan Kwai Fong. But to me, you are home and I am saying all this to you because you are my dear friend and I care deeply about you. You have made me proud in so many ways. I believe in you, and I know that you have what it takes to envision and act on creating a better future for yourself. Start by focusing on all the people, who love you and now more than ever, desperately need you to love them back. Truly yours, Ankita
Hong Kong is well known for being a temporary home to many foreigners across the world. This has turned it into a fusion of many cultures and ideas, while still maintaining a sense of attachment to China. This synthesis leaves many traces of a traditional Chinese culture, but more importantly are the influences of a world culture. Since Hong Kong has so many social levels, it can be difficult to distinguish what has been influenced outside of this culture. High rise residences tower over the city, all with nondescript design aesthetics to one culture or another. These towers can host people from anywhere without visible signs from below. The architecture of these buildings have been developed for basic needs and function, many of the details seen in other societies have been left off in exchange for efficiency. This is what makes these towers nondescript and allows the unification of the local residents and the foreigners who wanted a change. Having traveled to many locations in North America, Europe and South America, I have experienced how many cities move and flow. However, I have never seen one as complex as Hong Kong. No matter where you are within the city, if you do not know what exit you need to take in an MTR station, you will surely find yourself lost and turned around upon finally reaching the open air. When I arrived in Hong Kong, I took the MTR into the city to the hotel I was staying at. I thought that I would be able to easily navigate the city streets upon exiting the MTR from the brief Google directions I obtained, but I was very wrong. I did not know that each exit has a unique position in its immediate surroundings and one wrong move could lead to many minutes of backtracking. I exited the station with my luggage in what I thought was the right direction, but I didn’t realize that I didn’t need to go outside to find the best route to my hotel. In fact, walking outside became more problematic than the interior tunnels I did not know about, because I still could not see where I was going. Streets did not run in single directions, nor were on one simple level. It took me over ten minutes standing in one location to figure out that I had to go up two escalators, then back down three more and then around a ramping
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As a future architect, experiencing Hong Kong broadened my views on how architecture and design can affect the performance of a society. The city of Hong Kong puts on a performance on a daily basis; commutes can be lengthy, but seamless; movement simultaneously happens both vertically and horizontally; and the built environment is so dense that constant interaction is imminent. The people of this city have turned it into a sanctuary for them, a place where they can move in the ways they need to without the stringent Charles Andrews rules and layouts of many other cities across the world. Architecture and design reflect on this, and morph and shape into beings that interact with the constant movement of society.
street to get to the street that was seeming right in front of me on paper. Hong Kong circulation is intense, and to any foreigner it is chaos at first. After staying in the same hotel and going to the same locations and stations for a week, I realized that this is not chaos at all. It is extremely organized to a degree that many would not understand. It is optimized to each user, very strategically. Pedestrians can easily move from one building to the next without encountering automobiles, or always navigating to the ground level for citywide circulation. Likewise, automobiles do not have to continuously stop at traffic lights to wait for perpendicular traffic and pedestrians. One road will flow under a building, emerging to meet up with another road where drivers have seamless options for moving between the two. The subway system can efficiently move millions by having their stations reach vast sections of each community. Instead of many smaller stations, there are fewer larger stations that reach out on many levels and circumferences. Hong Kong does not limit how its people move with standardized gridded streets on one level, and has embraced a network of paths on multiple levels that facilitate a more efficient way of moving. The location of Hong Kong on a small island covered in mountains caused the city to develop up instead of out, creating the most of the build able space available. Much of the island remains unbuilt, which creates a balance between the built and natural environments. Over time, most cities of this size will continue growing out, taking over any land in its way. They opt to not built up and instead build out, destroying much of the natural environment. If more cities had the density of Hong Kong the natural landscapes could be preserved. The close proximity of this unbuilt land in Hong Kong provides an escape from the city with its many hiking trails. It allows the city and its residents to breath and not feel trapped by a never ending sea of concrete. If New York City had a similar situation, there could be four or five Central Parks on the island of Manhattan alone. It is incredible that such a big city was able to rise up out of such a small piece of land, resulting in a resourceful and dynamic use of space. The complexity of Hong Kong has developed from its freedom from conformity. While western culture has greatly influence the city, it did not follow traditional ways of development. It took its own path based on its situation and remarkably made the most of it. My experience in Hong Kong taught me about the potential of space and how design can influence the usability and the overall efficiency of limited space. It has inspired me to incorporate a higher degree of integration of the many systems a city possesses and must maintain to be successful and healthy. The intricacies of space in this bustling city have become a text lab for unimagined endeavors and create an experimental environment where traditional culture can meet modern needs.
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The proposal of Staying Afloat encompasses the idea of Hong Kong as an exploratory city, where traditional elements of the many cultures of Hong Kong can fuse with a highly developed city to alleviate current issues. The use of floating communities has been incorporated into many southeast Asian communities for centuries, and while not as popular today, they resonate as an alternative lifestyle in Hong Kong society. Being situated on the water, comprised of many islands, the city could easily consider temporarily expanding outward without the use of land. Although vital to the city, the foreign domestic helpers that are employed by the citizens of Hong Kong are receiving an adverse reaction by much of the world. They have become a subject of intense scrutiny, however, using the water to help these critical constituents of society would empower not only their worth in the city, but also the value of one of their greatest resources. The combination of these two becomes a phenomenal way to celebrate the city’s long history of water culture and reduce the impact of a prevailing problem.
The morning sun was beginning to glimmer off the glass of the buildings on Hong Kong Island, as the royal Yacht Britannia sailed into Victoria Harbor. There were fire boats, and junks, helicopters and balloons, but at the same time, the city didn’t pause but for a moment to witness its colonial leaders entering for the last time. Fast-forward almost twenty years and the city has changed drastically. Kai Tak, the famously harrowing airport is a pile of dirt waiting to become homes for 60,000, while 68 million people take off from the new Chep Lap Kok. Needless to say, Hong Kong is a very different place from when I first visited in 1997. The frenzied pace is the same as it was, but the small things have changed. Walking down the street nowadays, there is less of a strict ‘British’ interpretation of sidewalk traffic flow. While it used to be even more pronounced than in London, now Hong Kong is a weird hybrid zone of crisscrossing paths on the pavement, with each person doing their part in the urban ballet to avoid collision. There are fewer small shops, and traders that let their work and wares spill out onto the sidewalk. Causeway Bay still has its Times Square like energy, with shoppers crowding every bit of free space, but now the stores are many of the same as you’d find anywhere else in the world.
Paul Kardous
A new dimension to the city, which opened up on this visit, was at the end of a 35-minute taxi ride, past Sai Kung, and into the depth of one of Hong Kong’s magnificent country parks. Leaving the density of the city behind, we found ourselves crossing the dam of High Island reservoir, and deposited in a wilderness that seems miles away from the city. As we descended down from the top of the ridge to a secluded pristine beach, there was no indication at all what lay a few miles away, or even over the next hill. Past the seemingly government built housing, and the occasional cow, was a path which led down to a village tucked away in the corner of a bay, resplendent with platforms which made themselves into a floating fishing complex. Separated from land, yet fully connected with creature comforts, the smiling residents sat on their platforms and waited for their seaweed to grow. On the trip back to the buzzing density of Hong Kong, on a powerboat at full throttle, we were able to experience once more that the nation is a city of islands. Islands that are best appreciated from the water. Going through and around the uninhabited islands of the Sai Kung Country Park makes you appreciate the scale of the city. Victoria Harbor seems massive, yet cozy at the same time, but riding on the open water for almost twenty minutes without sight of civilization makes you grateful for the forward thinking people who wanted to provide possible recreation for those Hong Kongers that would never be able to travel abroad for a vacation. It also makes you worried for the future, that the unchecked pace at which the city develops will slowly or suddenly overtake its wide-open spaces for more and more housing, especially with the pressures from the mainland for Hong Kong to continue to grow. Arriving back to civilization, that pressure is immediately
On my last day in the city, I met with a colleague of a family friend. He was a Hong Konger, born and raised, and was very interested in my impressions of the city. He was very happy to hear that I had seen it once before, at least 10 years ago, where there would be at least a little bit of perspective. While he is fiercely proud of his city, and loves to live in Hong Kong, he did express doubts and nervousness about what would happen when that date looming in the future, only 31 years away, arrives. When if they wanted to, the Mainland government could put away the Basic Law, and continue to mold the city from the same cast as the rest of China. In case something like this did happen, he, like many well off Hong Kongers, have their secondary passports or residency permits ready to go if they needed to ‘flee’ to places like Canada or the United States. It remains to be seen what will happen, but when you see how successful – on certain levels – Hong Kong is, you think that China would be loath for the status quo to change. Like any city, Hong Kong is best experienced in multiple doses, many visits over a long period of time, in different weather conditions – and different political ones. It was interesting on this visit to note all of the contrasts. Between old and new – buildings, people, traditions, customs, between Mandarin and Cantonese, between development and preservation, and most starkly, between density and nature. They seem more pronounced now than they were 19 years ago, or maybe the lens I am looking through has changed. I hope to return again and see how our present future has manifested itself in the city but also, more selfishly, to have just one more plate of dim sum.
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felt, with large groups of tourists from the mainland stalking the aquariums filled with fresh fish for their evening meal. The tourists are a presence everywhere in the city now. From the glitzy new shopping malls, which act as giant money laundromats, to the sidewalks where more people now walk on the ‘conventional’ side. They are slowly changing the city, as are the new migrants from the mainland, as well as those that come as domestic workers from other Southeast Asian island nations like The Phillipines and Indonesia. But that is what cities do, they change, and adapt, and evolve. And allow for every return visit to have a mix of old memories and new experiences.
KOWLOON
LANTAU ISLAND
HONG KONG ISLAND
DISCOVERY BAY TERMINAL
PROXIMITY TO LAND
ADDED FLOATING VILLAGE STOP
PROPOSED DOMESTIC HELPER FLOATING VILLAGE
As of 2013, there were over 320,000 domestic helpers residing in Hong Kong. This is almost three percent of the city’s population. Hong Kong law states that domestic helpers must reside with their employers. Recently there has been a frenzy of media and NGOled investigations unearthing subpar, often terrible, living conditions many helpers endure during their time in Hong Kong. A recent survey conducted by Mission for Migrant Workers found the following:
25% 20% 30% 35%
of domestic helpers surveyed stated that they felt that they they have no privacy, with an equal number complaining that they felt “unsafe” of helpers reported that their employer had installed a CCTV of helpers slept in kitchens, corridors, storage rooms or shared space with their employers or their children of helpers would prefer to ‘live out’, if they could
How can the current live-in situation for helpers in Hong Kong be changed? First, there are barriers in Hong Kong preventing any innovation and new ideas in this space. As noted above, policy is a major barrier. The law states that domestic helpers must reside with their employers. Secondly, live-in helpers have for been a part of Hong Kong’s domestic life for so long that it has become engrained in the culture. Even though apartment sizes have been shrinking and the live-in quarters for helpers in tandem, many people just find alternate ways of housing their helpers in their home – for example sleeping in the living room or kitchen, or keeping them in tiny rooms. Given the recent high profile cases of abuse and mistreatment, there is a genuine opportunity to rethink the strategy of domestic helpers’ accommodations and realign them around the original objective of providing proper accommodation to such workers. It’s also an opportune time to shift behaviors at a societal level within the city. The high profile cases have been a wake-up call for much of the population and people are realizing that the problem needs to be resolved. How can accommodation for foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong be reimagined? The proposal imagines the creation of floating accommodation close to the existing ferry infrastructure in Hong Kong. Much of the new real estate development in Hong Kong occurs adjacent to the MTR expansion, and there is a real opportunity to diversify and create accessible homes utilizing the water and ferry networks.
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Ankita Roy � Charles Andrews � Paul Kardous
PROPOSALS
Staying Afloat
How does it work? If an employer is unable to provide proper accommodation, they will be able to rent out a room for the domestic helper in the water commons housing. Young professionals in Hong Kong – many of whom still live at home after graduating university due to expensive rents – will also be able to rent a unit in the water commons housing This is intended to be a dorm-style space where all residents have a private room, but share the communal area. They are expected to develop a community around the space by participating in daily activities and frequent events.
Bringing the domestic helpers of Hong Kong to interact with the city and its young people is a key driver of the StayAfloat initiative. In a series of floating cohabitation communities, helpers will live side by side with young professionals who are each able to have their own space, while being exposed to different cultures and traditions. The communities will be set up in blocks of 6 bedrooms which will all share communal cooking, bathroom, and living spaces. Each of these successive ‘blocks’ will be arranged in a circular pattern around a central ‘commons’ which will act as a shared space where the residents can come together.
sh are d
pri
vat e
Part of the agreement to live in the community will be the promise of shared cooking, educational, and artistic opportunities which all the residents will participate in. The commons space will also serve as the location of events to which the greater Hong Kong community will be invited to, which celebrate the heritage, culture, and diversity of both the domestic helpers and the residents of Hong Kong. This will further tie the the communities together.
commons
Government: Domestic helpers are a big contributor to the economy as they free up time for women in Hong Kong to work. Moreover, cases of mistreatment reflect poorly on Hong Kong’s reputation as an international hub. Therefore, it is in the government’s interest to ensure that domestic helpers have a proper standard of living. Employer: The main reason for hiring a helper is to look after the employer’s children and maintain their home at an affordable price. Although not all employers have the space to house their domestic workers, the StayAfloat initiative provides this necessity while maintaining the existing employer-helper relationship. Helpers: Most helpers come to Hong Kong to make a higher wage than they would back home. The StayAfloat initiative allows the helper to retain the same wage while providing the helper with adequate living conditions. Taking everyone’s interests into account, a mutually agreeable solution is an achievable goal. By understanding each party’s underlying motivations, there is an opportunity to rethink and realign the relationships to benefit all. How is this beneficial to the Hong Kong society? Bringing the helpers of Hong Kong to share a space with young professionals marks a new social code for the city, by building a community based on the concept of commons. It’s a signal to the society that helpers are a key part of the city’s community, and is a call to action to develop new relationships. They are helpers – by profession, but they are also individuals, and our initiative seeks to invite them into the city’s broader community.
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PROPOSALS
How would the StayAfloat initiative affect existing relationships? This initiative helps to imagine a new future for Hong Kong, in particular by redefining existing relationships that currently operate in a transactional model and shifting it towards relationships based on cooperation and mutual interests.
Waterzen
Layering, Density, Movement, Impermanence, Ambiguity, Commons, Redefining Ground. All of these words have been synonymous with my experiences in Hong Kong. The forms of the words have transformed into something beyond their function. My interpretations and assumptions that lived within the essence of these terms became addressed. Since I was able to attach them to both a culture and an experience, I was able to give them new meanings entirely. Layering. The physical qualities of our cities act as a container that holds Katherine Fisher layers and levels of meaning. These layers have been built up over time and stem back to when the foundation is laid when the mental models were first turned into tangible forms – language, objects, homes, ideologies. The layering and time and space both is created, but also creates new forms themselves. The parallels between the complexity tied to cities and the complexities of human nature cannot be ignored. What cannot be ignored is also the layering of ideas, people that operate within Hong Kong as I never followed the same path home once without finding a staircase, an overpass, a bridge that offered a quicker, or at least a more curious route. I had to pause and look at the details to see that there actually was a staircase mixed between trees, moss, and stone during a walk towards the layered cemeteries. Impermanence. Within our individual minds, we can find the same layering built into the environment. The layers of consciousness and subconscious drive our not only our thoughts, but our actions, and what we give back to our society. A city could be described as representing the whole of mental life, it’s complexity, and it’s history. There is more than meets the eye to both human life and the life of cities, and it takes more than a distant glance to truly understand and grow from them. That life is always changing, and moving within the city of Hong Kong was something that could never be grasped fully, but which made you appreciate it even more. Exploring the stories of vast generations within the cemeteries keeps individual histories visible. Density. Density comes with an energy, or an agglomeration, and is what oftentimes makes cities unique. The Kowloon Walled City history was new to me, but at once I could see how it’s history was one that had great impact on the development of Hong Kong. The density within the historic Kowloon Walled City was one that represented a way of life that translated into a density that exists today within the built space. From the towers, to the use of space in unique and creative ways, the ability to transform space from one use to another showed how valuable the in-between space is. That contrast between density and open-space was seen through my window each morning with the view of closely knit towers on one side and expansive horizon on the other.
Commons. That distant glance is all I originally had of Hong Kong, along with most parts of the world before I started the program at Parsons. Traveling to Hong Kong and being around such a culturally diverse group of individuals gave me the unique opportunity to challenge my assumptions and gain an awareness of the many layers and facets that builds individuals into who they are and what they stand for. Not only did I gain an awareness, but I was enriched from shared experiences and conversations that created a new commonality that was not there before. It wasn’t until the contrasting views and experiences came together did those unknowns become exposed. Commons can be created without a shared linguistic language. All it needs is a shared understanding, a shared goal. Working with such a diverse set of students around the shared goal of the concept was one that brought us together for that moment in time and fostered that commonality. Seeing the beautiful Portuguese international school within Macao which is built around that solidarity in the form of it’s architecture, people, actions, and culture, was putting commons into form. Redefining Ground. Hong Kong constantly redefines their ground – space changes from one use to another, water is reclaimed to land, but Hong Kong never seem to lose sight of their values in this change. In seeing new meanings in forms, I was able to create new ideas, new commons, craft new layers that hopefully will be left both with the place I visited, and with me as I walk into the future.
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Movement. The movement of ideas, people, and goods is something that keeps cities fluid, innovative, and unique. Never was there an area that was lacking at least one of those three elements, and rarely was there an area lacking poetic movement. As my plane landed in Hong Kong late past midnight, I was greeted by an energy that speaks to that fast movement.
Multiple Exposures Looking back, I still remember the apprehension that lay at the back of my mind as I boarded the plane at Pearson Airport in Toronto. As an Englishspeaking Taiwanese Canadian-American, I’ve lived in Chinese diaspora communities for the majority of my life. Whereas culture shock may have been apparent for some, my experience in travelling to Hong Kong – my first trip to Asia since I was only a year old – was one of pseudo-familiarity; an uncanny tension between total uncertainty and new social norms Winnie Chang contrasting with tacit knowledge and givens. Upon arriving in Hong Kong and left to navigate daily life in a different country, I found myself layering the experiences I encountered as though I was creating multiple exposure photos, superimposing different moments on top of one another to form a series of new images of reality. Design as a Lens At Hong Kong Polytechnic University, we were introduced to Professors Laurent Gutierrez, Valérie Portfaix, and Pelin Tan. Working in collaboration with the Urban Environments Design MDes students, we were given a presentation about Hong Kong through a number of concepts that Profs. Gutierrez and Portfaix developed during their residence there. As I listened, two of these notions stood out: the idea of soft disappearance, urban renewal and constant transformation, and the concept of temporal density, activating dead spaces by layering activities at different times. If I were creating multiple exposure photos, design would be the lens through which I have interpreted Hong Kong. Peering through the viewfinder, my initial query had been how I might be able to draw inspiration from my experience and learn more about design for social innovation. It is through the act of designing that one may discover new perspectives, thoughts, ideas, and critiques. As we struggled with ways to create social innovation in relation to floating life during the intensive, it also allowed us to critically examine the different parts of the city on both a local and systematic scale. I was able to discover first-hand how Hong Kong is a city characterized by its bustling movement, its dynamic multilayered labyrinth of constant mobility and fast-paced temporality. While exciting, at the same time I began to question: what are the implications of this way of living? An Insider’s Perspective On my final day in Hong Kong, I was fortunate enough to meet up with my good friend M, a Hong Kong native who had attended the same undergraduate design program as I did back in Toronto. As we wandered the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, eating lunch at her favorite as-you-like-it noodle shop, we talked about what life was like in the city and what it could possibly mean for the future of Hong Kong.
Before parting, we decided to climb to the top of Garden Hill for a different view of the city. As we gazed upon the rows and rows of identical condos down below, I asked M what her future aspirations were after having moved back to Hong Kong. With a big sigh, M reluctantly admitted that she really didn’t have any in mind. In a city where opportunities for young people remain scarce and rent continues to climb, she mentioned how she was only able to live in the city because her dad was covering most of the costs. Working as a freelance graphic designer, she felt stagnant; socially and economically motionless in the middle of a city typified by perpetual flows of people, activities, and time. After hugging M goodbye, I watched her back disappear once more into the currents of people rushing throughout the city. After spending time with M that afternoon, I began to wonder: what if design was a focus on those who are immobile, as a way to move things differently or anew? It was something that I puzzled over on the crowded bus ride back to the hotel, watching both my reflection in the glass and the cityscape beyond at the same time. Old Times, New Questions After returning to New York, I found that I had left Hong Kong with more questions than answers. In my time there I discovered that, underneath the overarching grand narratives of progress and efficiency, there are stories of fragmentation; of layers, of degrees of separation existing across time and space. Physical and temporal places are so limited that layered walkways and scissor staircases constantly overlap, converge and diverge separate from the streets and sidewalks below. In imagining the possible futures
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Stopping at a busy intersection, she pointed to a traditional Chinese herb shop that occupied the corner of a building. Its wares spilled out of two entryways, one located on each side of the corner. M scoffed about how urban renewal and fast turnover was eliminating such iconic architectural elements that stand as Hong Kong’s point-of-difference in today’s visual and spatial discourse, instead replacing them with mass-produced, generic condo buildings and malls that would increase the city’s volumetric density. Rhetorically, she asked: why would tourists come here if they have the same things back home? In socially and physically reconstructing Hong Kong as the so-called “World City” of Asia, she viewed the process as one that erodes the embedded historical, cultural, and ideological aspects crucial to its identity. And in doing so, M argued, what results is a culture – an entire generation – experiencing a lack of belonging and sense of place.
of such a multifaceted landscape, what spaces does this leave for chance encounters and meaningful relations? As in Wang Kar-wai’s Chunking Express, will a single moment in time become all that you live for as the very social fabric transforms and diverges along with its environment? What does collaboration look like in such a future? And as one moves forward in this fluid environment, what implications might this have for design? Towards a New Path In working alongside my colleagues both at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and at Parsons School of Design, our combined exposures have provided us with a collective plurality of temporalities and viewpoints to draw from, question and contest. Having returned to New York and worked together with my colleagues Kate Fisher, Tamara Streefland and Zin Thet, we created a design proposal that responds to the rigidity of Hong Kong’s education system and the barriers that arise for cross-border students who were born in Hong Kong but live in Mainland China. Using a new education system, policy and infrastructure change as our means, we aim to create a society of Waterzens – a new form of citizen – that reinforces the idea that human dignity and water stewardship go hand-in-hand. By doing so, our goal is to create adaptable and resilient social relations and collaborative systems that facilitate, rather than restrict the multiple pathways in which we learn, grow, adapt, and aspire in a world affected by climate change. We hope that this proposal initiates valuable dialogue, debate and consideration that reveals new perspectives over how we can better design for those who are motionless, stagnant, and confined by borders. We hope that these multiple exposures can help us all craft new, multilayered images of our preferred realities – together.
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Hong Kong: A Foreign Yet Familiar City I arrived in Hong Kong with minimal expectations. With Singapore being my (second) home, a country so similar to this autonomous territory of China, I was prepared to see the striking similarity between the two cities in accessibility, efficiency and maximization of ground planes. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to find that Hong Kong maintains its identity with its unique topography of a treaty port along steep mountainsides, that play a crucial role in its urban scene. While Singapore develops its skyline by Zin Mon Thet stringent planning and conservation guidelines, Hong Kong’s natural deep harbor, and the steep mountainside surrounding Victoria Peak, heavily influences its vertical expansion. From a distance, Hong Kong would very well be known as one of those emerging cities in the East that undertake the form of a “global” city, but upon a closer look, one could see urban forms shaped by its history as a former British Colony, and its special relationship with China. I had the opportunity to observe the city both by myself and with a group of local friends. One particular morning, a local friend and I took a boat ride from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central, enjoying the view of Hong Kong Skyline while reminiscing about our days in collage. Upon arrival at Hong Kong Island, past the central district and quiet (during the day) streets of Lang Kai Fung, we found a traditional restaurant that sold Dim Sum on carts, a traditional way of serving the Cantonese delicacy, where we enjoyed the weird-tasting chicken feet and steamed pig skin amidst other popular dishes. We then made our ways through the “ladder” streets, vertical pedestrian circulations in the form of stairways that run along the slopes of the mountains. Upon our way to the famed PMQ, a renovated police living quarter, we encountered several “Pencil” towers, a term my local friend used to explain the thin narrow towers, along the steep and narrow streets. One distinct feature of the pencil towers is its “podium” levels, usually two to three stories high, connecting the building to the adjacent steep sloping streets from two different levels, which also help elevate the lowest units to get a somewhat decent view of the corridor. The play of levels and ground access is also notable in the PMQ building. There is a two level difference in terms of height between access from Hollywood Road and Staunton Street, creating an almost mazelike network of local design talents. The oblique topography of Hong Kong and the often-inclement weather fosters the intricate network of pedestrian covered walkways, a system that is special to Hong Kong. One of the most popular of its kind is the mid-level escalators, where we walk along on our way back to Kowloon. While the walk along midway escalator is a leisurely one that comes with the opportunity of window shopping, the opposite is true with regard to the elevated covered walkways connecting Hong Kong and Central Station, which turn out to be much
There is much intricacy in the Hong Kong social scene, with influences from Mainland China, its past as a British colony, and a large number of immigrants from Southeast Asia and Western populations. In Hong Kong, amidst its fast-paced lifestyles and efficient systems, there are signs of labor exploitation of immigrants, which heavily contributes to the developing nation of Hong Kong. The Philipino maids, who are locally known as “Jie Jie”, hang out in the pedestrian links that connects the boutique shopping malls flooded with tourists from Mainland China, portraying the contrast in the layers of Hong Kong society. In our proposal for the floating settlement, we attempted to address one of these social issues, involving cross-border students from the neighboring city of Shen Zhen. According to research, the complexity of the issue is ultimately linked to the one-countrytwo-systems relationship between China and Hong Kong. Comparable in size, density and population in their residence cities, Parsons School of Design and Hong Kong Poly U offer different learning experiences. While the city campus of New York has its charms in broad and diverse society and myriad of opportunities, spending a week at Hong Kong Poly U brought back nostalgic feelings of being a student in a university campus again. The Jockey Club Innovation Centre, where the workshop happens to be, was the only building in the campus that does not have a red brick exterior, which was advantageous in terms of navigation, especially in a campus full of identical buildings, and in a city with a very complex pedestrian network. As an architecture student, it is always a privilege to study in a well-designed building. The interior stairways were fluid and evoking (of what?), while the awkward positioning of columns in the classrooms gave way to poor planning. The Intensive studio, which was the main purpose of the visit, took place a week before the spring semester, which allowed me to fully commit to the project, for a span of five days. This schedule was very beneficial for the project development and as most of the time design students are enrolled in studio based curriculum and do not have the opportunity to fully immerse in electives. The diversity of disciplines in the participating students also made me realize the position of architects in the broader design community. Hong Kong is an exemplary place for collaboration of such kind, as its culture, geography and spatial
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REFLECTIONS
faster paced, and destination-oriented. We ended our day in a relatively new eating establishment that serves traditional steamboat that comes with a choice of Indian curry sauce and Tom Yum broth, a testament to the fusion of cultures in the “world” city.
organization, heavily influence each other. From the conversations and lectures that I have participated in during the workshop, there seemed to be varying perspectives on the role of architects in sustainability and urban environment. More importantly, it was an interesting and enriching experience to see a proposal from different perspectives of urban ecologists, environmentalists and architects. It was a difficult yet fascinating process to see how developing concepts, and communication of ideas are interpreted in different ways based on the set principles that each of us is familiar with. To sum up, while Hong Kong establishes its identity as an exciting global city with a blend of multiple cultures, the simple findings of a Dim Sum cart and ladder streets lined with traditional medicine shops remains imprinted in my memories of Hong Kong and gave it an identity unparalleled to other places I have visited so far.
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Shenzhen h
North
Tai Po
Yuen Long
Tuen Mun
Hong Kong
How does water ethics differ from that of land ethics? What rights, responsibilities, demands and desires will these new citizens have? Working backwards, what does education for these citizens look like? And after going through this process, what will they be able to conceive that people currently are not equipped to do through a regular approach towards education? Around Hong Kong, we found there are narrow, limited, and rigid paths towards opportunity in the form of education and a need for another, more fluid way, to approach education and learning. Rigidity in education lives within the cross-border students as well. Cross border students are students who were born in Hong Kong but live in Mainland China. Every school day they travel across the border without much supervision to go to schools in Hong Kong, especially those in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and Tai Po in the new territories of Hong Kong. Student groups range from prep school to secondary school with a total student population of 164,000. In addition to these students, there are vast amounts of migrant communities and refugees living within the area and needing a way to gain education and insight into the culture. How can we create an education system for these children that recognizes the importance of space for family, quality of life, and real-world education in a way that is enriching, adaptable, and elastic? How can water play a role in altering the course of action towards creating a more fluid way of living? While using education as our means, we constructed a worldview and set of ethics that would reframe how one looked not only at education, but at work and living with the values of water ethics. Waterzenship aims to redefine living through the establishment of a new set of ethics. The significance of water for life & health is fundamental. In the domain of ethics, questions of scientific knowledge come together with aspects of cultural meaning and perception. Questions of ecology come together with questions of human rights. Questions of stability come together with questions of governance.
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Kate Fisher � Tamara Streefland � Winnie Chang � Zin Mon Thet
PROPOSALS
Waterzen
KEY TENETS Borderless life Traditional ideas of sovereignty, colonialism and artificial/political borders do not follow geological or social ones. They often act as degrees of separation and manmade points of contention in a globalized capitalist society, leading to heavy transnational movement of ideas, information, people, and objects. Therefore, we support borderless life: the idea of living and learning in a way that is organic, heterogeneous, and unrestricted by artificially imposed borders. We support Public Water.
Stewardship With the planet’s rising sea levels and climate change rising to the forefront of human agendas, more roles will be created that focus on tackling environmental issues in a way that transcends the boundaries of a single practice. However, current mainstream education tracts are not equipped to produce citizens that can fulfill this projected need. Therefore, we believe that stewardship should be an integral tenet of every person’s education that plays a role in every aspect of life.
Human dignity We recognize the existential problems that arise from placing stewardship at odds with human dignity. Therefore, we aim to create a cultural shift rooted in empowerment, empathy, and sustainability, to equally support both collective human dignity and stewardship so that quality of life becomes synonymous with our relationship to our environment.
Moderation We believe in using what we truly need rather than aspiring to monopolize and take pride in having more than others. Therefore, we believe in sharing resources to benefit all, fullying enjoying what we have and taking pride in exercising moderation.
Responsibility Every citizen will be responsible for learning water safety, including survival, swimming, lifeguarding skills, and basic medical care. In this way, we aspire for each citizen in this society to not only take responsibility for protecting their own lives, but extending empathy and protection to others.
Family Unification We strongly believe in family as an important aspect of social, educational, and emotional support and infrastructure. Therefore, we aim to integrate family, life and education together. Through the waterways that fluctuate with the tides, the tie between the land-ethics and water-ethics, and in turn, families who spend time both in the water and on land become more interconnected.
PROPOSALS
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This educational ecosystem will be supported through legislation changes. Using Shenzhen Bay as a case study for the application of this new way of life, the goal would be pass legislation that declares Shenzhen Bay and its related water-based bodies and structures as ecological education zones. These bodies of water will be opened up to specific uses such as the study, conservation, non-harmful recreation and remediation of the environment exempted from border laws. It stresses freedom of navigation, to use and share the waterways as thoroughfares for Waterzens and this specific way of life. As well, it underlines the freedom to use these areas for play and non-harmful recreation. The claim to water expands with the needs of the city. Water responsibilities and obligations for the preservation and protection of these areas will extend concurrently with the extension of water rights.
Play as learning. Play is an active versus passive engagement with our environments. As Lester and Russell note, "play does not happen in a vacuum; it is usually undertaken within a physical and social space" (2008). Inherent and instinctual in human beings, play is a vital aspect of learning that transcends cultures. It encourages and creates space for risktaking, curiosity, empathy, resilience. (SACSA, 2009) As well, it goes against conformity and embraces uncertainty, adaptability, novelty and enjoyment, providing intrinsic motivation for learning to continue. For these reasons, we strongly believe in the power of play as a lifelong learning experience that should be cultivated, fostered and celebrated for all citizens to partake in.
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PROPOSALS
These key tenets will be applied through a new education system. Following our philosophy of a borderless life, instead we aim to create bridges between age groups, areas of knowledge and development as a person grows older. We believe in the power of choice and giving students the trust and agency to design their own education. Instead of subjects we learn through topics. There is special attention for developing personal skills such as identity, creativity and resourcefulness that contribute to the ability to adapt in a changing world. There is also much attention on self-subsistence. In this way, we aim to create a new educational ecosystem that operates on knowledge, practice, and stewardship.
education pathway pollution studies carry through each area of study as an overarching theme
High Tide
Intertidal Zone
Low Tide
marine reproductive cycles
intertidal mangroves
microfauna of mudflats
high tide ecosystem
invasive species
migratory birds
boating and water safety
water erosion
intertidal ponds (gei wei)
sustainable fishing practices
aquatic vegetation
reedbeds
pathway continues according to the tides
Shenzhen Bay Curriculum. With the education system, we move towards the de-establishment of human-centric principles and aim to place humans and stewardship at equal consideration, in tandem with one another. In the case of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross border students, the goal of the curriculum would be to use this play-based, engaging experiential learning to understand the importance of the bay and how it works as an ecosystem. With Shenzhen Bay’s intertidal zone, schedules would differ day-to-day according to the life cycles of the organisms and environment (both above and below the tideline) while following the ebb and flow of the tides themselves. Students would learn about the role of the salt marshes, mangroves, oysters, shrimp and fish in the area. They would come to understand the importance of the bay internationally as well; for example, the role it plays as a resting area for migratory birds. Furthermore, they would inquire how overarching issues such as pollution in the region negatively impact other areas of the system, and actively seek out how to mitigate the sources rather than treat the symptoms. In centering education around understanding the bay as an integrated system, students will become better able to approach and apply these concepts to other complex issues while normalizing the use of the water, land, and all the spaces inbetween as environments to learn and grow.
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PROPOSALS
Infrastructure Changes. We aim to replace divisive thoroughfares such as highways with inclusive public spaces that act as waterways during the rainy season. Allowing for mobility and unification, these temporary waterways will connect a range of local, decentralized classrooms together in Shenzhen Bay. In creating a system that harnesses both decentralized, local learnings and centralized cross-pollination of knowledge, we aim to foster a society of Waterzens that have the capacity to learn, understand and act at different scales to create positive, lasting change.
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PHOTO CREDITS
Cover Mashal Khan, 6 123RF Stock Photo edited by Mashal Khan, 8 Winnie Chang, 12 HK photographer, 14 Mashal Khan, 15 Paul Kardous, 16 Mashal Khan, 17 Victoria Marshall, 18 Miodrag Mitrasinovic, 20 Victoria Marshall, 22 Paul Kardous, 24 Shutterstock Photo edited by Mashal Khan, 26 Corey Chao, 28-29 Eric Romeo, 30 Heming Zhang, 33-35 Mashal Khan, 36-45 Corey Chao & Eric Romeo Heming Zhang & Mashal Khan, 46 Empiricus Capital Management Photo edited by Mashal Khan, 48 Emmanuel Oni, 52 Darcy Bender & Tamara Streefland, 54-55 Matthew Spanarkel, 58-59 Noah Litvin, 60-61 Google Maps Satellite Photos edited by Emmanuel Oni, 62-63 Emmanuel Oni & Darcy Bender & Matthew Spanarkel & Noah Litvin, 64 Paul Kardous, 67-68 Ankita Roy, 69-71 Charles Andrews, 72-73 Paul Kardous, 74-76 Ankita Roy & Charles Andrews & Paul Kardous, 77 Mashal Khan, 78 Shutterstock Photo edited by Mashal Khan, 80-81 Kate Fisher, 83-85 Winnie Chang, 88 Mashal Khan, 90-91 Kate Fisher & Tamara Streefland & Winnie Chang & Zin Mon Thet, 93 Zin Mon Thet, 94 Kate Fisher & Winnie Chang & Mashal Khan, 96 Winnie Chang, 97 Kate Fisher