Alternative way to green the city : unplanned vegetation in Hong Kong

Abstract

In densely populated Hong Kong, public and private sectors are carrying out active planting, proper maintenance and preservation of plants to enhance opportunities of greening in urban area, but there are still many bare areas along the margins of footpaths and road. However, there are patches of green pop up from cracks of this concrete jungle. These are self seeded plants and they are unintended to be planted in the urban environment. The research project was to investigate unplanned vegetation as an alternative way to green the city, even an inch of land has to be fought for. Then we will map out the management about the design intervention of self seeded vegetation and the promotion of this sustainable greening method. By putting intervention at different suitable location in urban area, we are proving opportunities for Mother Nature to take over the grey surface, and creating habitats for wild life by self seeded plants in urban. These little spots of habitats create a network of biomass within the city and connect to surrounding ecology. Beside of habitat restoration and protection, self seeded plants also bring us a lot of values, such as reduce greenhouse effect, moderate soil erosion, increase slope stability and reduce loading of stormwater facilities, which ornamental plants also provide, and some values only provided by them, such as reduce costs of landscape installation and maintenance, and high tolerance of urban harsh condition. The most important point is they can be used as spatial usage indicator, which help use to review the use of different areas within districts. With new management approach for self seeded plants, we may maximize the greening effect of plants and cover more grey surface, user safety and plant health are maintain at the same time. Different promotions will be carried out to educate the community about this sustainable greening method, to change their presumption of unplanned vegetation. We hope the acceptance of unplanned vegetation will be increase after the implement and promotion. This is an action turning the “unplanned” to “planned” vegetation and green our city.