Does the past have a future? : respecting cultural landscape through institutional reform and creation of a new zoning in Hong Kong

Abstract

Hong Kong is a city with unique cultural background, in which the fusion of eastern and western style, presented through foods, buildings, cultures etc., are coexisting, while diminishing. Foreigners may not have the chance to discover the values unless they pay a detail visit to the city, and the government has the responsibility to conserve and promote the story of this successful city. However, the current effort in recognizing and protecting the cultural landscapes is insufficient.

Conservation in Hong Kong is being categorized, institutionally, into three main parts, the built heritage, the natural landscape, and the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The idea Cultural Landscapes treasure all three of them. In the study we would explore the following questions:

1. Is Hong Kong conserving cultural landscape effectively with the current government structure and planning tools? 2. What can urban planning do in conserving cultural landscapes with minimal transaction cost? 3. Is it possible to improve the conservation of cultural landscape through the application of institutional reform and establishment of a new zoning?

In order to fulfill the study goal and objectives, this study will be set up in 8 sections. The order will be Background, Literature Review, Institutional Review, Zoning Review, Case Study (Wales), Recommendations, Demonstration of Recommendations, and Conclusions. The study will be conducted as a qualitative research, which data would be collected through desktop research, professional interviews, and focus group interviews. The ultimate goal of this study is to promote the uniqueness of Hong Kong’s culture by applying the cultural landscape concept, assessing the effectiveness of conservation process, identifying the hidden problems, and providing solutions for better assisting the process of conservation from an urban planning perspective. The study will only be focusing on recognizing the value of cultural landscape, reviewing the institutional structure and examine the possibility of creating a new zoning in Hong Kong. However, further study about the management of cultural landscape, government budget and the debate of property rights will not be discussed in this paper.

At the end of the paper, the study suggested an institutional reform of establishing a new Conservation Unit to oversee all conservation process in order to reduce the transaction cost. Meanwhile, another suggestion would be adapting a new zoning name Cultural Landscape to provide better protection and development to our past, and lead them to the future.