Assessment of neighbourhood's perception to qualify the social significance of "Dai Pai Dongs" at Stanley Street

Abstract

In recent years, the general public and the government are becoming more aware about heritage conservation, not only the built heritage, but also its intangible cultural aspects after the controversies of the demolition of Lee Tung Street (Wedding Street) in Wan Chai, Star Ferry and Queen’s Pier in Central. People realize that the understanding of a place of heritage value should not be confined to the tangible built or physical elements, but should also include the community life, unique living habit, the emotional attachment to the place, or in short the intangible social significance, which cannot be easily qualified.

“Dai Pai Dong” as a local culture forming part of the urban fabric. With only 28 numbers left in Hong Kong, “Dai Pai Dong” is a form of collective attachment of the community, however, its social value, which is abstract, non-physical, difficult to explain and few people can understand, has hardly been assessed or recorded systematically.

This research aims to find out what the relevant data is and how to qualify and assess the people’s perception for the social significance of “Dai Pai Dong” in an urban development context, using the Dai Pai Dongs at Stanley Street as case study. The relevant data collected in the research forms a base and can be further used to provide references for cultural resources management, conservation management plan, and policy or decision making, which are brought out for readers’ further thinking.