Sustainable conservation-cum-development : the hidden cost and benefit analysis of a new-and-old integration project, the case of Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu

Abstract

In Hong Kong, there are two general perceptions regarding projects that include a conservation component. The first is that developers, as income-generated organizations, are not enthusiastic about conservation-included project because it is seen as a loss-making project. The second is that Conservation-included projects that are financially success are too commercialized to maintain heritage significances. Projects such as 1881 Heritage in Hong Kong and HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai are examples that seem to confirm the above general perceptions, as they have demonstrated the failure of achieving balance between conservation and financial success. As a general practice surveyor involved in conservation-cum-development projects, she wonders if these perfections are more of a misconception than fact. This question leads to this research that focuses on the case study of Sino-Ocean Tailoo li Chengdu, a successful commercial complex that include a substantial built heritage conservation component. The research, as presented in this dissertation, is to examine the validity of the two perceptions through evidence based on the two key factors of sustainable development: social and economic.