Media

HKU Landscape Architecture to present “Hong Kong Platforms: Towards a Sustainable City” Exhibition, forum and guided tours for the public on March 1, 2014

26 Feb 2014

Hong Kong is one of the densest cities in the world and is the ideal setting for many “sustainable” urban features such as an extensive public transportation system, high density living environment and little urban sprawl, and three quarters of countryside area in the territory. However, while great strides are made with sustainable technologies and newly certified “green” buildings throughout the territory, controversies are arising due to the extraordinary development pressures that Hong Kong faces. How do we begin to evaluate sustainability in Hong Kong? Are global “standards” and “good practices” sufficient to guide a sustainable future in such a specific geographical and cultural context? How can this understanding shape the future of our city?

The  “Hong Kong Platforms” project, initiated by the Division of Landscape Architecture of the University of Hong Kong, addresses sustainability in Hong Kong by examining the physical environment that we live in and connecting that to our collective future.

The project starts with the MTR Tung Chung Line, and invites the public to explore Hong Kong through a different lens. On March 1 (Saturday), a series of activities will be held to kick-start the project, which include an exhibition at the Central Oasis Gallery and a public forum on “Sustaining Hong Kong”. Members of the public are invited to join one of the guided tours at the eight Tung Chung Line stations, each with a theme including heritage, transportation, urban renewal, food, shipping, housing, tourism and ecology. (Sign up at http://goo.gl/XKnfoN)

Moreover, a series of videos and audio tours featuring the landscape at the eight MTR stations will be uploaded on the platform. The public are invited to participate, via social media, a discussion about the important issues that Hong Kong now faces, e.g. how to balance the protection of ecological habitat with pressing cultural concerns, where in the city can we implement environmental and socially viable planning solutions and how can the residents of Hong Kong contribute to a sustainable city.

March 1, 2014 (Saturday)

Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm
Venue: Room 726, Knowles Building, HKU

2. Exhibition Opening & Reception
   Time: 2pm to 3pm
   Venue: Central Oasis Gallery, Central
   (Exhibition from March 1 to 14, 8:30am to 10pm daily)
3. Guided Tours at the eight stations along the MTR Tung Chung Line.
   Time: 4pm
   (Priority will be given to those who sign up in advance. For registration and more details about the tours, please visit: http://goo.gl/XKnfoN)

March 3, 2014 (Monday)

Special lecture: Urban Imaginaries: representation and Hong Kong
Speakers: Jason Carlow, Assistant Professor of Architecture, HKU; and Dorothy Tang, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, HKU
Time: 7pm
Venue: Room 102, KK Leung Building, HKU, Pokfulam Road

Interactive platforms for public discussion
“Hong Kong Platforms” is a discussion platform that seeks the public’s opinion about the future of our city. Please download the iPhone app, visit our website, like us on facebook, and upload pictures that represent issues of sustainability in Hong Kong.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongplatforms

The Hong Kong Platforms Project
This project is supported by the Sustainable Development Fund of the HKSAR Government. All events are free of charge. Ms. Vincci Mak and Dorothy Tang from the Division of Landscape Architecture lead a team to develop the content and tools. Master students from the landscape architecture and architecture programs explored the eight stations along the MTR Tung Chung Line, and were challenged to communicate a message about sustainability through videos, audio narratives, and posters. A dedicated research team then processed this information and have produced secondary school lesson plans, an interactive website and iphone app, and an exhibition to kick-off a series of events that discuss the future of Hong Kong.

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Vincci Mak, Assistant Professor at Division of Landscape Architecture, email: wsvmak@hku.hk, tel: 3917 5654; or Ms Melanie Wan (Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 email: melwkwan@hku.hk.