Untitled - Civic Exchange

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) has arguably been a "world city" 1
("Asia's World City") for at least the past several decades. Yet, as with any economy heavily dependent on
trade, changing fortunes in an evolving world economy make the future status of the HKSAR far from
assured. A further, and more specific issue is that Hong Kong, unlike other urban centers often cited as
"world cities," 2 faces a continuing and rapid expansion of its population. Historically, the rate of increase
has been about one million persons per decade and a similar or only moderately slower pace is expected
for the next decade and a half. 3
As the HKSAR grows from a city of about 7 million in 2002 to a city of about 9 million in 2020, it must
cope with the need to increase the supply of housing, transport, and other infrastructure-intensive services
by nearly 30%. The expansion of transport services in an already densely populated and highly developed
landscape threatens to seriously undermine the quality of life in the HKSAR, even if the economy remains
strong and personal freedoms remain sufficiently secure. Hence, the need to make Hong Kong's transport
system more sustainable is vital for the entire community and not merely for planners and
environmentalists.
It would be detrimental to the quality of life of Hong Kong people, as well as for the HKSAR's aspirations
to remain a "World City" if current Transport Bureau and Transport Department policy were to be the sole
basis of dialogue on this issue. To promote a more vigorous community dialogue, Civic Exchange, with a
grant from the Asia Foundation, has developed a set of three alternative visions for a more sustainable
transport system for the HKSAR. This report outlines one vision, which consists of an integrated set of
planning- and technology-based strategies. 4
An alternative vision for Hong Kong's transport system
A transport system should be considered sustainable only if it meets two basic conditions. First, it must
meet current needs for mobility without imposing unacceptable costs, including external costs, on
those who use it and are affected by it. Second, it must be able to meet projected future needs for
mobility at acceptable costs. Does Hong Kong's current transport system meet these criteria
In some respects, Hong Kong's transport system is among the best in the world. Almost everyone can rely
on convenient, comfortable, and affordably priced public transport. Good transport is also central to Hong
Kong's status as an international business center and logistics hub. The internal costs of transport for
passengers, including transport fares, time spent waiting for transport service, and the quality of the
journey, are low. In terms of internal costs, Hong Kong clearly does very well.
However, the external costs of Hong Kong's transport system - the costs experienced by the community as
a whole - are much higher. Pollutant emissions from Hong Kong's road transport increase air pollution
levels. Road traffic also exposes at least one million people to excessive traffic noise.
1 HKSAR Government (1999), "Bringing the Vision to Life - Hong Kong's Long Term Development Needs and
Goals," in Quality People, Quality Home: Positioning Hong Kong for the 21st Century, Hong Kong.
2 While the cities on this list vary, cities like London, Paris, New York, and Tokyo are typically included.
3 Transport Department (1999), Third Comprehensive Transport Study, Hong Kong: HKSAR Government.
4 The two other reports, published in February 2002, are Sustainable Transport in Hong Kong, by Dick Rooks and
Derckjan Smaling, and Electrifying Hong Kong: Making Transport Sustainable, by Richard Gilbert, both available
at http://www.civic-exchange.org.
1