Treating the Symptoms - A Critical Review of ... - Civic Exchange

Public Open Spaces and Pedestrian PassageSetbacks andPassages for PedestriansWhat effects have the URA’s projects had on the public realm? This is not a simple questionof whether new buildings visually fit in with the older ones, but whether the public spacescreated are congenial, inclusive, and accessible spaces for people to use. Do they facilitatesocial interaction or create exclusion? These questions are relevant because one of the tasksthe URA has been given is to create better public spaces, and has been indirectly subsidizedto do so. Are these subsidies worth it?In many of the projects visited, the URA/developer was required to provide pedestrianpassage areas, or voluntarily made use of provisions in the Buildings Ordinance to obtainbonus plot ratio in return for providing pedestrian passage. They include widenedsidewalks, covered pedestrian concourses, or footbridges over roads.The planning process involves securing the approval of the Transport Department andthe TPB. The pedestrian areas are then written into the lease by the Lands Department.Responsibility for their upkeep and maintenance typically remains with the building’sowner, and the Lands Department includes them on its list of privately managed publicopen spaces. (In a few cases, they are also included in the Building Department’s listas they have been dedicated to public use in a deed of dedication under the BuildingsOrdinance).Site visits found very mixed results. Some of the pedestrian passages are well-used andeffective, while others are underutilized due to inactive frontages, land use changes, ormisalignment with pedestrians’ desire lines. One case of serious mismanagement wasdiscovered. The less successful cases highlight some of the inherent tensions betweenpublic and private interests in the use of these spaces. Below, we will highlight some ofthe more remarkable cases of success or failure in order to identify the most importantcontributing factors.65Left: Advertisements outside the Citywalk/Vision City development in Tsuen Wan. Large shopping malls attract mainly large chain brands due to the relative uniformity of their rents and tenure options.