New and shiny buildings are the ones that attract most of the attention in Hong Kong. But older buildings are also remarkable. The new towns in the Hong Kong New Territories (such as Fo Tan and Sha Tin) and some residential lots in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are worthwhile a visit. They are usually from the 70s and look all more or less the same: apartment towers, multiple levels of public spaces for pedestrians, a park and a playground, a shopping mall, parking and roads at the ground level. I have seen similar examples in Western cities but most of them become urbanistic nightmares. The model seems to work much better here, maybe because of the habits of its people.
Shopping in Tai Po
Very early in the morning, the parks get invaded by old people practicing their tai chi and sometimes playing music. Then you see students getting to schools and parents to their offices. Later in the day, the public spaces get used by a mix of people: elderly, mothers living at home, workers getting a break, teenagers. In the evening, people do sport in the parks, play football, jog or simply chat. The shopping malls attract the younger crowd, not necessary to shop, also to hang around or have an afternoon snack with their friends. The towns and residential lots are always lively and feel very safe. I’m sure they also have their urbanistic problems and that life is far from being perfect here. Maybe the liveliness in public spaces is nothing but a consequence of the very small flats that families can only afford here in Hong Kong. It remains that the social cohesion and the coexistence between generations really transform the space.
One of the many small gardens between apartment buildings
Playgrounds all look the same in Hong Kong, but are always very well maintained.
The community buildings feature typically a series of local facilities: kindergartens, dry cleaners, second hand shops and so forth.
Older generations seem to play an essential role in this equilibrium; they are the ones who have the most time and incentives to appropriate the public space. Far from being inactive people without any function in society, their everyday activities seem to help maintaining a neighbourhood that is useful to the whole community. I wonder if there are others reasons why these residential lots and planned towns work somehow better than in other parts of the world.
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