LCQ 3: Urban greening efforts in Hong Kong
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO and an oral reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, in the Legislative Council meeting today (November 2):

Question:

During the visit to the Pearl River Delta in September this year, Legislative Council Members were deeply impressed by the urban greening efforts made by the cities including Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou and Zhongshan. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it has formulated any greenery scale guidelines or requirements for the urban development of Hong Kong which involves road planning and community planning, etc; if not, whether it will consider introducing the relevant requirements with reference to the experience of other places including Mainland cities, with a view to further greening up the urban area and thereby improving the environment of the community; and

(b) whether it will arrange for officials of the Government's relevant works departments to visit Mainland cities and engage in exchanges, so that they can learn about the successful experience of such cities in person, and thereby enhance the urban greening efforts in Hong Kong?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) In a crowded place with dense population like Hong Kong, the Government is always committed to greening up of our environment. General planning principles are set out under the heading of "Greening" in Section 2, Chapter 4 of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, providing a source of reference on various developments such as residential, district and local open space, roads and expressways, etc. for government departments. Through the implementation of these guidelines and concerted efforts of all sectors in our community, the total greened area in urban districts and new towns of Hong Kong has increased by about 130 hectares, or from 18% to 19% in terms of "artificial greening coverage" since early 2003.

The Architectural Services Department has strived to adhere to the concept of sustainable development in designing and constructing government facilities. By formulating environmental policy initiatives, introducing landscape designs and rooftop greening, it seeks to harmonize buildings with their surrounding environment. The Highways Department also provides planting along central dividers and beside pavements as far as possible, while reserving a 3-meter wide strip on new pavements for amenity or tree planting if practicable. Similarly, the Civil Engineering and Development Department is progressively mapping out Greening Master Plans for selected urban districts as a comprehensive strategy to improve the planning process by determining the distribution of greening zones and overall planting themes.

(b) Drawing on the experience of other places including Mainland cities to enhance effectiveness of our greening efforts, we maintain close contact and frequent exchanges with landscape experts in the Mainland and organize bilateral exchange visits by management and professional staff of various departments. Relevant activities conducted last year are set out at Annex distributed to Members and will not be repeated here.

Why tall buildings are blocking Hong Kong's efforts to go green
3 November 2005
South China Morning Post

A profusion of tall buildings and underground utilities puts limits on efforts to create a greener city, legislators heard yesterday.

The government wanted to plant trees and shrubs in as many pedestrian zones, road dividers and areas under overpasses as possible, environment minister Sarah Liao Sau-tung said.

But tall buildings starved the vegetation of sunlight and dense underground pipes stopped the roots from spreading.

"You might see some dying vegetation in polluted areas along the road that never seem to be branching out," she said. "This is all because there is not enough soil and too many pipes underneath that limit the plants' growth.

"Pots are used as well {hellip} but there are too many tall buildings in the city that block their sunshine."

Dr Liao said officials had worked with developers in Central to plant three camphor trees in Queen's Road Central, "but one died shortly after we planted it".

The Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works was speaking after she announced that more master greening plans would be completed by the end of next year covering such areas as Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei.

The plans, aimed at identifying potential sites for urban greening, follow two similar schemes now under way in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Dr Liao said the idea of rooftop gardens might not work for tall buildings because plants would not be able to stand up to the windy conditions at such heights.

Promising to review whether the rooftop of the government's headquarters could be greened, the minister said tests would need to be done to find out what types of plants were most suitable for roof tops.

Dr Liao said the Architectural Services Department had also been looking at the greening potential at the mid-level of buildings, but such features had to be planned before the structures were built.

100 million trees and shrubs planted over last decade
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Government Press Release

Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Mak Chai-kwong, said today (August 11) that in order to enhance the living environment, the government had attached importance to the greening works and had planted about one 100 million trees, shrubs and flowers in the past decade.

Addressing the opening ceremony for the 10th Anniversary Memorial Garden cum Community Tree Planting Day in Kowloon Park, Mr Mak said that apart from increasing the number of urban greening areas, the Development Bureau was introducing in stages Greening Master Plans (GMP) in selected districts, formulating greening strategies as well as identifying greening themes and species to reflect district characteristics.

Mr Mak said, “We also plan to enhance greening measures in focal locations in the New Territories.”

Mr Mak noted that apart from greening, urban design and town planning were indispensable elements in creating a better living environment for an international hub like Hong Kong.

He said, “To create a high quality and sustainable living environment, we have to fully consider the concept and principle of urban design and town planning when implementing works projects.”

“We will assess from different angles the impacts of the works projects on environment, economy and social culture, and focus on the basic design elements that would help reflect the fine tradition of Hong Kong,” he added.

Mr Mak noted that the newly established Development Bureau would further improve the coordination, planning and implementation efficiency of works projects and expedite the implementation of infrastructural development and capital works programme to enhance the development of Hong Kong’s economy.

The 10th Anniversary Memorial Garden in Kowloon Park is undertaken by the Development Bureau project to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Inside the garden are 50 Bauhinia Variegata trees, while its forecourt includes the design features of paving block pattern of 10 concentric rings, 10 lights and 10 stools.

Other officiating guests at today’s ceremony were Legislative Councillor, Mr Raymond Ho, Chairman of Yau Tsim Mong District Council, Mr Henry Chan, Director of Architectural Services, Mr Yue Chi-hang and Acting Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Yau Kwok-yin.

Cool at the top
Jim Chi-yung is planting the seeds for a more eco-friendly Hong Kong
3 July 2007
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong campus is quietening down as students and teachers take off on their summer break. But it's a busy period for geography professor Jim Chi-yung. Better known as an expert on urban trees, he's promoting his latest publication - a picture book for children - and gearing up for a study on using green roofs to alleviate the oven-like effect of our concrete towers.

Jim might be expected to find his new book child's play, having published numerous weighty tomes and research papers on plant life and ecology over the past two decades. But he says compiling the 184-page pictorial book, Trees in Diagrams, tested his ingenuity.

"It's a challenge to present a lot of information and complicated concepts about tree species in a way that's comprehensible and appealing to youngsters," he says. "We hear of people advocating animal welfare but there's seldom concern expressed about the well-being of plants. I felt I had to educate the younger generation about the value of trees."

Written in simple language, the bilingual publication is dominated by colourful illustrations and designed to help parents teach their children about trees and their ecological impact. They don't just make for more pleasant-looking streets: trees provide welcome shade, cleaner air and help lower urban temperatures.

Yet many of Hong Kong's magnificent old trees are being lost through city officials' indifference and ignorance. Of the 360 trees identified in Jim's 1994 book as Hong Kong's "champion" trees - those deemed stellar examples because of their beauty, rarity, age and historical background - 50 had died by the time he updated his list three years ago. "Those trees should have lived for 1,000 years, not just 100 or 200.
Dozens more are likely to die if Hong Kong people don't take care of them," he says.

In particular, Jim mourns how several ancient banyans in Kowloon Park were suffocated by the earth around their base being compressed and bricked over.

While the government is introducing more plants to beautify the city and improve air quality, it makes sense to preserve those trees that have been growing for more than a century, he says.

"Many trees and plants are killed by people's craze for cement and concrete. Hong Kong people make a fetish of such building materials. They love covering most spaces, including grounds outdoors, with concrete because they believe it spruces up the area and makes it look more developed. But the material smothers the roots and kills the trees," he says.

"Why don't people just leave the trees and soil as they were instead of adding anything artificial to the environment?"

Trained as a soil scientist, Jim sees an urgent need to instil a greater awareness of the environment in the younger generation.

"If the city has very few trees and little greenery, people will rely increasingly on air conditioning to cool the indoor environment and that will accelerate the heat-island effect," he says.

Jim is distressed by the effect of what he views as heedless urban build-up in Hong Kong since he returned from Britain in 1981 with his doctorate. Global warming aside, ambient temperatures in the city are also rising because of the effect of so many structures built with material that absorbs heat from the sun and releases it into the environment. And few are designed with natural cooling systems in mind.

"Construction materials such as concrete and glass absorb heat. And the taller and bigger the building, the more heat it will soak up [and radiate]," he says.
"Now, new buildings are taller and wider, blocking the breeze flowing between the hills and the harbour, leaving lower blocks in between without proper air circulation to cool the surroundings."

In the next few months, Jim is gearing up for a new research project that may help alleviate the heat-island effect of our concrete jungle - by covering the roofs of buildings with plants.

The heat and heavy rains during summer make it a good time to test how well rooftop green carpets can disperse heat from buildings and accelerate the evaporation of rainwater.

Jim has transformed the roof of a university building into a laboratory to test the suitability of different plants. They must not only be able to survive the exposed environment but also Hong Kong people's neglect. "I'm looking for drought-tolerant species as most people here are too busy for gardening," the professor says.

During the first phase of his project, which was supported by CLP Power's Energy Innovation Fund, Jim showed that having plant cover on rooftops can significantly lower the temperature of a building.

Under the blazing summer sun, a bare concrete roof can reach 60 degrees Celsius, but carpeting it with greenery could lower temperatures by half.

"Advanced countries such as Japan and Germany have long adopted green roofs to help cut down energy consumption, especially for air conditioning. I don't see why Hong Kong shouldn't follow suit," he says.

But it's not simply a matter of putting pot plants on the roof. That has a very limited effect on dispersing heat from the building, Jim says. "What we're promoting is putting a layer of soil over the area, which is then planted."

Jim concedes he faces a major challenge persuading homeowners and developers to invest in such installations. Most people reject the idea for fear that water would leak to the lower floors. But Jim says his previous study shows that in a well-designed system, most water from plants and soil would evaporate, helping cool the structure.

In fact, the stable temperature on a rooftop can protect the building's layer of waterproofing on the roof from ageing. What owners need to do is select a suitable soil mix and a layer of mineral fibre to hold moisture and reduce the risk of leaks, he says.

Despite his love of greenery, Jim doesn't keep plants at home - he prefers them in a more natural environment.

"Plants won't feel happy when trapped in small pots or in an environment without enough sunlight, fresh air and soil," he says.

"Similarly, city dwellers shouldn't keep themselves indoors all day. I wish Hong Kong people would enjoy the sea breezes and the cool air under the trees on summer nights as we did in the past, instead of keeping air conditioners roaring all night."

Collapse of stately tree is wake-up call for city
14 August 2007
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong is losing an older, more stately and eye-catching part of its heritage than the Star Ferry or Queen's piers: the 200-year-old banyan tree in Kowloon Park. Its gradual demise has not been marked by the all-night vigils, hunger strikes and noisy demonstrations that took place at the Central landmarks; no one is calling for an audience with government officials or struggling with police to get their voices heard for its preservation.

Instead, the voices of all but a handful of citizens have been muted. Perhaps it is because trees have not been part of the discussion about heritage, collective memory and culture; or maybe because it is so close to death, the fight is considered lost.

That was the opinion of a University of Hong Kong tree expert yesterday after a third of the tree collapsed, its roots starved of water and oxygen. Officials at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department disagree, saying that the pale colour of its trunk and shedding of its leaves do not necessarily mean that it is dying.

They do admit, though, that its roots were damaged when a neighbouring playing field was built, and that bricks and soil put around its base in 1989, to make the area look neat and tidy, were thoughtlessly placed. The material was removed 2½ years ago, but the tree has not been given a new lease of life.

Dozens of other trees of a similar stature have died over the past few decades. Of 360 highlighted in a book in 1994 for their beauty, rarity, age and historical background, 50 had died when the list was updated a decade later.

Such figures say much about Hong Kong's dedication to preservation. For anyone familiar with practices elsewhere in the world, where trees of a certain size or age are generally protected by law, the numbers are shameful.

We have good reason to be ashamed. With global warming a matter of such great concern, trees - which turn the carbon dioxide generated by the burning of fossil fuels into oxygen - may well be Earth's saviour. While our concrete and glass buildings absorb and release heat, trees' leaves deflect sunlight, cooling our humid city streets.

These facts have been lost on authorities. They have let developers have their way, putting concrete ahead of the greenery that is so important to a city, such as ours, located in a subtropical climate. Worse, as the example of the banyan tree shows, there have been indifference and ignorance even for outstanding trees located within parks.

So entrenched is the lack of concern for trees that communities in Stanley and the New Territories, fearful that the birds that rest or nest in their branches are carrying bird flu, want them removed. A branch of one of the two ancient wishing trees at Lam Tsuen in the New Territories snapped off two years ago under the weight of oranges and paper offerings thrown onto it.

The government has a tree-planting programme, but it is centred on the country parks. While efforts to beautify urban areas with plants are also being made, less care is being put into the trees that we already have.

This needs to change. Trees are as important to Hong Kong as is preserving our built environment. Greater effort has to be taken to protect them and ensure that they are properly cared for.

We have the expertise in the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Now, we need government and community resolve to prevent more trees from going the way of the once-majestic banyan in Kowloon Park.

LCSD saddened by collapse of banyan tree branches at Kowloon Park
Government Press Release
Monday, August 13, 2007

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) was saddened by the collapse of one third of the branches of a Chinese banyan tree at Kowloon Park.

Although Chinese banyan tree is common in Hong Kong, this one in Kowloon Park is listed on the Register of Old and Valuable Trees as it is aged over 100 years.

The LCSD has been very concerned about its health condition. From late 2004 to early 2005, the department found its leaves falling quite often.

Its root system might have been affected during the redevelopment of Kowloon Park in 1989. After the redevelopment, the paving of concrete slabs on the peripheral area of the tree base and park-goers' stepping on the soil resulted in soil compaction, hindering air and water infiltration into the soil layers. This also affected the respiration and development of the root system, and led to the infection of the tree by fungi.

Over the past two years, the LCSD has consulted local academics and experts, as well as tree experts from the Guangdong Forestry Bureau of China and the International Society of Arboriculture in the US on possible measures to save the banyan tree. Remedial measures taken include:

- Turning over the soil on which the banyan tree grows and replacing the top soil with better quality soil to improve its permeability
- Inserting porous plastic tubes into the peripheral area of the tree to facilitate the spreading of fertilisers to deep soil layers.
- Using bamboo poles to expedite the growth of aerial roots to the soil surface and their development into supporting roots.
- Utilising the diagnostic tool PICUS Sonic Tomograph to assess the internal condition of the tree.
- Sending leave and soil samples to a botanic laboratory in the US for analysis. The results revealed relatively high levels of ammonium and alkalinity in the soil. Calcium compounds have been injected into the soil to lower the pH value.
- Vertical mulchings were bored in the peripheral area of the roots and filled with good quality substrates so as to induce root development.
- Following the advice of tree experts, fungicide Tridemorph was used to annihilate fungal diseases in the root system.

The health condition of the banyan tree has improved after a series of remedial measures in the past two years. Its leaves, roots and aerial roots were seen growing. However, its root system has not shown much improvement and with the passage of a tropical cyclone and heavy rains, part of its branches collapsed.

The department will strive to save the tree. The staff will remove the withered limbs of the tree to reduce its weight. The Architectural Services Department was contacted to help stabilise the tree with wires. The LCSD will keep liaising with local and overseas experts for further remedial measures.

Calcium compounds have been injected into the soil to lower the pH value.

Banyan trees are accustomed to more acidic tropical/subtropical soil (pH 5-6), any signs of alkalinity are considered as significant.

Moreover, the lack of aeration intensified the alkalinity problem. The remedial measures were generally sensible but the 15 years of damaging the trees had intensified the problem such that the old banyan tree could no longer grow well.

"Many trees and plants are killed by people's craze for cement and concrete. Hong Kong people make a fetish of such building materials. They love covering most spaces, including grounds outdoors, with concrete because they believe it spruces up the area and makes it look more developed. But the material smothers the roots and kills the trees," he says.


I am surprised by Jim's craze on commenting the use of concrete in a city as "people's craze for cement and concrete". But we can use these material in a better way.

The below are photos from Trivandrum, Kerala. There were dense cover of vegetation with concrete blocks dotted between them.

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Full of beans
Community gardening offers city dwellers a refreshing taste of country living
19 March 2008
South China Morning Post

Oblivious to the drilling from nearby garages and the constant hum of traffic, Kenvia Wong Kam-wah and his family are busily harvesting vegetables from a plot near Man Cheong Street in Tai Kok Tsui. It's part of a string of community gardens across the city that are catering to Hongkongers' yearning to get closer to nature and exercise their green thumbs.

"We love nature, but we are too busy to garden in a countryside plot. That's why we love it here; it's so close. It's part of our life now," says Wong, who owns a marketing firm.

His home is just a 10-minute walk away, so he pops by to work on his patch as often as he can, sometimes up to five times a week.

Their previous experience was limited to potted plants, but Wong and his wife, Leung Tor-mui, have found it more rewarding to grow vegetables.

"In the case of potted plants, we just bought what we fancied and looked after them. But with vegetables, you can see them grow from seed and eat them later. It gives you a sense of accomplishment," says Leung. "They make wonderful gifts for relatives and friends, too."

The community garden scheme, which uses temporarily vacant government land, began four years ago under a Leisure and Cultural Services Department drive to promote greater awareness of greening activities. For HK$400, gardeners can rent a 1.5-square metre patch for a maximum of four months and attend a basic gardening course covering topics such as hoeing, transplanting seedlings and applying compost. Participants are randomly drawn from the list of applicants.

There are now 18 community gardens, one in each district in the city. Scattered from Wan Chai to Sham Shui Po and Sha Tin, the plots cover a total of 19,134 square metres. About 20,000 people have takenpart in the programme, from 400 in the first year to 7,800 last year. Most prefer to plant vegetables such as lettuces, tomatoes, radishes and beans.

The scheme is more popular than most greening activities for good reason, says Violet Sun Chan Kit-fong, a senior leisure manager at the LCSD. "Tree-planting is just a one-day event and it takes a long time for a sapling to show any significant growth. But with vegetables, you can get pretty striking results in a month," she says.

Although gardening novices, Maria Chu Wai-fun and her sister's families have done well in their first venture in the Man Cheong Street plot.

"It's easier than we thought," says the accounts clerk. "The biggest problem is the pests and I use organic pesticide - simply water mixed with chilli and garlic."

Most participants prefer organic methods. "It makes little sense not to go organic when you have the rare opportunity to grow your own vegetables. You want the bestfor yourselves,"says Chu, whose meticulously tended patch is packed with more than 10 varieties, including mint, celery, carrots and cabbage.

Her favourite are green peas, which have been especially prolific. "Growing peas is very cost-effective. In a short time you can pick more peas than you can eat," she says.

Instead of resorting to chemical fertilisers, her family uses bone, peanut and fish meal and findthe quality of the produce issuperior to anything they canbuy in the markets.

"It's different. You can't get fresher, crisper and juicier vegetables than these," says Chu, who commutes twice weekly from her Quarry Bay home. "You also learn to cherish food more. I eat everything I grow."

Their little plot also provides a good way to spend quality time and to unwind. "It's impossible to tend it on my own so I bring my two sons to help with the chores and we have a great time," she says.

"I also forget about my work and my boss when I tend the garden. It's a very effective stress buster. It's also a great way to socialise and exercise."

Wong finds vegetable growing to be a useful allegory for discussing life with his children, Jocelyn, 12, and Hugo, six.

"I ask my kids why some plants grow faster, some slower. You have to water your plants every day so they can be bigger and stronger. It's the same with life. You have to keep working on yourself or you're out one day. You have to stand on your feet if you want to survive in this society," he says.

Simon Chau Siu-cheong, chairman of Produce Green Foundation, welcomes the community garden scheme, but says four months is too brief to cultivate a sense of belonging.

"Community gardens have been popular in the west for many years and it's a great way to generate community spirit and cohesion," he says.

"Gardening is a therapeutic activity that makes people feel better about themselves, especially the elderly."

Five years ago, Chau founded the Community Garden for the Elderly, which occupies a 17,000-sq ft site in Tsuen Wan. Partly funded by the Elderly Commission, it's the city's first organic community garden scheme and rents out plots to people over 60. But the unlimited tenancy means there's a waiting list of more than 50 people.

About 30 people volunteer at the organic garden, providing advice to novices and tending to the grounds. Fan Cheung-chun, a retired Chinese medicine practitioner, is among the regulars. Although it's a fair distance from his home in Tuen Mun, the 74-year-old helps out whenever he can and he's never been happier.

"I had nothing to do after retirement; it was such a boring life. Now I get to make friends and do something meaningful," he says. "I feel healthier, too."

Fan's fellow volunteers often consult him about their ailments, and the camaraderie between young and old is evident. Their work together has altered 23-year-old volunteer Ken Yung Kin-yu's perceptions of the elderly.

"I used to think elderly people were grumpy, morose and annoying, but they're actually a lot of fun to be with and they like to laugh. It's my favourite volunteer work," says Yung, a Sai Kung resident.

"We don't just tend to the garden. We sometimes eat out together and organise classes for tai chi, Putonghua and Chinese calligraphy. The old folks share stories about Tsuen Wan with me because many of them come from the neighbourhood. We're like one big family."

Still, how wholesome can it be when community gardens are mostly small patches scattered across the pollution-choked city? The garden enthusiasts are unfazed.

"Acid rain and fumes from traffic will affect the plants. But if the vegetables are grown organically, they'll still be superior to those grown with pesticides," says Chau.

Leung sees a greater good. "We like to think we help purify the environment by doing our bit to grow vegetables," she says.

For details about the scheme, go to lcsd.gov.hk/green/garden/

Trivandrum tried its best to remain its "green city" image, while Hong Kong never made any ambitious plan on providing green spaces--- apart from suburban "country parks".

Are there any "Sustainability" projects being embarked up by the HK Government,

Obviously, it's more than just 'greening' of the city - the long term solution is MORE than just that.

What about the triple bottom line measures ?

大廈天台造林慳電三成


28/07/2008



【 本 報 訊 】 烈 日 當 空 ， 天 台 頂 層 吸 熱 猶 如 「 火 爐 」 ， 中 華 電 力 於 荔 枝 角 深 旺 道 變 電 站 旁 設 備 大 樓 天 台 設 立 全 港 首 個 空 中 樹 林 ， 測 試 樹 木 對 減 低 室 溫 、 空 氣 污 染 物 及 二 氧 化 碳 量 的 效 能 。 中 電 指 ， 空 中 樹 林 最 高 可 為 建 築 物 降 溫 攝 氏 五 至 七 度 ， 一 年 可 為 建 築 物 節 省 空 調 耗 電 量 約 三 成 ； 但 由 於 負 重 問 題 ， 現 有 建 築 物 不 能 貿 然 設 立 空 中 樹 林 ， 建 造 商 一 般 要 增 加 兩 至 三 成 成 本 裝 上 防 水 及 樹 根 障 壁 等 設 備 。

中 電 輸 電 及 供 電 業 務 部 總 監 潘 偉 賢 指 ， 剛 於 五 月 落 成 的 空 中 樹 林 面 積 一 千 平 方 呎 ， 工 程 須 在 天 台 地 面 鋪 上 九 層 ， 包 括 混 凝 土 板 、 樹 根 障 壁 、 排 水 及 過 濾 層 和 泥 土 表 層 等 ， 每 平 方 米 承 托 力 可 達 二 千 五 百 公 斤 ， 較 一 般 樓 宇 的 三 百 公 斤 高 。 樹 林 內 栽 種 十 八 棵 大 、 中 型 樹 木 及 地 面 草 皮 ， 主 要 為 土 沉 香 及 麥 門 冬 等 本 地 樹 種 及 樹 根 較 短 的 品 種 ； 周 邊 則 安 裝 了 三 組 溫 度 、 空 氣 懸 浮 粒 子 、 太 陽 輻 射 及 泥 土 濕 度 等 測 試 儀 器 。

Residents on march for greener Kwun Tong

Monday, July 28, 2008

More than 200 Kwun Tong residents took to the streets yesterday to express discontent over their deteriorating environment and the lack of consultation on redevelopments plans.
Composed of children and the elderly, the protesters marched from Laguna Park to the Kwun Tong pier where they tied green ribbons around its fences to express their hopes for a better living environment.

"The living environment is very important for our children," said a housewife surnamed Chui who marched with her husband and eight-year-old son. They have been Laguna City residents for 10 years.

Chui said noise, water and air pollution have all become part of the daily lives of residents, pointing out that a sewage treatment plant, two cargo working areas and a metal-recycling plant are located along the coast from Kwun Tong to Cha Kwo Ling.



Residents have been pressing for the demolition of the cargo loading areas, where around 40 barges dock regularly.

Their contract, scheduled to expire on July 31, was extended by the government to 2011 without allegedly consulting the residents as there were no other suitable site for cargo-handling.

"The government is siding with the developers," Kwun Tong district councillor Cliff Tang Wing-chun said.

I hope developers can start putting green roofs on residential buildings, such as making it a code requirement for new constructions. I don't think it'll cost that much to put a patch of grass up there, and reduce the possibility of roof leakages while cooling the floors below.

Tree revolution takes root
The biggest landscaping project undertaken in Hong Kong is scheduled to start in September
23 May 2008
South China Morning Post

Landscape architects, engineers, horticulturists and arborists are in hot demand as Hong Kong's grand vision of a clean, green world city gets into full swing. The "greening" of Hong Kong began last year with a pilot scheme involving the planting of 1,000 trees and 250,000 shrubs in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Under the government's "Greening Master Plan" (GMP), the initiative is poised to enter its second phase. The "urban woodland" is extending across Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon, and beyond Central to Sheung Wan, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay.

This new phase, starting in September, will involve the planting of another 4,200 trees and nearly a million shrubs. Scheduled for completion next year, it is by far the biggest landscaping project undertaken in Hong Kong, covering 11,300 hectares, or the equivalent of 22,000 football pitches.

From 2009 to 2011 the "greening" will next extend across the rest of urban Kowloon, from Lam Tin to Sham Shui Po, and across all of Hong Kong Island.

In total, about 20,000 new trees and millions of plants and shrubs will create green gems of shade, colour and vitality. Hundreds of specialists and a small army of supervisors, landscapers and labourers are needed to create the facelift. Every street was being surveyed for opportunities to create "an oasis of greenery", said Kathy Ng Tze-kwun, a senior landscape architect with the government's Civil Engineering and Development Department.

The GMP's transformation of streetscapes is also an effective weapon in Hong Kong's battle against pollution.

"Trees absorb a lot of pollutants and hydrocarbons in the air," said Johannes Spies, an associate with ACLA, the master planning division of Hyder Consulting and lead consultants for the project. "They are also important psychologically, reducing stress and anxiety."

Trees and greenery are a natural air-conditioning system, absorbing heat and reducing temperatures.

"If you look at an infrared satellite photo of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Park is visibly cooler than the surrounding area," said David Knight, project manager of Hyder Consulting, for the programme. "Other studies have shown that creating a peaceful, green environment helps people recover more quickly from illness, reduces domestic violence and improves the attention span of students."

Planting trees across urban Hong Kong is not as straightforward as it might seem. "There are numerous challenges in congested urban areas, such as narrow pavements, overhead signs, underground utilities and pipes, and loading zones," said Mr Knight. "We have to survey every street looking for opportunities without obstructing pavements or upsetting people.

"One of the things we look for are weeds growing. They are a good indication that people don't walk much over the spot, and a tree will have a good chance of surviving."

The project has required a huge data collection exercise, with a tailor-made geographic information system linked to mobile computer technology. Extensive public consultation has also been undertaken with local communities and councils.

"We have had a lot of positive feedback. What the public always asks for is colourful flowers, and selecting them is a challenge in itself because they are seasonal," Mr Spies said.

To instil a sense of local identity, districts are even being "themed" with their own flower and shrub combinations. From Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay, the theme is "rainbow" colours. In Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok, the area is sub-divided into coastal scenery, parkland and green kaleidoscope.

"In each district, we are setting the tone for private developers to hopefully follow the local colour themes," he said.

Public consultation, from schools to community forums, had proved vital, added Ms Ng.

"In the past, trees have been vandalised," she said. "It is important to convince children, especially, that we are planting trees for them. It is their environment for the future, so it is important that they love them and protect them."

The government is also promoting cooling "green roof" initiatives, with gardens and greenery on rooftops, and vines climbing the sides of buildings. More than 100 such projects have been completed, including a "vertical green panel system" at the Eastern Harbour Crossing.

Hong Kong didn't really have a choice but to actively promote this concept. Sustainable cities are the future and they have to be green, Mr Spies added.

Greening can do nothing but good for any city.


I particularly like this photo, where the green of the mountains is mirrored by the green in the waterfront, and you can look through the skyscrapers and see green all the way down.

I think with the Central waterfront development if it ever gets done, a lot of greenery will only improve this view.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7725/hkkkot1.jpg

Source: Wikimedia Commons

A greener Mong Kok is in the pipeline
Plan for more plants, pedestrian facilities
22 July 2009
South China Morning Post

The congested shopping streets of Mong Kok are edging closer to a greener and more pedestrian-friendly environment after six improvement proposals were singled out for detailed designs to be developed.

The aim is to maintain Mong Kok's identity as a shopping area while introducing more plants, better landscaping and more open space.

Pedestrian links across Nathan Road will be enhanced and landmarks added to improve orientation.

The Planning Department unveiled the short-term projects yesterday in the Area Improvement Plan for the Shopping Areas of Mong Kok, after it commissioned a feasibility study in February 2006 and two rounds of public consultation between May and July 2007 and April and May last year.

The plan, spreading over about 58 hectares, covered key shopping areas and tourist attractions. It is bounded by the Mong Kok East MTR Station and its railway track to the east, Dundas Street and Waterloo Road to the south, Shanghai Street to the west and Prince Edward Road West and Flower Market Road to the north.

The six projects, mainly involving greening and pavement improvements, were identified for early go-aheads.

Under the proposals, a petrol station on Nullah Road would be removed to make way for a tree-lined public area, coined the "Green Corridor", running through Nullah Road and Flower Market Road. A pedestrian crossing at Nathan Road near Nullah Road would be widened from seven metres to 10 metres to meet the heavy use.

A park on Kai Chi Kok Road would be enhanced to become an extended part of the Green Corridor. Sculptures and shaded seats would be introduced.

A community centre with multi-functional rooms and rooftop greening was proposed on Soy Street, while pavements at Tung Choi Street would be widened. Some meter parking lots would be removed.

Prince Edward Road West would get an eight-metre pedestrian crossing. The road's pedestrian crossings at the junctions with Fa Yuen Street and Sai Yee Street would be widened by at least a metre to meet heavy use.

The department said traffic impact assessments had been conducted to ensure no adverse effects would arise from carrying out the projects.

Yau Tsim Mong district councillors welcomed the improvement plan and urged the department to speed up the execution.

One of the councillors, Wong Shu-ming, said the area's residents would benefit from the extensive work. "Air quality in Mong Kok is not very satisfactory at the moment. I hope the green project can improve the condition," she said.

Fellow councillor Hui Tak-leung, who also welcomed the green elements of the plan, said the department should look into problems that would arise from having more plants.

"Mong Kok has quite a serious problem with mosquitoes," he said. "When planting more trees in the area, the government should ensure that the problem is under control."