Future looks greener in old Wan Chai
A blueprint for a greener and healthier Hong Kong will be put on trial in Wan Chai, one of the city's oldest districts.
Large waste-recycling bins will be installed and shoppers who forgo plastic bags will be handed gift coupons. Drivers entering Wan Chai will be asked to switch off the engines when they are not moving. And more than a dozen back lanes will undergo a major clean-up.
Wan Chai District Council yesterday announced its plan to become a model district in Tung Chee-hwa's vision of a reshaped Hong Kong. Mr Tung said in his 1999 Policy Address that he would improve the SAR to make it comparable to New York and London.
The Wan Chai campaign aims to improve the look and feel of the district for the 170,000 people who live there and the 500,000 who work and shop there. Within four years it should be cleaner, healthier and more dynamic as a result.
The campaign had gained support from various government departments, council chairwoman Peggy Lam Pei Yu-dja said. 'We don't know if extra resources will be given to the district, but we've made requests,' she said.
The council's adviser on medical and health services, Professor Lee Siu-hung, said assessments would be made to measure factors such as food hygiene in the district. The physical and mental health of residents would also be monitored.
