How would you evaluate the impact of government plans to build a logistics park, spa resort and golf course on Lantau Island on the cultural development of Hong Kong over the next three decades?
Tough question, but officials at the Sustainable Development Unit measure the sustainability of the proposed Lantau Concept Plan on the cultural side by looking at - what else? - tickets sales at Urbtix.
'This is laughable,' said Dr Chan Wai-kwan, a member of the strategy subcommittee at the Sustainable Development Council. 'How could you know the cultural impact of a proposal by looking at the sales figures of entertainment events?'
This appraisal process, known as the sustainability assessment system, is a product of a government drive to promote the concept of sustainable development in the city.
The abstract concept - which the World Commission on Environment and Development describes as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' - was first mooted by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa in his 1999 policy address.
It was an idea made popular after the controversy over the Lok Ma Chau spur line a year later, as the KCRC proposed to build the railway on top of Long Valley wetland in Sheung Shui. The track was instead built in a tunnel under the wetland, following strong protests from green activists.
The high-level Sustainable Development Council was set up in 2003. The council, headed by the chief secretary with four ministers and a number of top businessmen as members, has been seen as a sign of the government's determination to improve our quality of life.
