Inside OutWe pray to see Victoria Harbour in its rightful beauty in our lifetimes
Will Hong Kong finally break the spell since 1998 when every piece of public infrastructure project had broken the budget and gone overtime?
For as long as I have known Hong Kong, I have heard the same old joke: “It will be great when it is finished.”
The joke erupted, sudden and unwelcome, as I was being briefed last week on “Site 3”, which seems soon likely to be put out for tender.
For those who may have forgotten, Site 3 is the 157,000 square metre “groundscraper” portion of the eight-part Central Waterfront Development Plan. It will consume the General Post Office and stretch alongside IFC2 up to the ferry piers. In theory, it does not engulf the lonely Ferris wheel sitting lifelessly by Pier 9, but it comes close.
As the briefing unfolded, the joke erupted, and morphed painfully into not a joke. It was fuelled first by a fearful imagining that this huge and iconic site might never be finished – not in my lifetime at least – and secondly by the concern that unless our leaders become uncharacteristically inspired, it may end up not being great either.
The importance of this site simply cannot be underestimated. By 2050, what is being created today on Site 3 will define how the world perceives Hong Kong. It will be on postage stamps, and will provide the backdrop to international TV broadcasters as they talk to the world about Hong Kong. Whether Hong Kong stands out as “Asia’s World City” or by then is just another Asian or Chinese city, will be determined by what we create.