Hong Kong can discover a whole new way of life, below ground
Agnes Tai envisages how underground space development and electronic road pricing in congested urban areas could transform life in the city
Kowloon Park, Victoria Park and Southorn Playground have potential for underground malls, sports and recreational facilities and links to the MTR. The urban environment would be improved by relocating incompatible above-ground facilities and developing underground space.
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The pilot study presents successful cases in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Taipei, Montreal, Paris, Guangzhou, Copenhagen and Seoul. Not mentioned is the Shenzhen Link City underground mall in downtown Futian. With connections to the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Centre and three metro stations, as well as the high-speed rail link, the mall has 19 underground entrances providing access to a gigantic space 663 metres across, with a catchment area spanning nearly 20 office buildings involving 1.5 million square metres, and links visitors to four big shopping malls.
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Car parks are not a main feature in the pilot study; yet, more underground car parks with short and easy links to public transport would greatly alleviate congestion in Central, with or without electronic road pricing. This would indirectly help ease pollution and could potentially bring big spenders to underground malls.
A thematic approach to developing strategic urban areas would add clustering benefits, as visitors to the underground facilities could find what interests them within one zone. For instance, one strategic area could have an arts and culture focus, with a Cantonese opera centre-cum-school and/or a modern history museum featuring local food, festivals, costumes, way of living, inventions and more, reflecting the years of Hong Kong’s transformation from a fishing village to a modern city.
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Another area could be a “snacks zone”, featuring street food of all ethnicities in Hong Kong, while a third could be designed as a children’s interactive education centre, offering hands-on experience in coding, maths and the sciences, and innovation in robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and renewable energy.
Yet another strategic area could feature outdoor and sporting goods, with an exhibition centre for our country parks, beaches, wetlands, geological sites and marine recreation spots. Of course, retail and restaurant options would be plentiful throughout all areas.
As an incentive for large entities such as schools and tour groups to use the underground facilities, ample transport access must be offered. Promotional campaigns in collaboration with tenants in the strategic areas could be crucial.
To finance the plan, “green bonds” could be issued, with funds raised used for environmentally responsible features. Overall, well-designed underground space and electronic road pricing would enhance livability and attract more visitors to Hong Kong.
Agnes K.Y. Tai is director of an Asian family office focusing on sustainable investing