Why Hong Kong and New York are still worlds apart
Elbert Lee says if New York, the defining symbol of the modern West, exudes dominance and power as a source of culture, Hong Kong is almost the reverse. Evolving into a true world city will require looking beyond the images on Tourism Board booklets
Cities are evolving. In the future, they will become larger, more populated, and more compact, because of a new wave of urbanisation. In North America, younger generations are choosing to give up suburban living in favour of the environmentally sustainable, culturally rich, and more socially oriented way of life they find in cities. As young people move out of the suburbs, their populations drop, leading to the closure of malls and plazas that used to serve as supply outposts. The stress on these suburban supply centres are worsened by online shopping platforms such as Amazon.
As cities redesign their suburbs, many look to Hong Kong as a model. A recent article published by the web magazine CityLab says some North American cities are adopting a new developmental strategy, in large part based on the city development blueprints of Hong Kong. The strategy: plan a transport hub, stack malls and business buildings on top, mix them, surround these with residential high rises. Sound familiar?
Just take a look at Central, Mong Kok and Sha Tin, and how transport hubs are connected seamlessly with business and commercial structures. People walk, talk and eat in the streets or as they move up and downhill on escalators, viewing the streets from an interesting personal height.
Note how these different parts of the city attract an endless flow of shopping crowds.