Letters | Hong Kong heritage is best preserved for the people, by the people

Residents should have a say on what constitutes heritage and how such buildings are best used, particularly in old neighbourhoods with layers of history

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Preserving the memories outside The Excelsior on March 31, before the hotel shut its doors after 46 years in the business. The Causeway Bay landmark is to be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use commercial tower. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 1:05pm, 30 May 2019Updated: 1:05pm, 30 May 2019

We read with great interest the article “Officials in unprecedented move to protect Hong Kong’s heritage by creating new system to save modern buildings from developers’ wrecking ball” (May 14). This is an important move at a time when buildings that are an important part of the collective memory of the city – such as the Garden bakery headquarters, the General Post Office and Excelsior hotel – are facing demolition.

We also wholeheartedly agree with Lee Ho-yin, head of the University of Hong Kong’s architectural conservation programmes, that “social value cannot be decided by specialists”. The antiquities board should consult the public to identify what is heritage.

All across the world, policymakers are looking beyond the cultural and historical value of heritage. More and more they see its social and economic value; heritage buildings are valued as assets for creating more liveable and sustainable cities. It’s a positive sign that Hong Kong’s leaders are embracing this global trend.

It is also commonplace now in many countries that residents are asked for their ideas on the look of their city, especially in the older neighbourhoods with layers of history and many different interests contesting for space. What and where to build and what to preserve? People get to share their views through resident meet-ups, surveys and so on.

The General Post Office is one of several notable modern buildings in Hong Kong facing the wrecking ball. Photo: Handout

For example, just a few weeks ago, Amsterdam’s newly appointed mayor commissioned an advisory agency to develop a vision for the historic city centre, and the first thing it did was interview hundreds of residents from different walks of life.