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Letters | To be a city for walking, Hong Kong can study Colombia and Singapore
- Readers discuss how to improve the walking environment in Hong Kong, why Hongkongers deserve bigger tax rebates, and a far-reaching anti-smoking bill in Malaysia
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Walking is perhaps the best exercise in the world. It is believed that we can improve our physical and mental health, burn more calories, refresh and energise our mind just by walking 30 minutes a day.
However, a 2019 survey by the World Green Organisation found that most Hong Kong people were generally not fond of walking. The reasons were varied: walking is time-consuming, bad weather (it is too hot, cold or rainy to walk), and comfort (people prefer being able to sit on public transport).
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Hong Kong’s record-breaking high temperatures, coupled with the humid climate, do make walking under the scorching sun unbearable. To promote walking, we have to begin by improving the walking environment.
Developing underground spaces like in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan is one of the possible solutions. According to a paper by the Legislative Council Secretariat in 2020, there were studies on underground space development in Hong Kong over the past few decades. In 2015, there were studies on the feasibility of developing underground spaces in Tsim Sha Tsui West, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, and Admiralty/Wan Chai; for Tsim Sha Tsui West, there was even a plan to build a five-storey facility for diverse community uses under Kowloon Park.
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But as the Legco research pointed out, one of the development barriers is the unavailability of 3D mapping and modelling of underground conditions (bedrock and soil conditions, and distribution of underground utilities in the shallow subsurface).
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