From eyesore to colourful, inviting micro park, how a Hong Kong public square was transformed to benefit a whole community
- Yi Pei Square in Tsuen Wan, a New Territories new town, was an ugly, uninviting and unused public space
- Thanks to the Design Trust Futures Studio, it has become a colourful community area for all ages. More public spaces will have the same treatment soon
“It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.” Until recently, this quote by William H. Whyte, legendary urban planner and founder of the revolutionary Street Life Project in New York, could easily have been applied to Yi Pei Square, a 930 square metre (10,000 sq ft) patch of land in Tsuen Wan, a new town in the New Territories.
Gloomy, uninviting, with barely anywhere to sit comfortably and no children’s playground, the area – hemmed in on four sides by densely packed 1970s residential buildings – gave little reason for anyone to linger.
Swing by Yi Pei Square now, and you will find a place of joy. A place bursting with colour, full of chatter and overrun with children whooping with delight, all thanks to the work and dedication of Hong Kong’s Design Trust Futures Studio.
Spearheaded by architect Marisa Yiu, co-founder and executive director of the Design Trust, the newly regenerated square is the first of four micro parks that will grace the city (Hamilton Street and Portland Street in Mong Kok and the space under the Hill Road flyover in Shek Tong Tsui are still to come).
A community project with a focus on creating a public space for all, bringing neighbours together and giving local residents a retreat outside their limited home space, Yi Pei Square was designed around the concept of a communal living room.