After 15 years, plans for the West Kowloon Cultural District are finally taking shape. Read on to find out about the project’s tumultuous history, the three proposals under consideration and what the critics say—and how you can actually influence the future of the arts in Hong Kong.
Turning the massive swath of waterfront property in West Kowloon into an arts complex is like waging a land war against Asia. It’s insanely expensive, rife with slow-moving bureaucracy and overpowering mercenary interests, and lacks practical details—plus, no one can agree on how to do it right.
The end goal is deceptively simple: to create a cultural center for Hong Kong. Located on reclaimed land at the base of the brand-spanking-new International Commerce Center, the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) is meant to include performance venues, an outdoor space, a massive experimental museum and room for exhibitions—but also various places to dine and shop and stroll, and for residents to live and tourists to stay.
Finally, after over a decade of false starts, backtracks and endless debate, it looks like the WKCD is close(ish) to breaking ground. Three prominent architects have come forth with imaginative plans for the 40-hectare plot, and once one of them is chosen and finalized, the whole shebang will get sent to the Town Planning Board for approval in 2012.
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It’s been a bumpy ride. Detractors have launched every critique under the sun, from complaints about cost to the emphasis on visual art over literature to the fear that, after it’s built, people won’t visit the darn thing.
To be sure, it ain’t easy to reconcile a well-meaning yet vague vision with a concrete plan. So the government needs your help. This is your last chance to give input before a final plan is chosen. So take a gander through our guide to everything you need to know about the WKCD, and scrutinize the three proposals. Then don’t forget to tell us—and the Hong Kong government—what you think.
1. City Park
Foster + Partners, led by Lord Norman Foster
