Concrete Analysis | Housing is just one facet of Hong Kong’s liveable city agenda

In a recent article I made the point that the main thrust of any liveable city agenda is the provision of adequate and affordable housing for all sectors of the community. However, there is much more to a liveable city and to quality of life than simply housing and whilst “smart” initiatives are often portrayed as the modern solution to the challenges of urban living, in my view “smart” is only one component of the overall matrix.

In fact, in order to address quality of life issues we need to consider a whole range of factors including urban mobility, air and water quality, waste and energy management, resilience, standards of wellness and health care, friendly ageing policies, education options, adequate and attractive open spaces, sport and recreational amenities and how we plan and design the built environment and cater for the needs of future generations.

“Smart” can provide technological improvements and connectivity but there is the potential risk of Smart for Smart’s sake and a failure to address the fundamental root causes of much of the discontent in modern society.

Smart hardware solutions are helpful and contribute to productivity and efficiency, but there are other “soft” aspects that require different approaches and responses.

At a recent APEC symposium on urban mobility the impact of autonomous vehicles was discussed, not only from the perspective of improved road safety and greater convenience, but also from the potential impact on the planning and design of future cities.

If and when such technologies are widely accepted and with the projected move from ownership to shared usage, it is estimated that there could be 50 per cent or more less cars on the roads, 30 per cent of space currently occupied by roads would be available for other uses and there will be a corresponding 50 per cent reduction in the need for car parking spaces.