funds. In addition to these there are the various Land Conferences; Re- settlement Programme Committee; Co-ordination Committees for New Towns, for Industrial Sites and for the Central Area, all of which meet weekly or monthly and on which the Planning Division is represented but is by no means the main voice.
on
"The Port Committee, Air Advisory Board, the Traffic Advisory Commit- tee and Advisory Committee Public Transport and the Urban Council together with its various Select Committees in none of which is the Planning Division represented, have functions which naturally affect Town Planning. Consultation with these groups, and many others, takes place daily but co-ordination of effort is not always easy. Eventual- ly. however, we are all brought down to earth by the need to obtain a policy decision and to ask for funds. We must then seek the approval of Executive Council and
and Financial Committee. the final arbiters of everyones planning.
Problem of traffic
"At present our vehicular traffic problem has not reached the propor- tions found in many cities of equal size perhaps not all here would agree even with this but it is get- ting worse from year to year and could become serious if car owner- ship became more widespread. We now have one vehicle to 60 persons
―
what would happen if we reached the Puerto Rican standard of 1.12? We are still having heated arguments on whether the divided carriageway and the rotary junction are appro. priate in towns and who should have the final say in road design and traffic control. We have not yet got round to thinking about the deeper problem of traffic in towns or hexa- gon distributors, etc. on the lines of the Buchanan Report and it is doubt- ful if we ever will. but it appears that the dockyard redevelopment scheme may be on the right lines.
"Parking presents difficulties in places; some would say it is already serious. We do not normally require lessees of lots in business and high density residential commercial areas areas to provide parking within their lots but meet the need, as funds allow, by specially built car park
84
―
buildings. In this we
population are in the vanguard of modern thinking in line with the Buchanan Report. The extension of metering combined with the development, either by Govern- ment or private enterprise, of the sites which have been reserved for multi-storey car parks, should enable the problem in these areas to be con- tained. Goods vehicles, however, require special treatment. In subur- ban and rural zones, car parking at the rate of one car per flat is now a standard lease condition and enforce- ment of the condition which, it is interesting to note, is now presenting less difficulty, will ensure that the parking problem in most of these areas also is kept under control.
"Our two main traffic problems are, in my opinion, and I emphasize that it is purely opinion, pedestrian movement and public transport. This again is a space problem. With in- creasing densities space on sidewalks for pedestrian movement becomes of greater importance; it just is not there in many older districts
6 to
10 feet is inadequate at densities of 1.000 per acre gross. And the space. that does exist is commonly taken over by private interests of one form or another who prefer to use the public domain to renting private space. Similarly despite the best efforts of the bus companies and the tramway it has not been possible to keep up with the growing demand for mass transportation. We are for- tunate in having a highly efficient system of ferry services which can expand in step with demand and which absorbs no land
but even the harbour is not unlimited.
Cheap means
"One interesting point
all our public transport services. whether run by private companies or Govern- ment. operate profitably.
"This is a reflection perhaps of our high densities and low rate of private car ownership but also no doubt partly due to the strip of water which makes bus and ferry a con- venient and cheap means of crossing the harbour.
"Looking to the future we must anticipate a population of five million in the early 1970's and more than eight million by 1984. Where will these people live? It is a young
40% under 15 and 16% under five. Where will they work in the 70's and 80's? At census date in March 1961, Kowloon con- tained 750,000 people in an area of three and two-thirds square miles, a gross density of 200.000 per square mile or 300 per acre. Demolition of three and four storey tenements and replacement by structures 12 to 16 storeys high is proceeding rapid- ly. If the new buildings are occupi ed at the same rate as the old three people will take the place of each one dispossessed. Concentra- tion and inter-mixing of compatible users holds many advantages for city life but how high can we allow population in the harbour area to grow before it becomes socially in- tolerable and administratively dan- gerous? Even accepting a 50% in- crease above the 1961 figures, say four and a half million in the 15 developable square miles round the harbour, we must plan for three million elsewhere by 1981.
Several attacks
"Government is attacking the pro- blem in several ways. It is building low cost housing at ever increasing rates and expanding the provision of industrial land by large formation and reclamatioln schemes; it is com- missioning consultants to carry out a detailed public transport survey; and it is entering on the preparation of an outline development plan for the Colony to guide development over the next 15 to 20 years. With- out some such plan it is becoming increasingly difficult for the various authorities responsible for utility services and other community pur- poses to plan their forward expan. sion with confidence or
ensure the most effective expenditure of funds. Even with it, the practical problems presented by such excessive town
densities will
well nigh intractable.
prove
The Planning Division of the Crown Lands and Survey Office of the Public Works Department plays but a small part in all this but it
does play a part. And Professor, Buchanan, can take pride in the fact that all four Planning Officers on the permanent establishment, are mem- hers of the Town Planning Institute and are, by their efforts, enhancing its reputation."
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER-VOLUME 18, NUMBER 6
Page 90Page 91