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State and Municipality have been equally lavish of noble buildings. Alone, almost, the Bank of Hong Kong has realised its responsibilities to the Colony and led the way with a worthy building. There is, it is true, the Supreme Court and a Post Office.
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The reconstruction and creation of a great city Centre should give the opportunity for a fine and coherent architectural treatment which these private buildings should exhibit without attempting to rival the spendour of the Public. A comprehensive scheme for the rebuilding of Central Hong Kong should be got out at once, in order that any part that is carried out in the near future may fall into the completed Plans this refers particularly to the heights of buildings and the volume of traffic which they will produce.
11. Open Spaces.
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In no section of planning work must the short and long term policies be more closely combined than in the provision of open spaces. While a broad scheme for Park System is being considered and prepared, there must be no delay in snatching at any small play space or local park that can be preserved from being over run by the hundred user which in a town are ever ready to grab any vacant plot.
85 The following is a rough list of the types of open space that go to make up Park system for Hong Kong and Kowloon.
1.
Disposed small playgrounds: these should be proportioned to the population on target basis of 1/2 acres per thousand, but in the meantime, every opportunity for a play space should be stazed even to the extent of demolishing obsolete houses, and keeping the site open for a playground. This would incidentally be a beginning of the reduction of site density.
2. Playing Fields: these are difficult to obtain because they need large areas of level ground. The Race course is so used at present and in the proposed building developments at Kowloon, ground for the purpose can be found. A part of the Whitfield Barracks site when released might be levelled for this purpose, but in spite of taking advantage of every site within the urban area of Hong Kong and Kowloon, there will still be a great shortage owing to small amount of level ground. The most attractive suggestion which depends upon the Tunnel and electrified Railway, is to provide a large playing field area by the reclamation of Sha Tin Bay. Cheap return fares, including the 'bus fares on Hong Kong Island, would make this area accessible: this practice of obtaining level ground for organised large scale games at a considerable distance away has been adopted in many European cities.
3.
Rest Parks : these are much appreciated by old and young as can be seen in the gardens above Government House. They can, and indeed are, more attractive for occupying irregular sites, some of them within the built up area (E.G. military land like Belcher's Fort).