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8
It is
23. This additional acre introduces the principle of 'Community' planning which so far has not been developed in Hong Kong. acknowledged that it will take a long time to introduce a community But a structure into the monotonous building of 3 storey tenements. beginning should be made so that any new public or quasi public building can be located with reference to this structure; and, of course, it must be introduced from the start in the layout of new areas.
24. It is suggested that there should be a threefold division:-
100,000 (or 2 @ 50,000)
10,000
500
Community Neighbourhood
Group (family or similar)
25. Much further research is required into this aspect of housing, considerable thought has already been given to the subject, and 200 neighbourhood centres have been suggested. It would be of the greatest value as an object lesson if the P.W.D. could prepare a plan and model for a Neighbourhood unit, which would demonstrate how the decentralised overspill would be disposed upon a new site.
26. The possibility of the transfer of the overcrowded population (in every Country a delicate matter) has been considered and it is believed that it might be possible for new areas developed in Kowloon to attract from and reduce overcrowding in Victoria and Kowloon if
(a) Work in the form of new industry, etc., were available;
(b) First-rate conditions of houses, shops, play spaces, clinics and
schools were offered;
(c) A rigorous allotment of houses to bona-fide Hong Kong residents were made, with preference to those who could show that they came from overcrowded areas.
Regulations against overcrowding in the vacated areas would have to be simultaneously enforced.
27. The rebuilding of the obsolete types of tenements and structures in a condition of decay will require new powers in order to avoid the dangers and drawbacks of piecemeal reconstruction. It should be possible to declare whole areas obsolescent and ripe for rebuilding on a new layout, as is provided for under the English 1944 Act (Section 9). The only satis- factory way in which this can be done is by acquisition of the designated area; and in this connection it would be useful if powers were obtained to allot the Life' of a building according to its condition and design: this will have a direct bearing upon the cost of acquisition.
28. A Survey which has been prepared indicates the areas in which the highest densities prevail: and it is interesting to remark that these are not always the oldest quarters (e.g. the District 2a, between Hennessy and Gloucester Road). It is estimated that 156,670 should be taken out of Hong Kong and 29,250 from Kowloon, in order to realise the maximum density of 500 per acre.
29. Taking the Hong Kong figure, it is possible to relieve the Hennessy Road area by the removal of the families who at present work in the Naval Dockyard and Barracks (see Section 9 of Report): this would take out about 30,000 and leave the 3 districts 1A, 2A and 2B at the appropriate density.
30. There is also a hillside area above North Point of approximately 100 acres, which could take 50,000 from the overcrowded parts of Hong Kong generally and provide homes for the workers at Taikoo. These two figures will thus reduce the number of Hong Kong residents who would have to seek land in or near Kowloon: thus-
Hong Kong overcrowding
Less
156,670 80,000
requiring removal.
Naval workmen & North Point area.
Hong Kong balance
76,670
Kowloon overcrowding
29,250
105,920
to be housed in new satellite in Kowloon.
31. A careful serutiny has failed to discover any extensive areas available on the Island of Hong Kong. The Dairy Farm at Pok Fu Lam has been suggested; but apart from its present valuable use, it is not very suitable. The flat land east of Aberdeen has also been considered; but if it changes its present use it will probably be required for water supply. A tunnel through Mount Cameron would not be justified. The site of the aerodrome at Kai Tak appears to be the most suitable and easily developed site, for a short-term policy, to eliminate overcrowding from Hong Kong and Kowloon; it would comfortably take the 106,000 people involved and could be planned as an object lesson.
32. It is not intended for a moment to minimise the extreme difficulty of reducing and moving the Victoria population which clings obstinately to familiar localities; these very generalised ideas are intended to show the magnitude of the work and to indicate the lines upon which a change may take place, the pace of which will depend upon the legal powers conferred.
4.
SHOPS AND WORKSHOPS.
33. It would be pedantic for the planner to condemn the practice which obtains in Hong Kong (and indeed is common in the East) of giving up the entire ground floor of the residential area to shops, workshops, warehouses, stores etc. There appears to be demand for this continuous bazaar on the ground floor, which has the drawback of creating a narrow fronted dark tenement above. Mr. Owen has shown in his report (Type B Plan 3) how a wider frontage and a set back above the ground floor can produce much better living quarters.
34. If a new Community is planned from the beginning, it might be worth while attempting to provide shopping centres at appropriate places (in conjunction with neighbourhood centres) and to set aside other areas for workshops and stores, as it were domestic factory zones'.
But there may
be danger in interfering with a settled method of living and working, provided the workshops are kept within the domestic range of size and type of work. It may also be pointed out that this type of home workshop also largely obtained in the East End of London, though the division between work and living was not so sharply defined as it is in Hong Kong: one of the aims of the plan for London has been to break down this tradition and group the workrooms in what are called ' tenement factories in close proximity to, but distinct from, the home. The provision of power, the containing of noise and dust, and the greater ease of inspection are among the advantages of this method.
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