MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1980
BALANCED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING CONCEPT FOR NEW TOWNS
******
THE DISTRICT OFFICER SHA TIN, DR PATRICK HASE, SAID TODAY THAT HE BELIEVED HONG KONG SHOULD NOT DESIGN ITS NEW TOWNS ON DORMITORY LINES AS WAS BEING DONE IN JAPAN.
SPEAKING TO MEMBERS OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, DR HASE SAID THE PRESSURE OF POPULATION IN GREATER TOKYO WAS BEING ALLEVIATED BY THE BUILDING OF SEVERAL VERY LARGE NEW TOWNS, MOST OF WHICH WOULD CONSIST OF ENDLESS AND UNRELIEVED HOUSING ESTATES.
+THE NEW TOWNS IN JAPAN, IN FACT, ARE BEING PLANNED PURELY AND SIMPLY AS DORMITORY SUBURBS, HE SAID. DORMITORY SUBURBS OF THIS TYPE HAD ALSO BEEN PLANNED AND BUILT IN A NUMBER OF GREAT CITIES LONDON, FOR INSTANCE, AND PARIS.
+ THE PRESSURE OF POPULATION IN HONG KONG IS WORSE THAN IN MOST OF THESE OTHER CITIES SHOULD WE DESIGN OUR NEW TOWNS ON SIMILAR LINES AS DORMITORY SUBURBS TO RELIEVE THIS PRESSURE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE?+ DR HASE ASKED.
+WE BELIEVE NOT.
+WE BELIEVE THAT TO BUILD HOUSING ESTATES ALONE WOULD NOT SOLVE ANY PROBLEMS, SINCE IT WOULD CONCENTRATE ON ONE FACTOR OF LIFE (THAT IS, THE NEED TO FIND A PLACE TO SLEEP) TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL OTHERS, INCLUDING THE NEED TO FIND PLACES TO WORK IN, SHOP IN, PLAY IN AND SO FORTH.
+WE HAVE, THEREFORE, RESISTED THE TEMPTATION TO DEAL WITH OUR HOUSING NEEDS QUICKLY BY GOING FOR A BALANCED DEVELOPMENT+ CONCEPT OF PLANNING.+
DR HASE SAID PUT IN SIMPLE TERMS BALANCED DEVELOPMENT IMPLIED THAT EACH NEW TOWN SHOULD BE SO DESIGNED THAT, IF THE REST OF HONG KONG WERE TO SINK INTO THE SEA, THE NEW TOWN WOULD BE RELATIVELY UNAFFECTED SINCE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A DECENT MODERN URBAN LIFE COULD BE FOUND WITHIN THE TOWN.
WHEN COMPLETED, HE SAID, SUCH A NEW TOWN SHOULD BE SO PLANNED THAT NONE OF ITS INHABITANTS SHOULD BE FORCED TO LEAVE IT FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+AS WELL AS ADEQUATE HOUSING, THIS IMPLIES, OF COURSE JOB OPPORTUNITIES ADEQUATE NOT ONLY IN NUMBER BUT BY RANGE OF TYPES OF JOB- ADEQUATE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AT BOTH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AND DISTRICT LEVEL ADEQUATE SHOPPING COMPLEXES, AGAIN PROVIDING FOR BOTH NEIGHBOURHOOD REQUIREMENTS AND LUXURY NEEDS- PROVISION FOR EDUCATION, MEDICAL SERVICES, CULTURAL NEEDS AND SO ON, AS WELL AS A GOOD INTERNAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM.
/+SUCH A