XN000022-1984-08-20 — Page 17

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MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 1964

+WE SHOULD REGARD THE FUTURE TO BE IN OUR HANDS. I HOLD THE CONVICTION THAT METROPOLITAN AREAS COULD BE PLANNED AND DEVELOPED TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY DESIRABLE AND SOCIALLY SATISFYING PLACES TO LIVE IN, HE ADDED.

HE SAID THAT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT LARGE CITIES WERE THE CRADLES OF SINS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS A FALLACY OF THE DEFEATIST AND THE PESSIMIST.

+UNSATISFACTORY METROPOLITAN AREAS WHICH WE SEE AND EXPERIENCE TODAY ARE THE PRODUCTS OF PAST UNPLANNED AND IMPROPERLY MANAGED URBANISATION WHICH CAUGHT PLANNERS, DECISION-MAKERS AND DEVELOPERS UNPREPARED.

+WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT A SOCIETY IS CHANGEABLE. WHAT WAS CORRECT (EVEN IF WE ASSUME IT WAS CORRECT) IN THE PAST MAY NOT BE TRUE FOR THE PRESENT AND WILL BECOME UNTRUE FOR THE FUTURE.+

DR CHAN SAID THAT LIKE ANY OTHER FORM OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT, A CITY HAD SUCH PROBLEMS AS TRAFFIC CONGESTION, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, CROWDED LIVING CONDITIONS, UNDER-PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES AND PRESSURE DUE TO KEEN COMPETITION.

+ I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT, IF WE MANAGE TO FREE OURSELVES FROM THE BONDAGE OF HISTORY, WE CAN MORE READILY FIND THE NECESSARY TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE LARGE CITY PROBLEMS.

+1 ALSO HOLD THE CONVICTION THAT IT IS NOT THE SCALE OF DEVELOPMENT WHICH IS THE CAUSE OF THESE PROBLEMS, IT IS THE WAY DEVELOPMENT IS ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE AND HOW IT IS MANAGED,+ HE SAID.

TAKING HONG KONG AS AN EXAMPLE, DR CHAN SAID THAT THE URBAN AREA HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPAND VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY ACCORDING TO WELL-THOUGHT-OUT PLANS,

+THE HONG KONG RESIDENT AND OUR PLANNERS DO NOT MERELY ACCEPT HIGH-RISE DEVELOPMENT, THEY ALSO HAVE DEVELOPED WAYS TO MAKE THE BEST OF THE SITUATION, AS EVIDENT FROM THE HIGHER ACCOMMODATION VALUE OF THE HIGHER FLATS FROM WHERE THE RESIDENTS MAY ENJOY BETTER VIEWS AND LESS NOISE DISTURBANCE FROM THE STREETS, HE SAID.

THIS HIGH-RISE APPROACH, TOGETHER WITH THE ADOPTION OF MODERN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SKILLS. ENABLED HONG KONG TO MAXIMISE THE USE AND BENEFITS FROM VERY SCARCE LAND RESOURCES.

DR CHAN SAID THE MAIN URBAN AREA IN HONG KONG MIGHT

GROW YET FURTHER.

IN A RECENTLY ANNOUNCED TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR HONG KONG UP TO THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, FURTHER EXPANSION OF THE URBAN AREA HAD BEEN PROPOSED AS ONE OF THE PREFERRED STRATEGIES.

FURTHER RECLAMAJICIIS