XN000022-1984-11-26 — Page 3

2

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1984

DR PUN ALSO SPOKE ABOUT A LONG-STANDING MISINTERPRETATION OF A PLANNING PRINCIPLE ADOPTED IN THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TOWNS.+

HE SAID THE PRINCIPLE OF +BALANCED DEVELOPMENT+ AND THE +CONCEPT OF SELF-CONTAINMENT HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF NUMEROUS DEBATES.

+ THE PRINCIPAL POINT OF CONTENTION IS WHETHER BALANCED DEVELOPMENT' IN NEW TOWNS IN HONG KONG IS EVER A PRACTICABLE PROPOSITION,+ DR PUN SAID.

+ONE ARGUMENT IS THAT GIVEN THE SMALL GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF THE THE TERRITORY AND HENCE THE SHORT DISTANCES BETWEEN PLACES, CONVENIENCE IN TRAVEL BETWEEN POINTS OF ACTIVITIES WILL ENCOURAGE ITS PEOPLE TO LIVE IN ONE PLACE AND WORK IN ANOTHER.

+ANOTHER RELATED ASPECT IS THAT IT IS ARGUED THAT MOST OF THE JOBS ARE AND WILL BE FOR A LONG TIME IN FUTURE CONCENTRATED IN THE AREAS AROUND THE PRINCIPAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS AND THE HARBOUR.

+ ADVOCATES OF THESE ARGUMENTS ASSERT THAT NO MATTER HOW THE PLANNER PLANS THESE TOWNS TOWARD THIS TARGET OF BALANCED DEVELOPMENT IT CAN NEVER BE ACHIEVED, HE SAID.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST BALANCED DEVELOPMENT HAD OVERLOOKED A POINT THAT NO PLANNING COULD EVER CATER FOR EVERY ATTITUDE OR ACTIVITY IN A LARGE COMMUNITY AND FROM THE OUTSET, PLANNERS REALISED THAT THEY MUST PROVIDE FOR THE OVERALL DESIRES OF THE RESIDENTS.

THIS MEANT IN PRACTICE, PLANNING FOR A HIGH LEVEL OF SELF- CONTAINMENT, BUT TOTAL SELF-CONTAINMENT COULD NOT REALISTICALLY BE EXPECTED GIVEN THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES OF SOME INDIVIDUALS AND THE OPERATIONAL PATTERN OF A TERRITORY LIKE HONG KONG.

+THE FACT THAT SOME OF THE RESIDENTS HAVE TO TRAVEL BACK TO THE OLD URBAN AREA TO WORK OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND VICE VERSA, DOES NOT INVALIDATE THE MERITS OF THE CONCEPT, HE SAID.

DR PUN SAID THE NEW TOWNS IN HONG KONG WERE STILL IN THEIR YOUTH, WITH MOST OF THEIR POPULATION STILL FIRST GENERATION RESIDENTS WHO HAD ESTABLISHED LONG AND FIRM ASSOCIATION WITH PLACES WHERE THEY HAD COME FROM.

+1 AM SURE THAT GIVEN TIME AND AS THE TOWNS MATURE THE FUTURE LABOUR FORCE AND PROVIDERS OF JOBS WILL ADJUST TO MATCH EACH OTHER TO A MUCH GREATER EXTENT THAN WHAT PREDOMINATES AT PRESENT,+ HE ADDED.

13