Urban Renewal in Hong Kong: Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project

Urban Renewal in Hong Kong: Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project

By Chi Ho CHAN

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architectural Studies

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering City University of Hong Kong

March 2017

Declaration I declare that this thesis represents my own work, except where due acknowledgement is made, and that it has not been previously included in a thesis, dissertation or report submitted to this University or any other institution for a degree, diploma or other qualification.

I give consent to CityU to present this project and related details (including images, audio/video files) in websites with public access and in institutional activities like exhibitions and demonstrations.

Signed Chi Ho CHAN

Abstraction At present, there are about 16,000 private buildings that are 30 or more years old within the metro area of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Tsuen Wan District and Kwai Tsing District. By 2030, the number of buildings over 30 years old will increase fourfold. The numbers of the old building will be huge and will turn to a major problem that need to be solved.

In order to create better living environment and maintain the economic growth, the reconstruction of buildings became inevitable. The Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance (Chapter 563) was enacted in July 2000. The Ordinance provides a new institutional framework for carrying out urban renewal in locations that the private market finds unprofitable. The Urban Renewal Authority has taking the responsibility of accelerating urban redevelopment. When urban renewal is announced for a specific area, a "freezing survey" is undertaken to identify the current inhabitants, with an aim to preventing opportunists from moving into urban renewal sites in order to receive compensation. The Urban Renewal Authority then compensates owners and demolishes the district.

There are several completed renewal projects by the Urban Renewal Authority including The Masterpiece in Tsim Sha Tsui, Florient Rise in Tai Kok Tsui and Lee Tung Street Project. These types of urban renewal project in Hong Kong typically involves relatively large-scale redevelopment of urban areas, rather than piecemeal rebuilding of individual buildings or the provision of specific facilities. Streets are often closed, combining smaller urban blocks into larger superblocks. The redevelopments generally comprise luxury shopping centres and luxury residential developments for the economic benefit.

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Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. NI, Jason (Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering), my project in charge, who guided me through the project and also gave valuable guidance and suggestions for completing the project. He helped me to adjust the direction of the research topic and gave me valuable information in the aspect of urban renewal. This project has been a success only because of his guidance.

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Table of Contents Abstract

i

Acknowledgements

ii

Table of Contents

iii

List of Tables

vi

List of Figures

vii

Pages CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background

1

1.2 Redevelopment Project

2

1.3 Research Objectives

4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Architecture

7

2.1.1 Public Space

7

2.2 Urban Renewal

7

2.3 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

8

2.3.1 Physiological of needs

10

2.3.2 Safety needs

10

2.3.3 Belongingness and love

10

2.3.4 Esteem

11

2.4 Maslow and Architecture

11

2.5 Standard of Living

12

2.6 Thermal Comfort

13

2.7 Microclimate

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2.7.1 Natural Ventilation

14

2.7.2 Sunlight

14

2.7.3 Landscape

15

2.8 Foreign Examples

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction

17

3.2 Investigation

17

3.3 Data collection

17

3.3.1 Computer simulation

18

3.3.2 Questionnaire

18

3.3.3 Other data

19

3.4 Limitations

19

3.5 Analysis Method

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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Introduction

22

4.2 Environmental Impact

22

4.2.1 Natural Lighting and Shadow

22

4.2.2 Wind Flow

24

4.2.3 Pollutions and Environment

26

4.3 Economic Impact

29

4.3.1 Opportunities

29

4.3.2 Challenges

32

4.4 Social Impact

33

4.4.1 Social connection

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CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION 5.1 Introduction

35

5.2 Environmental Impact

35

5.3 Economic Impact

36

5.4 Social Impact

37

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEDATIONS 6.1 Conclusion

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6.2 Recommendations

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REFERENCES

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APPENDIX A1 – Sample of questionnaire

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APPENDIX A2 - Natural lighting and shadow of old Yuen Man Square APPENDIX A3 - Natural lighting and shadow of new Kwun Tong Town

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List of Tables Pages Table 4.2.1a Natural lighting and shadow of old Yuen Man Square

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Table 4.2.1b Natural lighting and shadow of new Kwun Tong Town

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List of Figures Pages Figure 1.1a Existing building conditions by Urban Renewal Authority

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Figure 1.1b Building Status by Urban Renewal Authority

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Figure 1.2a Master Layout Plan by Urban Renewal Authority

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Figure 1.2b Greenery area by Urban Renewal Authority

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Figure 2.3a Maslow's hierarchy of needs

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Figure 4.2.2a Wind flow of old Yuen Man Square

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Figure 4.2.2b Wind flow of new Kwun Tong Town

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Figure. 4.2.2c Comparison of wind flow

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Figure 4.2.3a Questionnaire 2a

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Figure 4.2.3b Questionnaire 2b

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Figure 4.2.3c Questionnaire 2c

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Figure 4.2.3d Questionnaire 2d

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Figure 4.2.3e Questionnaire 2e

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Figure 4.2.3f Questionnaire 2f

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Figure 4.3.1a Questionnaire 3a

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Figure 4.3.1b Questionnaire 5a

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Figure 4.3.1c Questionnaire 5b

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Figure 4.3.1d Questionnaire 5c

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Figure 4.3.1e Questionnaire 5d

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Figure 4.3.2a Questionnaire 3b

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Figure 4.3.2b Questionnaire 3c

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Figure 4.4.1a Questionnaire 4a

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Figure 4.4.1b Questionnaire 4b

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Figure 4.4.1c Questionnaire 4c

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Figure 4.4.1d Questionnaire 4d

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background The Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project is the largest urban renewal project in the Hong Kong history which located around Yue Man Square in East Kowloon. This project was first established by Land Development Corporation at 1998. The institution then became Urban Renewal Authority and the redevelopment project of Kwun Tong Town Centre entered the procedure of statutory planning at 2007 after 18 months of public consultation. There were 3 development design concepts from private architectural consultant base on the comment totally 6 planning proposal suggested by the residents, owners and community members during the 3rd round of public consultation.

(Figure 1.1a Existing building conditions by Urban Renewal Authority)

Yue Man Square was the centre of Kwun Tong Town developed at the end of 50th century which included a lot of shops. It was a famous shopping centre in the past.

However, the buildings in this area are too old to support different kind of activities and losing its competitiveness as shown in Figure 1.1a. The living quality for the resident have been damaged because the building age is too high.

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(Figure 1.1b Building Status by Urban Renewal Authority)

According to report from Urban Renewal Authority shown in Figure 1.1b, more than half of buildings in Yue Man Square were in the bad status. Therefore, the renewal became the main direction to these buildings. The redevelopment project was supported by a large proportion of residents in the area due to the poor hygiene and living environment.

1.2 Redevelopment Project Then, the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project was approved by the Town Planning Board at 2009. The project includes some of the concept form the design of private architectural consultants.

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(Figure 1.2a Master Layout Plan by Urban Renewal Authority)

The estimated construction time is 12 years, which began at 2009 and will be ended at 2021. The project includes two components, the main site and Yuet Wah Street site with the total site area of 53,500 square meter as shown in Figure 1.2a. The redevelopment construction was divided into 5 stages. The 1st construction stage is Yuet Wah Street site. The 2nd and 3rd stage are mainly residential buildings and the remaining are commercial buildings.

Urban Renewal Authority planned to turn Kwun Tong Town Centre into a landmark of Hong Kong includes residential, hotel, commercial, recreational facilities and transportation junction. There will be 5 blocks of residential building, a 270 meter Class A commercial skyscraper includes retail, hotel and office which connected to the Mass Transit Railway station and a community centre as shown in Figure 1.2a.

The Urban Renewal Authority also changed the original layout based on the Sustainable Building Design Guidelines established by Building Department to fulfill the requirement of the society.

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(Figure 1.2b Greenery area by Urban Renewal Authority)

The high proportion of greenery and public space will be constructed and Kwun Tong Town Centre will have highest greenery rate in Hong Kong as shown in Figure 1.2b.

More than 170,000 square feet of the area will be used to maintain the traditional street shops and market culture along with staircase waterfall. The design of one of the building block was split in order create large wind corridor. Hence, the building density is lowered to enhance the natural ventilation.

1.3 Research Objectives The projects established by the Urban Renewal Authority aims at to create better environment for economic purpose. For the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project, the objectives was producing better living environment and enhance the connection between community and citizens in the surrounding area. However, the project was being challenged by some local residents for the project’s effectiveness to achieve those purpose. Although the survey conducted by the Urban Renewal Authority shown a lot of comments were supporting the renewal project, the media 4

then expose part of the participants were fictional. With this kind of criticism to the Urban Renewal Authority, the result of renewal project may not have been successful as predicted from the authority.

Besides, as the old Yue Man Square was the collective memory of lots of Hong Kong people and acquire an important position in daily live especially for the residents nearby, there are negative impact from the redevelopment proposal. Originally, the Square was full of small-scale shops with low price but wide choices of goods. The redevelopment project create large and modern commercial shopping mall. The rent would be certainly much higher than the old Square. It will also affect the choices and prices of the goods. However, the redevelopment project including landmark buildings and different design approach. This could be the attraction to the visitors and create better business environment near the site. The opportunities brought by the renewal project may turns to economic growth of the whole Kwun Tong area. With the high proportion of basic level’s family in Kwun Tong, will the project bring negative effect to resident’s daily life?

The redevelopment project design to have low impact on the change of the microclimate such as the building density is lowered to enhance the natural ventilation. However, the building volume is much larger than the previous buildings in the old Yue Man Square. With the design of the building form, building height and the location of them, will the project have negative environmental impact on the surrounding neighborhood? However, the renewal project design include a high proportion of greenery. It could possibly bring benefit into the neighborhood in term of environment. Will that be able to cover the damages from other aspect?

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Also, the Urban Renewal Authority had state that they want to enhance the community connection. The new Kwun Tong Town design includes large proportion of open space and landscape for public to use. Combining with the unique design of the community center, will they be the key of success in terms of social aspect? Or with the collapse of the old Yue Man Square, the connection between Kwun Tong citizens have already been broken cannot be fixed? The relationship of neighbor will be changed due to the renewal project. Will the connection between community and citizens be enhanced?

This report aims to figure out the effectiveness of the new Kwun Tong Town centre redevelopment project in different aspect including economic, environmental and social. Also, this research will focus on the part of surrounding neighborhood to find the impacts from the redevelopment project to them. As the largest redevelopment project in the history of Hong Kong, is the new Kwun Tong Town centre create better living environment for the surrounding residents and community?

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Architecture According to French, H. (1998), architecture belongs to every human being. Everyone should have the right to use the building or area. Unlike arts or music, architecture cannot be dodged. Historical building and history are surrounding us. Different kind of building and architecture create different feeling for us. Architecture should connect to the human being. The building should not be an art piece instead of a functional area for users. They should be easy to access and use to increase the connection between the building and the users. Also, he stated that the recreational and public space that people pass through day per day in the city create human life.

2.1.1 Public Space A public space is a social space that is generally open and accessible to people.

Pavements, parks and public squares are the typical examples of public space. Public space should also be common area. That means there should not be any charge or fees required for entry. These types of area need to be easy for public to access because the main purpose of it is to create better living environment for human being. Public space provide area for users to have social activities with the others. It also create the opportunity for them to enjoy the natural environment because it usually connect to greenery space in outdoor area.

2.2 Urban renewal Urban renewal, which is generally called urban regeneration or revitalization, is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use.

Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 7

19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of reconstruction. The process has had a major impact on many urban landscapes, and has played an important role in the history and demographics of cities around the world.

Urban renewal involves the relocation of businesses, the demolition of structures and the relocation of people. In some cases, renewal may result in urban sprawl and less congestion.

Urban renewal has been seen by proponents as an economic engine and a reform mechanism, and by critics as a mechanism for control. The reformation of building blocks and usage of the site will have a great impact on the surrounding neighborhood in terms of economic, environment and social aspect. The new buildings will effect on the microclimate since the change of building mass and location. Because of the new construction in the renewal project, it usually create better business environment and hence lead to a certain degree of economic growth. It may enhance existing communities, and in some cases result in the demolition of neighborhoods.

Many cities link the revitalization of the central business district and gentrification of residential neighborhoods to earlier urban renewal programs. Over time, urban renewal evolved into a policy based less on destruction and more on renovation and investment, and today is an integral part of many local governments, often combined with small and big business incentives.

2.3 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs According to the hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow in A Theory of Human 8

Motivation in 1943, he described the pattern of human motivations. Human needs can be divided into 5 stages: "physiological", "safety", "belongingness" and "love", "esteem", "self-actualization", and "self-transcendence" as shown in Figure 2.1a.

Theses stages of human needs are represented as the pyramid with 5 levels. The fundamental levels of needs are at the bottom while the self-transcendence and selfactualization are at the top. The higher-level human can achieve, the healthier they are.

(Figure 2.3a Maslow's hierarchy of needs)

Maslow (1973) described the most basic and fundamental four levels of the pyramid as “deficiency needs�: esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs.

There could be psychological effects on human if these needs are not achieved.

Hence, they became psychologically unhealthy. The four lower levels of needs should be consideration for urban planning to create better living environment to residents.

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2.3.1 Physiological needs The physiological needs are in the lowest level of the pyramid of Maslow which means they are the most fundamental and basic needs of living of human. As the descriptions in A Theory of Human Motivation, they are the physical requirement and most important elements for human survival. Physiological needs should be the priority of all the needs. Human body cannot function properly without achieving these needs.

Water, air and food are the examples of physiological needs for living.

2.3.2 Safety needs According to Maslow, the next level of needs is safety after physiological needs for a person are relatively satisfied. The personal security, financial security, health and well-being, safety net against accidents or illness and their adverse impacts are included in this level.

2.3.3 Belongingness and Love After the first two levels of needs are fulfilled, the third level of human needs is interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness. According to Maslow, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups, regardless whether these groups are large or small. For example, some large social groups may include clubs, co-workers, religious groups, professional organizations, sports teams, and gangs. Some examples of small social connections include family members, intimate partners, mentors, colleagues, and confidants. This need for belonging may overcome the physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of the peer pressure.

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2.3.4 Esteem Esteem is the 4th stage of needs. All humans have a need to feel respected; this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others.

Most people have a need for stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs: a "lower" version and a "higher" version. The "lower" version of esteem is the need for respect from others. This may include a need for status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention. The "higher" version manifests itself as the need for self-respect. For example, the person may have a need for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence, and freedom.

2.4 Maslow and Architecture According to APPLETON, J. (1994), some of the needs Maslow describes in his theory can be satisfied by architecture. However, Maslow’s theory describes the general basic needs of humans and not the specific needs concerning architecture.

Provide the physiological needs to users is also the fundamental requirements of a building project. According to French, H. (1998), the aims of architecture was to provide a place of safety for human to live against the weather. It was used to fulfill the basic and fundamental needs for people. This is the first reason of architecture. All of the project should achieve this level of hierarchy of human needs. It must be satisfied.

The next level up is the need for physical safety. According to Maslow, this is what we look for when physiological needs are satisfied. Also, all of the project should achieve this level of hierarchy of human needs. It must be satisfied.

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The third stage of human needs is belongingness and love. The realm of physical needs changed into psychological needs. The architecture should generate feelings of love and belonging to create the connectivity in the society.

In the next level up, the level of Esteem. This is the hardest level of needs for architecture to fulfill according to Hutchison, R. (2000). A normal building usually cannot feelings of strength, self-confidence, independence, and freedom.

Architecture is deeply connected and affecting the psychological behavior of human beings. Acting as a major component in human life, the building give us different feeling and atmosphere by its performance especially in terms of belongingness and love. A good design of architecture should be able to connect different users and communities regarding their backgrounds.

2.5 Standard of Living A standard of living is the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class or a certain geographic area. The standard of living includes factors such as income, gross domestic product, national economic growth, economic and political stability, political and religious freedom, environmental quality, climate, and safety. The standard of living is closely related to quality of life.

According to Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality, and educational standards are also used.

Examples are access to certain goods, or measures of health such as life expectancy. It 12

is the ease by which people living in a time or place are able to satisfy their needs and/or wants.

The main idea of a 'standard' may be contrasted with the quality of life, which takes into account not only the material standard of living, but also other more intangible aspects that make up human life, such as leisure, safety, cultural resources, social life, physical health or environmental quality issues.

2.6 Thermal Comfort As described at ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55, thermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation. Maintaining this standard of thermal comfort for occupants of buildings for the users is one of the important goal of a redevelopment project.

Thermal neutrality is maintained when the heat generated by human metabolism is allowed to dissipate, thus maintaining thermal equilibrium with the surroundings. The main factors that influence thermal comfort are those that determine heat gain and loss, namely metabolic rate, clothing insulation, air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air speed and relative humidity. Psychological parameters such as individual expectations also affect thermal comfort. Thermal comfort is a major consideration of good building design. A decent design of architecture should provide both indoor and outdoor thermal comfort to users as their fulfilling their needs are the priority of designing.

2.7 Microclimate According to Nastaran, S. (2013), city planning are responsive to urban climate instability and inconstancy and able to change their own climates. The microclimate 13

of urban open spaces is influenced by the planning and affecting the users and surrounding neighborhoods. There are several factors included in the microclimate such as air flow, open space, sunlight, and temperature. Because of the huge volume and mass of buildings, the microclimate will be easily change with the invention of new projects.

In large scale design, such as redevelopment project in the urban level, the effect to microclimate is one of the major consideration for determine how well the design is.

The reason is this kind of change is not only affecting the site users and environment, it also have a great impact in the surround neighborhood and environment. The change in microclimate will change the user’s thermal comfort directly. It may also change the pattern of daily life.

2.7.1 Natural ventilation The intentional introduction of outside air can be categorized as either mechanical ventilation, or natural ventilation. Natural ventilation is the intentional passive flow of outside air into a certain place through planned openings. It relies entirely on passive physical phenomena, such as diffusion, wind pressure, or the stack effect.

Wind is natural ventilation. This is one of the major elements in microclimate. The location and size of the building will block or redirect the wind flow. Besides, the intensity of the wind will be changed. Large openings in the building design could reduce the impact of the change of the wind flow.

2.7.2 Sunlight When the direct solar radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a combination of bright light and radiant heat. Increase in building mass and volume 14

will reduce the amount of natural lighting project and create shadow to the street level. The temperature will be affected. The area have less time of receiving natural lighting will resulted in lower temperature. Although the change of temperature may not be significant, human being need natural lighting. Some studies stated the lack of natural lighting on human will result in their behaviors. Also, planting need natural lighting. Increase of shadow may affect the growth of the plants.

2.7.3 Landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms and how they integrate with natural or man-made features. A well-developed landscape will not only produce better view, it also increase biodiversity. The plants can also absorb air pollutants and reduce noise pollution.

2.8 Foreign example According to REINOUT, K. (2004), urban renewal policies have taken firm root in many Western European countries. In the last three decades urban renewal policies have grown in complexity due to the multi-dimensional character of urban problems such as deteriorating housing quality, poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, segregation, low quality of public space, etc. The content and implementation of urban renewal policies differs greatly between countries, depending on, for example, the welfare system and political forces as well as physical, social and economic structures of urban areas. There are, however, also similarities between national renewal policies. Most policies are strongly oriented to the housing stock of urban residential areas, and great importance is attached to housing diversification and social mix in neighborhoods.

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As Tunstall, R. (2003) describe, redevelopment project could results in a better reputation and reduced maintenance costs to less social exclusion, more social cohesion, increased community participation, role models, and greater support for neighborhoods facilities.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction This chapter will cover the detail explanation of methodology of that is being used to make this project complete and working well. The procedure of data collection, experiment, method limitation and data analysis will be included in this part of the report. The method is used to achieve the objective of the project that will accomplish a better result.

3.2 Investigation This report aims to figure out the effectiveness of the new Kwun Tong Town centre redevelopment project in different aspect including economic, environmental and social. Also, this research will focus on the part of surrounding neighborhood to find the impacts from the redevelopment project to them. As the largest redevelopment project in the history of Hong Kong, is the new Kwun Tong Town centre create better living environment for the surrounding residents?

3.3 Data Collection To collect the data for the research, several data collection method was accomplished for gathering information in wider aspect. Computer simulation and questionnaire will be the main method of gathering data. Computer simulation is the most suitable research method to gather the data of change in the criteria of microclimate. It is the most common way for other propinquity research to get detail information. Several software can be used as the tool to run the test in 3D analyses. The setup of the questionnaire would be closer to the citizens to gather data that connect to their daily 17

routine. Also, other supportive data would be used from government as the references for the research.

3.3.1 Computer simulation This method of data collection was mainly designed to gather the data of the change of microclimate due to the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project. Threedimensional model will be created to simulate the change of sunlight and wind path in different seasons and time to estimate the effect of the project. The amount of sunlight projected to the street level and existing building will be tested.

After gathering the building data from the Survey and Mapping Office such as the building location, zoning and site area, two separate 3D model was established and verified to conduct the test. One of the model is the old Yue Man Square with the lowrise building blocks and the other one is the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project with the 5 blocks of residential building, a commercial skyscraper includes retail, hotel and office and a community centre. These models will be built according to the above data collected from the government departments.

These 3D models was used for simulating the natural lighting and ventilation in order to collect and integrate 3D data. Rhinoceros and Autodesk Flow design will be the main tools for conducting the simulation test. Then, the data from separate model will be used to compare the differences for this report.

3.3.2 Questionnaire The questionnaire will be divided into two part for gathering the data to conduct a better survey from wider stakeholders.

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The first part of the questionnaire was conducted at the Kwun Tong Town area on site.

The target group is the resident or tenant that live or work in the surrounding area of the new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment Project. The next section of the questionnaire was carried out though online. The numbers of questionnaire in this section will be larger to gather the data to reflect the public opinions toward the research topic.

More than a hundred of questionnaire was conducted including seventeen on-site questionnaires and a hundred online survey. The survey was designed to gather data of their background, comments and opinions to the new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment Project in several aspects of views. The questions were designed in different criteria to figure out the effectiveness and impact to the participants.

3.3.3 Other Data The data from the Survey and Mapping Office and the Urban Renewal Authority was used to build the 3D model for simulations for comparison to the research.

3.4 Limitations Although the research method for gathering the data was aimed at achieve the objective of the project to accomplish a better result, there are limitations that may vary the data outcome or towards the research conclusions.

For the test of computer simulation, the original data from the Survey and Mapping Office and the Urban Renewal Authority may not be accurate due to the change of project planning and actual site environment. The design of the new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment Project could be adjusted during the construction period of the 19

project. The change of building form, density and mass could lead to massive various result for the research. The 3D models and current climate data for comparison may not be detail enough for the report due to the lack of resources.

For the questionnaires, the limitations could also affect the data results. Some opinions would be excluded because of the limitation of numbers of participants. The numbers of participants may not be large enough to cover or represent the actual situation from the public. The group of participants for the online survey could have similarity in background because of the conducting method and result in not comprehensive. Besides, most of the data collected in this sections are the opinions and prediction towards the renewal project. Those data may not be accurate because the renewal project is still in progress.

3.5 Analysis Method The collected data from above method will be analyzed in environmental, economic and social aspect. After that, this report will determine whether the redevelopment project create better living environment for the surrounding residents.

In the part of environmental aspect, the data gather from the computer simulation will be used to compare the natural lighting and wind path of the new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment Project and the old Yue Man Square. With the supporting data from the questionnaires about the problem of pollutions towards the renewal project, the environmental impacts will be analyzed.

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In the part of economic aspect, results of the questionnaires would be the main data source for the process of analysis. This report will be assessed the change of economic activities around the site and the economic impart to the neighborhood.

In the part of social aspect, results of the questionnaires would be the main data source for the process of analysis. This report will be assessed the effectiveness of the renewal project in terms of enhancing the connection between the neighborhood and community.

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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction Based on the data gather from the previous test and survey, the results will be interpret and evaluated in this chapter in several aspects that affecting the surround neighborhood in order to achieve the research objectives.

4.2 Environmental Impact Environmental impact of renewal project is always the most critical area that need to be consider because the duration of this type of impact is constant. It cannot be easily undo after the construction is finished. The change in environment will also affect every users and non-users around the project area.

4.2.1 Natural Lighting and Shadow The new Kwun Tong Town redevelopment project will change the natural lighting and shadow to the surrounding area due to the huge increase in the building volume.

TIME 08:00

12:00

21st March

DATE 21st June

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16:00

21st Sept

21st Dec

(Table 4.2.1a Natural lighting and shadow of old Yuen Man Square) TIME 08:00

12:00

16:00

21st March

21st June

DATE 21st Sept

21st Dec

(Table 4.2.1b Natural lighting and shadow of new Kwun Tong Town)

Table 4.2.1a and Table 4.2.1b illustrates the projected natural lighting and shadow in three selected time during different seasons.

In the simulation of the old Yuen Man Square, the impact of shadow from the 23

buildings inside the site to the surrounding is extremely low. The buildings only block a little amount of natural lighting. As shown in Table 4.2.1a, the shadow created by the building blocks in the site only cover part of the streets nearby. None of the simulated date and time shown the shadow created by the building blocks in the site will affect the surrounding buildings.

In the simulation of the new Kwun Tong Town, the impact of shadow from the buildings inside the site to the surrounding is huge comparing to the old Yuen Man Square. As shown in Table 4.2.1b, the renewal project blocks natural lighting to the surrounding streets and buildings in most of the simulated date and time. 12:00 at 21st June is the only case that the renewal project will not block the natural lighting to the surrounding area.

To compare the simulation of natural lighting and shadow in the old Yuen Man Square and the new Kwun Tong Town, the new Kwun Tong Town blocks natural lighting in more scenarios. As Table 4.2.1a and Table 4.2.1b indicates, the scale of shadow in the new Kwun Tong Town is also much bigger than the old Yuen Man Square. Hence, the impact of natural lighting from the new Kwun Tong Town to the surrounding users and neighborhood is much larger than the old Yuen Man Square.

4.2.2 Wind Flow The new Kwun Tong Town redevelopment project will change the natural ventilation and wind flow to the surrounding area due to the change of volume, density and location of the buildings.

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(Figure 4.2.2a Wind flow of old Yuen Man Square)

(Figure 4.2.2b Wind flow of new Kwun Tong Town)

Figure 4.2.2a and Figure 4.2.2b illustrates the direction of wind flow in the scenario of old Yuen Man Square and new Kwun Tong Town. The simulation is taking south as the wind direction. The reason is most of the wind towards the site is from south and there are less obstacles in the south. Hence, the result would be closer to actual situation.

In the simulation of the old Yuen Man Square, the wind flow only redirect at the lower level as shown in Figure 4.2.2a. Since the original building were low-rise building blocks, the impact of them to the wind flow in higher level is minimum.

In the simulation of the new Kwun Tong Town, the wind flow redirect a lot at different level as shown in Figure 4.2.2b. Those high-rise building blocks in new Kwun Tong Town change the wind flow.

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(Figure 4.2.2c Comparison of wind flow)

Figure 4.2.2c illustrates the difference of wind flow in the old Yuen Man Square and the new Kwun Tong Town. As shown in the figure, the building blocks in renewal project have a huge impact to the wind flow when comparing to the old building blocks. The commercial skyscraper at the right-hand corner separate the wind in two directions. It block the wind to the public open space at the east of the site which indicated with the orange circle. Besides, the high dense residential blocks in the renewal project block the wind to the north of the site which indicated with the blue circle. As shown in Figure 4.2.2c, the new buildings also block the wind in the lower level with the podium for shopping mall same as the old Yuen Man Square.

4.2.3 Pollutions and Environment The new Kwun Tong Town redevelopment may change the surrounding environment in terms of different pollutions.

26

Do you think the problem of air pollution will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Figure 4.2.3a Questionnaire 2a)

Do you think the problem of noise pollution will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Figure 4.2.3b Questionnaire 2b)

Do you think the problem of light pollution will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Figure 4.2.3c Questionnaire 2c)

27

Do you think the problem of pollution will be reduced because of the green facilities in the site?

(Figure 4.2.3d Questionnaire 2d)

As shown in Figure 4.2.3a, Figure 4.2.3b and Figure 4.2.3c, a big proportion of participants think pollution problem will be increased after the construction of the new Kwun Tong Town redevelopment project especially in light pollution. Almost 60% of the participants think the light pollution will be increased. Also, nearly half of participants think the noise pollution will became more serious.

However, 49.4% of participants think the green facilities in the renewal project could help to reduce the pollution problems as obtained in Figure 4.2.3d.

Do you think the new Kwun Tong Town is more comfortable than the old Yuen Man Square?

(Figure 4.2.3e Questionnaire 2e)

28

In conclusion, do you think the environmental quality will be enhanced after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Very unlikely 1-4 Very likely)

(Figure 4.2.3f Questionnaire 2f)

As shown in Figure 4.2.3f, more than 60% of the participants think the environmental quality will likely be enhanced.

4.3 Economic Impact Economic impact of the renewal project is inevitable. The renewal project could bring opportunities or challenges to the surrounding neighborhood.

4.3.1 Opportunities Do you think the working opportunities for Kwun Tong residents will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Figure 4.3.1a Questionnaire 3a) 29

Do you think the reserved street shops and market features in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

(Very unlikely 1-4 Very likely)

(Figure 4.3.1b Questionnaire 5a) Do you think the ladder falls in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

(Very unlikely 1-4 Very likely)

(Figure 4.3.1c Questionnaire 5b)

30

Do you think the green facilities in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

(Very unlikely 1-4 Very likely)

(Figure 4.3.1d Questionnaire 5c)

Do you think the glass egg-shaped community center in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

(Very unlikely 1-4 Very likely)

(Figure 4.3.1e Questionnaire 5d)

As shown in the Figure 4.3.1a, more than half of the participants think the renewal project can create more job opportunities for the local residents in Kwun Tong district.

Also, Figure 4.3.1b to Figure 4.3.1e illustrate the willingness of participants of entering the site. They think the features of reserved street shops and market is the most attractive part of the new Kwun Tong Town. 55% of the participants think this feature can increase their chance of visiting Kwun Tong area. However, more than 31

half of the participant the rest of the special features in the redevelopment project cannot attract them to the site. These data shown the preferences of participants. They think the most important elements of the renewal project is reserved street shops and market.

4.3.2 Challenges Do you think the commodity price in Kwun Tong district will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Figure 4.3.2a Questionnaire 3b)

Do you think the property prices in Kwun Tong district will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

(Figure 4.3.2b Questionnaire 3c)

Figure 4.3.2a to Figure 4.3.2b illustrate living cost of the local residents in Kwun Tong district. As shown in above figures, more than 80% of the participants believe the community price and the property price will increase after the construction of new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project. It states they think the cost of living in Kwun Tong district will be increase.

32

4.4 Social Impact Social impact is import of a project of redevelopment. The renewal project could enhance or break the social connection of the district.

4.4.1 Social Connection Do you think the open public space in the renewal project can enhance the community connection?

(Figure 4.4.1a Questionnaire 4a) Do you think the community center in the renewal project can enhance the community connection?

(Figure 4.4.1b Questionnaire 4b) Do you think the renewal project can enhance the community connection?

(Figure 4.4.1c Questionnaire 4c) 33

In conclusion, do you think the renewal project will bring social benefits to the Kwun Tong residents?

(Very unlikely 1-4 Very likely)

(Figure 4.4.1d Questionnaire 4d)

Figure 4.4.1a and Figure 4.4.1b shown most of the participants of the survey do not think the social facilities can enhance the community connection in Kwun Tong district. 44.9% and 40.4% of the participants think the open public space and community center cannot link up the local resident respectively. As indicated in Figure 4.4.1c, almost half of the participants think the new Kwun Tong Town redevelopment project cannot successfully enhance the connectivity of the neighborhood. Also, according the Figure 4.4.1d, 56.2% of participants think the renewal project is not likely to bring social benefits to the residents in Kwun Tong district.

34

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION

5.1 Introduction Based on the data analysis from the data, evaluation of them to achieve to the objectives of research would be the focus in this chapter. The evaluations will be divided into three aspect same as the previous chapter to give better detail discussion.

5.2 Environmental Impact As the most critical section of this report, part of the change on microclimate because of the new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project has been analyzed. The living environment of the surrounding neighborhood will be damaged in this aspect.

The reduction of natural lighting due to the renewal project will affect the neighborhood and affecting their daily activities. The nearby residents and tenants would be the victims of the project because most of the street level area will be covered by the shadows including the shops and open spaces. Also, the natural lighting received by the residential building would drop. The insufficient of natural lighting would limit their activities.

The change of wind flow will result in part of the surrounding area cannot have sufficient natural ventilation. Human comfort of the people around those areas will drop. The lack of ventilation will discourage users to stay or move around the area which means increasing the limitation of daily routine of Kwun Tong residents. They will feel uncomfortable. The temperature may also be affected.

Besides, most of the participants of the survey concerns on the pollutions especially in 35

light pollution. It is not surprised because most of the modern building in Hong Kong is using glass as the faรงade element. At the day time, the glass will reflect the sunlight which will create light spot the surrounding area. At the night time, the artificial light will affect the surrounding residents because of the glass panel at the envelope of shopping mall at the podium. There is plenty of light pollution example in Hong Kong such as Mong Kok. Since operation time of the shops in Mong Kok is quite long and they used a lot of artificial light, the light then penetrates the glass and affect the nearby resident. They even find it hard to sleep because of the luminance of the light.

The new Kwun Tong Town could have the same problem if the restriction of government is not enough.

As shown as the data, the renewal project does not create better environmental conditions to the surrounding neighborhood. Instead, it would create serious problem in terms of the microclimate and pollution.

5.3 Economic Impact The economic impact is the objective of renewal project. The Urban Renewal Authority want the new Kwun Tong Town acts as the business center in the whole district to lead the economic growth. However, the economic growth may not be able to benefit the residents and tenants which most of them are belong to low-income class according to the government survey.

There will be several opportunities for working and starting business because of the large area in the new Kwun Tong Town. The multi-level shopping center and the commercial skyscraper can create a lot of job spots for the surround residents. Also, the special design features of the renewal project including reserved street shops and 36

market, ladder falls, green facilities and the glass egg-shaped community center can turn the whole site area to the landmark of Kwun Tong district. Hence, the visitors from other districts or cities could be increase and build better business environment in the surrounding area.

However, the commodity price and property prices in the Kwun Tong district may increase because of the new development. The cost of living for the resident will rise.

If they cannot share the opportunities from the increasing human flow, they may not be able to cover the increase of living cost. Their living quality will drop as the results.

5.4 Social Impact The Urban Renewal Authority also want to connect the community and neighborhood by the invention of the public open space and community center. However, the effectiveness of these facilities is questionable.

Although there is not many community space near the site, the residents may not have the ease of access to the community space in the new Kwun Tong Town. The participants shown their concerns through the survey. Both public open space and community center in not located at the ground level. Instead, they located above the shopping mall. The users must pass through the podium from interior or outdoor staircase or lifts. This kind of spatial design lower the willingness of users to enter the area. It increases the difficulty for public to access. It is not a good design for connecting community.

37

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Conclusion In conclusion, the new Kwun Tong Town centre does not create better living environment for the surrounding residents and community. Besides, the project creates more negative impact towards the surrounding neighborhood in several aspects including environmental, economic and social. The project may be failed to archive its objectives which is producing better living environment and enhance the connection between community and citizens in the surrounding area.

6.2 Recommendations Because the construction of the new Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project is still in progress, many design can be adjusted to create better environment for the surrounding residents and community.

Firstly, the building form, density and location can change although the building volume may not be able to adjust. More openings can be insert to the building blocks to create tunnel for natural lighting and wind to pass through. The location of the building should have minimum impact to the surrounding streets and building blocks.

These kinds of adjustment can increase the human comfort for the users.

For lower the light pollutions after the renewal project, the building materials can be changed. Solid materials or high-performance glass that will reduce the luminous of the artificial light should be considered as the major faรงade material to reduce the impact to the surrounding residents.

38

Secondly, the program of different functional area can be adjusted. As the reserved street shops and market is the most attractive, the proportion of this area should increase. Also, more features can be added to other function space to attract visitors.

Besides, residents or original tenants in old Yuen Man square should have the priority of renting part of the rental space. These would certainly benefit the surrounding residents.

Finally, the access or location of the community space should be changed. They should have better connection from the street level. For example, a set of separated circulation such as staircase or lift should be provided for the ease of entry. Otherwise, the public open space and community center should be located at ground level with direct entrance from the street. These adjustments can increase the willingness for users to enter for enhancing the community connections.

39

References MASLOW, A.H.(1970) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and Row. APPLETON, J. (1994) How I Made the World: Shaping a View of Landscape (Environmental Studies) (p. 207) Hopkins, L.D. (2001). Urban Development: The Logic Of Making Plans. Washington: Island Press.

Sivaramakrishnan, K. C. (2011). Re-visioning Indian cities: the urban renewal mission. New Delhi, India: SAGE Publications.

Hyra, D. S. (2008). The new urban renewal: the economic transformation of Harlem and Bronzeville.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hutchison, R. (2000). Constructions of urban space. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.

Vliet, W. V. (1997). Affordable housing and urban redevelopment in the United States. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Wong, Y. C., Tan, K. H., Siew, M. K., & Low, C. L. (2005). Singapore 1:1 city: a gallery of architecture & urban design. Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Botton, A. D. (2006). The architecture of happiness. New York: Pantheon Books.

French, H. (1998). Architecture: a crash course. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.

Standard of Living Definition. Investopedia.com. Retrieved 5 November 2011.

Clark, N. (n.d.). Library of Economics and Liberty. Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics | Library of Economics and Liberty. Retrieved from http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/IndustrialRevolutionandtheStandardofLiving.html Linden, P. F. (1999). "The Fluid Mechanics of Natural Ventilation". Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics. 31: 201–238.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2013, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy de Dear, Richard; Brager, Gail (1998). "Developing an adaptive model of thermal comfort and preference". ASHRAE Transactions. 104 (1): 145–67.

Nastaran, S. (2013). Street Design and Urban Microclimate: Analyzing the Effects of Street Geometry and Orientation on Airflow and Solar Access in Urban Canyons. Journal of Clean Energy Technologies, 1(1).

Hussain, Ali Vendavarz, Sunil Kumar, Muhammed (2006). HVAC : handbook of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (1st ed.). New York: Industrial Press.

New Oxford American Dictionary REINOUT, K. (2004). Social implications of housing diversification in urban renewal: A review of recent literature. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, , 367–390.

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Tunstall, R. (2003) ‘Mixed Tenure’ Policy in the UK: Privatisation, Pluralism or Euphemism? Housing Theory and Society, 20(3), 153–159 HUD Revitalization Areas. Retrieved 2 October 2016.

Chigbu, Uchendu Eugene (2012). Village renewal as an instrument of rural development: evidence from Weyarn, Germany. Community Development. 43 (2): 209–224 Lobbia, J.A., Bowery Bummer: Downtown Plan Will Make and Break History, The Village Voice, March 17, 1999

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APPENDIX A1 – Sample of questionnaire

Chapter 1: Background 1a. Age: Below 18 / 18-24 / 24-30 / above 30 1b. Education level: Primary education / Secondary education / Undergraduate / Graduate 1c. Are you living or working in Kwun Tong District?

Yes / No

Chapter 2: Environmental Impact 2a. Do you think the problem of air pollution will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 2b. Do you think the problem of noise pollution will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 2c. Do you think the problem of light pollution will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 2d. Do you think the problem of pollution will be reduced because of the green facilities in the site?

Yes / No / Uncertain 2e. Do you think the new Kwun Tong Town is more comfortable than the old Yuen Man Square?

Yes / No / Uncertain 42

2f. In conclusion, do you think the environmental quality will be enhanced after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

Chapter 3: Economic Impact 3a. Do you think the working opportunities for Kwun Tong residents will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 3b. Do you think the commodity price in Kwun Tong district will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 3c. Do you think the property prices in Kwun Tong district will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 3d. Do you think the type of commodity in Kwun Tong district will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 3e. Do you think the flow of people in Kwun Tong district will be increased after the construction of Kwun Tong Town Redevelopment project?

Yes / No / Uncertain 3f. In conclusion, do you think the renewal project will bring economic benefits to the Kwun Tong residents?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

43

3

/

4

Very likely

Chapter 4: Social Impact 4a. Do you think the open public space in the renewal project can enhance the community connection?

Yes / No / Uncertain 4b. Do you think the community center in the renewal project can enhance the community connection?

Yes / No / Uncertain 4c. Do you think the renewal project can enhance the community connection?

Yes / No / Uncertain 4d. In conclusion, do you think the renewal project will bring social benefits to the Kwun Tong residents?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

Chapter 5: Others 5a. Do you think the reserved street shops and market features in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

5b. Do you think the ladder falls in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

5c. Do you think the green facilities in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

5d. Do you think the glass egg-shaped community center in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/ 44

3

/

4

Very likely

5e. Do you think the commercial skyscraper in the renewal project will attract you to the site?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

5f. Do you think the renewal project will bring positive impact to residents in Kwun Tong district?

Very unlikely

1

/

2

/

3

/

4

Very likely

5g. Other opinions: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

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APPENDIX A2 – Natural lighting and shadow of old Yuen Man Square TIME 08:00 21st March

21st June

DATE

21st Sept

21st Dec

12:00

16:00

APPENDIX A3 – Natural lighting and shadow of new Kwun Tong Town TIME 08:00 21st March

21st June

DATE 21st Sept

21st Dec

12:00

16:00