prominent civic objects and spaces in cities, are urged to turn their attention to these hidden yet indispensable systems that underlie urban fabric (Castro, Ramfrez and Rico, 2013). As designers begin to expand the scale and scope of their projects, they are also recognising the potential of infrastructure to serve as ‘fertile conceptual territory.’ (Carlisle and Pevzner, 2013) For example, the Working Public Architecture 2.0 Competition in 2009, organised by UCLA’s CityLAB as a response to the US Recovery Act, prompted designers to ‘envision a new legacy of publicly-supported infrastructure, projects that explore the value of infrastructure not only as an engineering endeavour, but as a robust design opportunity to strengthen communities and revitalise cities.’ (UCLA cityLAB, 2009) [04]
In the context of Hong Kong, proposals for infrastructural developments are absorbed into the overall territorial urban planning of the city. The likes of Metroplan 1991, Urban Renewal
Strategy Study of 1999, Hong Kong 2030 Planning Vision and Strategy, and the ‘Ten Major Infrastructure Projects for Economic Growth’ have all been a commitment to promote and guide Hong Kong’s infrastructural development. However, whilst these plans and studies offer comprehensive guidelines and attainable visions, in a review of Metroplan 1991 conducted by the Planning Department (PlanD) in 2003, it has identified the plan’s lack of statutory status as the main obstacle in implementing the proposals. Although Metroplan 1991 was endorsed by the Executive Council (ExCo) as a policy statement, there was no clear statement of the force intended to be given to its principles in decision-making, and as a result, its provisions have not always carried sufficient weight to affect any key decisions in infrastructural planning or design (Hong Kong Planning Department, 2003). For this reason, an alternative approach would be necessary to create a strategic framework for policy implementation and urban development, under the overarching goal of creating a long-term plan for the transformation of Hong Kong’s food system.
56