Setting the context How Hong Kong embraced watersensitive urban design Peter Hillis, AECOM Technical Director – Water Treatment
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Context is everything. It can mean the difference between a successful project and one that fails to innovate. For early adopters of water-sensitive urban design, establishing context is paramount.
A
t its most simple, designers use water-sensitive urban
Hong Kong’s challenge
are generally built on vacant land (as opposed
An examination of WSUD in Hong Kong’s New
to already established urban environments) and
design (WSUD) to reduce
Development Areas (NDAs) provides a great
aim to provide additional housing and livable
environmental degradation
insight for early adopters in cities around
spaces for Hong Kong’s burgeoning population.
and improve residents’ quality
the world. This city’s experience shows the
As they are new developments, there is
of life by integrating the urban water cycle
importance of early information collection, as
a great opportunity to integrate much-prized
into design.
well as clear context establishment. Focusing
open space with transport and sustainable
As city makers strive to improve urban
on these two elements at the outset mitigates
waste management, as well as new develop-
space livability, WSUD has emerged as a best
project challenges, guides funding decisions
ment techniques.
practice approach to environmental planning
and may in fact be essential for a WSUD
and design. For cities focused on residents’
project to realise its full potential.
AECOM’s research into Hong Kong’s NDA experience found that using WSUD is an ef-
quality of life and water sustainability, the
For planners in Hong Kong the method
fective solution for some of the city’s livability
hunt is now on for the best way to adopt
has been used to construct the city’s ‘from
challenges. Further, this project strategy
and roll out the technique.
scratch’ developments. These developments
ensures a range of passive and active open
6 Sustainability Matters - Oct/Nov 2016
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