November, 2007

Urban “Renewal” – on People’s Right to the City

Lee Wai-yi

(The author is a video art activist [v-activist], keen on documenting social movements for local communities in Hong Kong.)

In Hong Kong, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) is responsible for carrying out urban renewal. Since the setting up of URA, residents and local businesses in old districts have been suffering much, and many problems had come to the surface especially during these two years.

If you go to the website of the Planning and Lands Branch Development Bureau (http://www.devb-plb.gov.hk/eng/policy/urs.htm), you may notice that the “Urban Renewal Strategy” section states that the main objectives of urban renewal include:

　　- promoting sustainable development in the urban area;
　　- preserving as far as practicable local characteristics;
　　- preserving the social networks of the local community;
　　- providing purpose-built housing for groups with special needs, such as
　 　 the elderly and the disabled;
　　- providing more open space and community/welfare facilities…

However, what we see in reality is not the case. I shall briefly raise some problems that we often see while working on video documentation during these few years.

1) Destroying community networks, local businesses and local characteristics:

As far as I observe, there is a strange phenomenon: wherever people want to improve their living standard and prefer to leave the original district, URA did nothing; but wherever people want to preserve their local community networks, local characteristics and local economy, URA insisted to chase all residents and businesses away from their place.

In old districts, there are strong ties among the neighborhood, including the local businesses and the residents. Many old people rely on the network to fulfill basic emotional and social needs. Mutual help can be expected among the neighborhood. Local businesses know their customers well and can tackle their problems personally. Of course, there are also arguments and discontent, just like in many other communities. However, the network is very obvious. These are also part of Hong Kong’s culture and local characteristics which is rooted in the place.

After leaving the neighborhood where they had lived for many years and being forced to adapt a new environment, many elderly people get sick or even pass away.

The loss of community network also brings the problem of poverty. Since mutual help does not exist anymore after moving to a new and unfamiliar place, people have to spend money on things like baby-sitting and elderly care, which are available free of charge in their old districts. Moreover, once the URA has announced an area as “renewal district”, the rent goes up immediately. Some people who cannot afford high price have to move far away, hence, their expenses of transportation to work and school increase. All these would put heavy burden on low-income families.

Accompanying with the loss of community network is the loss of local businesses which is one of the local characteristics.

One example is the printing companies in Lee Tung Street (internationally known as Wedding Card Street) in Wan Chai. They specialized in printing different kinds of wedding cards, and would introduce customers to each other. Also, some companies might help with one another’s production, which saved a lot of time and transportation fee. Moreover, the street had been so famous and attracted a lot of customers; hence it benefited the whole economic community.

Another example is “stair-case shops” in old districts. Many of these shops exist due to good relationship between shop-owners and residents of the buildings. There are no black-and-white rental contract, but only certain kind of agreements between residents and shop-owners. When URA steps in, these shop-owners have difficulties proving their identities and legitimacy of existence in the area, and their entitlements for compensation or resettlement.

In the cases of Lee Tung Street, “Sport Shoes Street” in Mongkok, the traditional hawker-market in Central, Sheung Wan, Wanchai, Kwun Tong, these local small businesses depend heavily on neighborhood. Since the rise of property rent is almost inevitable in these renewal districts and their vicinities, many people are being chased far away. Some small business owners become jobless. Since many of them are middle-aged or even old-aged business runners, it is very difficult for them to start up a whole new business again in other places.

2) Loss of Sense of “the Public”

This is a serous problem with the city’s development. Newly developed areas emphasizes on “privacy”, where the use of public area is under strict management. However, this kind of management actually prevents citizen from participating in planning and developing the landscape of the city, hence, it emphasizes a top-down management culture.

If you go to our old districts, you will find people’s lively usage of public area. This actually represents a sense of community belonging and a wish to participate in the design of landscape. Community activities take place on streets and cultivate the street culture.

This change symbolizes a hidden but serious threat against the value of democracy, of participation, of a bottom-up sense of management.

3) “Land Resumption Ordinance”

The whole urban renewal process includes a vicious law namely “Land Resumption Ordinance”. This ordinance allows URA to resume the property right of the land even if it fails to make an agreement with the owners of residences or shops in old districts. However, these land plots are usually converted into private real-estate development projects in favor of property developers’ profits, rather than public interests. This ordinance seriously restricts the bargaining power of owners of small-scale properties.

4) Unsustainable Development: Inclination to the Interest of Property Developers

Sustainable development means that a place is developed with good balance between environmental, social and economic well beings, and that benefits are shared by all stakeholders. People in this city have contributed to its development in all respects, and their contribution should be recognized. People should have their claims to this city — the place where they live and work in.

Looking at the existing urban renewal process, people’s rights and needs are often neglected, and benefits are attributed to large corporations. In the long run, it is harmful to all people in the city.