A few half-day pre-conference excursions will be arranged on Feb 21, 2017. All excursions are included in the conference fee.
Vertical City
The International Commerce Centre (ICC) is a 118 storey commercial building located in the West Kowloon District in Hong Kong. The max capacity of ICC is 20,000 people while currently it accommodates over 10,000 people in a regular work day. ICC holds more people than 85% of municipal governments in the US (source: U.S. Census Bureau).
This trip will explore how an efficient vertical city is organized. A talk will be given by a Co-CEO of the company, Sun Hung Kai Properties, which is known as the world’s second largest real estate developer. The participants will also get the opportunity to look at the “rail + property” model operated in Hong Kong over the past decades, which turns the railway company, MTRC, into one of the most profitable operators and real estate developers in the world (source: Wikipedia). More…
Housing for the Less Privileged
Hong Kong is an affluent city, but her Gini coefficient (0.54) is among the worst of developed economies, suggesting that inequality is a significant issue. Rocketing house prices and the prolonged queuing time for public rental units have triggered the demand of a new form of housing – subdivided flats – for the less privileged. By visiting those units and talking to the residents / non-governmental organizations directly, the participants not only can experience the unique living environment, but also explore possible solutions to housing problems of this kind in densely populated cities. More…
Urban Space Exploration – Bus tour
Participants will take a 3.5-hour tram/bus tour on the Hong Kong Island to appreciate the complex urban space arrangement in the city, which is featured by a blend of high-rise buildings, sporadic heritages and underutilized open spaces. It is largely a result of the intertwining institutional factors such as property right structures, land management systems, planning and building regulations, political concerns as well as the awareness of urban conservations. The tour will be guided by two leading scholars in the fields of planning law and conservation in Hong Kong. More…
