City Speak X: A Green City, A Cool City Speaker: Jonathan McKinley Rising expectations for space for leisure, recreation and sports Hong Kong is surrounded by so much water and has so many green mountains, so does it really need more urban open space? How do we respond to the threats of global warming and air pollution? What is the meaning of “the urban heat island effect”? What is an “air ventilation assessment”? What value doesthe community place on open space? Is the demand for recreation and sport changing? Do we need a landscape vision and master plan? Is “green infrastructure” becoming more important than roads and railway lines in securing a sustainable built environment in Hong Kong? Join experts, academics, planners, government officials and landscape architects in a discussion about how to stay cool in our city. Designing Hong Kong is a not-for-profit organisation focused on sustainable urban planning. See: www.designinghongkong.com

1. Public Open Space
6 March 2010

2. Central Park, New York

3. Central Park, New York

4. Ueno Park, Tokyo

5. Lumpini Park, Bangkok

6. Lumpini Park, Bangkok

7. Chater Garden, Hong Kong

8. Chater Garden

9. Kowloon Park

10. Hong Kong Park

11. Sports Commission – Community
Sports Committee Study
Adults aged 20 or above should ideally take part
in sport or similar physical activity five times per
week and for 30 minutes per day
29% of Hong Kong adults achieve this
benchmark
32% of adults can be classed as physically
inactive

12. Less demanding benchmark
Baseline indicator: adults should take part in
moderate or vigorous sport or similar physical
activity three times a week for at least 30
minutes each time.
44% of adults achieve this benchmark
32% are (still) inactive

13. What about the kids?
Children need at least 60 minutes sport or other
moderate to vigorous physical activity 5 days a
week
34% of children achieve this level
20% of children are inactive

14. Less demanding benchmark?
30 minutes three times per week
77% of children are “active”
6% of children are inactive
We can meet lowest standards for children’s
activity for about three quarters of our kids

15. Where to play?
Grass pitches – usage rate 100%
Artificial turf pitches – usage rate 98%
Public hockey grounds - one
Public baseball grounds – one, sort of
Even if we were to get more people up and going, they
would have nowhere to go

16. Projects in the pipeline – Tseung Kwan
O population characteristics
Population 360,000
In 15-34 age group – about 30%
26 secondary schools
38 primary schools

17. Tseung Kwan O – Current facilities
Currently 60 ha of public open space in Tseung Kwan O
Grass pitches – 0 (none)
Artificial turf pitches – 1 (one)
7-a-side hard pitches – 4
Outdoor basketball courts – 2
Sports ground - one

18. Tseung Kwan O Town Park
Currently 60 ha of public open space in Tseung
Kwan O
Planning Standards and Guidelines suggest
need for 70.8 ha
7 ha site for town park
Opportunity for more sports facilities

19. Tseung Kwan O Town Park

20. Tseung Kwan O Town Park
Garden with a large lawn
Large artificial lake
Open-air amphitheatre
Jogging track
Children’s play area

21. Tseung Kwan O district open space
2 ha site zoned “open space”
Chinese-style garden
Covered piazza
Entrance corridor
6-lane artificial turf bowling green

22. District Open Space

23. You can always go to Kwun Tong…
Population: about 600,000
One 7-a-side grass pitch
Three 11-a-side grass pitches
Two 7-a-side artificial turf pitches
PLUS
23 7-a-side hard pitches
23 outdoor basketball courts

24. Victoria Park