The 2017 Policy Address advised replacing the Western Public Cargo area, nicknamed Instagram Pier, with a new community garden built by a non-profit charity, but residents detest the proposal.

 

By Lenka Kwan & Alice Fong

Photographer: Ivy Kong

Advisor: Ms Sandra Lowe

 

The 2017 Policy Address advised replacing the Western Public Cargo area, nicknamed Instagram Pier, with a new community garden built by a non-profit charity, but residents detest the proposal.

It was nicknamed Instagram Pier because many people would go there to take photos and post it on Instagram.

Jeremy Ho, an associate director of the Hong Kong Public Space Initiative, said the transformation would reduce the flexibility of use in that area.

“Originally the Western Cargo area can hold different kinds of activities, but in the future when it turns into a community garden, we can only do one thing,” Ho said.

He believed the changes should include a bottoms-up approach to engagement with the community, so the government should consult or interview not only local authorities but also residents for suggestions.

Another associate director William Chung said a community garden was a new idea for the community, but then government could not just copy and apply such proposals to the Western Cargo area.

“Every district and attraction has its own characteristics and culture,” Ho said, adding that in-depth observations and discussions are needed for the plan, otherwise, stakeholders cannot express their opinions.

Angel Fong, who has lived in Western District for 10 years, believes Instagram Pier has its own aesthetic and it should not be changed. “I will go there on weekends to take photos and just relax and I would be sad to see it go away,” she said.

While the debate on public space has been fierce over the last couple years, there are still room for improvements.

There are “secret” public spaces intentionally hidden by developers in Hong Kong. Private companies use different means to conceal public spaces for private use.

Shopping malls are known to privatise public spaces. According to the Buildings Department, the area outside Times Square in Causeway is within private properties and dedicated for public use. But Times Square used to rent the area multiple times for commercial purposes.

There are a lot of street performers perform at the space outside Times Square.

Since the colonial period, the formation of land policies have been dominated by officials and legislators who are usually in the pro-developers’ camp. This  led to urban planning in the city being determined to a large extent by the interests of these companies.

Ho said most places located in shopping malls were Privately Owned Public Space, referred to as POPS. Based on land deeds, developers were required to arrange some areas for public usage, he added.

“Developers always use some tricky things like using colourful bricks or flowers to enclose an area that should be public space, leading people to think that the area is private,” Ho said.

The Hong Kong Public Space Initiative, which is a non-profit charitable organisation, aims to set up different activities over public space issues, and raise awareness of citizens through community engagement.

Last year “Pic-a-day’’ was held on December 17,  a picnic was held in Mody Road Garden to show participants how to use public urban spaces for leisure.

When it comes to what a government can do, Ho said the key point was that the administration needed to monitor developers or change the law on public space.

To Ensure Public spaces are rightfully used, Ho said the government should carry out inspections and prevent developers from managing areas within their properties that should be for the people.

“I think maybe the government can make a deal with the developers on using some areas for public space and it needs to be stated in the land deeds,” said Chung.

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