URA

10 MANAGING DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Steering from Project-led towards Planning-led The URA has recently adopted a two-pronged approach t o unde r t ake u rban renewa l mo re effectively. On the one hand, we continue to adopt a project-led model to deal with individual dilapidated building, complemented by the aspiration of bringing greater benefits to the community by improving the accessibility of public spaces and pedestrian walkways, as well as enhancing the overall townscape of the project area. To this end, the URA has opted for projects that provide opportunities for re-planning and rationalisation of land use. In this regard, three new redevelopment projects, namely: the Sung Hing Lane/Kwai Heung Street project (C&W-005); the Queen’s Road West/In Ku Lane project (C&W-006), and the Oak Street/Ivy Street project (YTM-011) were undertaken last year from a planning perspective. On the other hand, the URA also adopts a planning-led model that allows urban renewal to be able to realise more planning benefits, through for example, the development and optimal use of underground spaces to accommodate parking and other building provisions such as machine and refuse rooms, as well as the designing and building of additional quality pedestrian areas that can make communities more liveable. Apart from moving from a project-led to a planning- led approach, and to effectively implement the direction under the Urban Renewal Strategy (URS) that urban renewal is not a slash-and-burn process, we need to formulate a new set of comprehensive and holistic s t r a t eg i es t ha t i n t egr a t e o u r f o u r b u s i n e s s e s o f redevelopment, rehabilitation, preservation and revitalisation. To achieve this, the URA embarked on three strategic studies last year with a view to exploring new planning and implementation models f o r u r ban renewa l t o be sustainable in the long run. Yau Mong District Study: Realising Potential from Constraints Taking Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok as the study area, the two-year Yau Mong District Study (YMDS) aims to formulate strategies from a holistic perspective for solutions to the current impasse which has seen urban renewal failing to catch up the pace of building deterioration in facing the high density of both population and ageing buildings in the area. The Study strives to make recommendations on how to enhance the efficiency of current land use and the redevelopment potential of the Yau Mong district as well as tackle the constraints to development density under existing urban planning and legal framework, based on a three-step approach. Following the initial step of a holistic planning, the URA will identity appropriate projects and decide on the best business strategy or a combination of strategies for the development before making a final selection of implementation methodology. First phase of the YMDS being a baseline study on the physical attributes of the Yau Mong district has been completed. Preliminary data revealed that the overall plot ratio of the buildings in the district has reached 90% of the capacity under current planning regime. The remaining plot ratio available for development is only 10% with fragmented ownerships. Benefits of urban planning and land efficiency will be out of the question for URA to redevelop these buildings of which the plot ratio has been nearly used up or has Visiting the Oak Street/Ivy Street project on the day of project launch and inspecting the varied and poor building condition with URA staff members.