Urban Renewal Authority 2018-19 Annual Report

14 MESSAGE FROM THE NEW CHAIRMAN Working Hand in Hand for a New Chapter in Urban Renewal The intensity of ageing of buildings is accelerating and on an irreversible trend. To meet public expectation on the URA in improving old districts, the URA has stepped up its commitment to push forward urban renewal by commencing a forward-looking district study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok (Yau Mong District Study) with an aim to explore more effective approaches for urban renewal. While the Yau Mong District Study is still underway, the URA has applied some of the research insights and mechanisms therein to the preliminary feasibility studies for projects in other districts. Three of these have already been kicked off earlier this year for the old urban districts of Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City. Working to formulate blueprints that cover broader development areas, the Project Planning and Preliminary Feasibility Studies (PPFS) will examine different land uses and road network plans in respective areas, as well as their current planning constraints, in order to explore the feasibility of various planning and design proposals and identify urban renewal projects that can encompass the work of redevelopment, rehabilitation, preservation, revitalisation and retrofitting. These will be further included in the URA’s annual Business Plan and its five-year Corporate Plan for accelerating the implementation of urban regeneration that can bring higher effectiveness and greater benefits to meet the needs of the community, thus achieving the long-term goals of urban renewal. As we push ahead with our initiatives on Yau Mong District Study and PPFS, and in anticipation of the technical complexities and issues arising from policy frameworks, the URA must work closely with the Government, industry players and local communities, so as to garner support for working out concrete plans and implementation details of various proposals and measures. Meanwhile, another study now underway on new building rehabilitation strategy is expected to be completed within this financial year. This explores new approaches to tackling urban decay through the formulation of holistic strategies for rehabilitating buildings of different ages. The work of building maintenance is never a simple task as it involves a wide range of fields and a great number of owners and industry practitioners. It is, therefore, important for the URA to strengthen its communication and collaboration with different parties and stakeholders to win their support for, and understanding of, joint initiatives on building rehabilitation. This includes raising owners’ awareness and ability to organise works and of the availability of financial and technical assistance. As it is beyond the bounds of possibility for the URA to realise these holistic and forward-looking objectives alone, we will continue to collaborate closely with the Government in various aspects, from policy advisory to the rendering of technical assistance as well as administrative and regulatory support, with a view to taking on board the new initiatives in land uses and planning, as well as building management. I sincerely hope that professional groups, owners, tenants and community stakeholders will continue to offer support to the URA, and to join hands with us in fostering the long-term development of urban regeneration. Exchanging views with URA staff to understand their daily work.