Urban Renewal Authority 2018-19 Annual Report

17 MANAGING DIRECTOR ’ S STATEMENT To overcome the urban decay predicament with New Strategies, Innovative Mechanisms and Concerted Efforts In June 2019, my new term began at the time when my three previous years serving as the Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) ended. Taking stock of the progress made and initiatives launched during my last tenure, the URA has strived to formulate new implementation mechanisms and strategies gearing for greater effectiveness and impact in its two core businesses of redevelopment and building rehabilitation. On the redevelopment front, the URA is moving from the conventional project-led approach in undertaking urban renewal to a planning-led process for maximisation of benefits to the community through restructuring and re-planning the built environment, as well as rationalising land use. Regarding building rehabilitation, in addition to helping owners overcome the challenges of organising building maintenance works, with financial assistance through various building rehabilitation subsidy schemes, a substantial part of our work has been dedicated to enhancing the respective knowledge and technical capabilities of owners, with a view to instilling a change in attitude towards building maintenance from passivity to proactivity. In addition to the new implementation approaches in our two core businesses, the URA is committed to devising new urban regeneration strategies from a holistic perspective, which are to be supplemented by findings of two soon-to-be-completed strategic studies on Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok Districts (Yau Mong District Study), as well as the New Building Rehabilitation Strategy Study. Pooling the efforts from government departments, building owners, community stakeholders and professional institutes, the URA endeavours to change public perception of urban renewal from focusing on the demolition of dilapidated buildings to maintenance and enhancement of building facilities with “new strategies, innovative mechanisms and concerted efforts”. Through this we are able to optimise the use of public resources and lands in the old districts, hence catching up with the pace of urban decay and fostering the sustainable development of urban regeneration.