Urban Renewal Authority 2018-19 Annual Report

66 CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY During the year, a wide range of programmes were organised for young people in order to inspire them to explore issues related to urban renewal. A series of education and extension programmes (E&E) was organised during 2018/19 to reach out to the younger generation, aimed at enhancing understanding and fostering a positive image of the URA. The E&E efforts covered a wide range of activities, including summer programmes run in collaboration with the Planning Department with briefings and field trips for primary school students; and the Innovative Design Competition run in collaboration with the Institute of Vocational Education and Hong Kong Design Institute for students to unleash their creativity in improving the living environment of old urban areas through smart design. The URA also supported activities run by different institutions to encourage young minds to apply their knowledge in urban renewal such as “Create Your District” Competition organised by The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. In the 2018/19 Young Leaders Programme co-organised with the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, case studies on “place-making”, “smart-living” and “building rehabilitation” were assigned to participating students. A series of activities including guided tours, docents, school talks and workshops was organised to equip students with leadership skills as well as information and knowledge relating to their assigned topics. The students were also required to share the knowledge they acquired about urban renewal with their schoolmates. Mitigation Measures for Those Affected Since October 2016, the URA has implemented a “Project Engagement” programme to strengthen out- reach support and establish relationships with affected residents and owners of the properties in the URA’s redevelopment projects, especially during the period of uncertainty and anxiety prior to project approval and property acquisition. In 2018/19, the programme was conducted for four redevelopment projects, namely Sung Hing Lane/Kwai Heung Street (C&W-005) and Queen’s Road West/In Ku Lane (C&W-006) in Central and Western District; Oak Street/Ivy Street (YTM-011) in Tai Kok Tsui and Wing Kwong Street/Sung On Street (KC-014) in To Kwa Wan, with visits paid to 482 residents and owners. Building Our Capacity Without a dedicated and competent team, the URA cannot sustain its urban renewal efforts. In 2018/19, the training focus remained on facilitating our staff members at different levels to learn the latest technologies e.g. BIM, Smart City, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Internet of Things (IoTs), etc. At the same time, effort was also put into reinforcing our staff members’ functional know-how and core competence skills in communication, stakeholder engagement, innovation, personal development and leadership. During the year, around 12,800 training hours were provided for around 4,000 participants with over 20 new training programmes, and 40 visits and talks, mostly related to innovation and technology A series of education and extension programmes related to urban renewal is organised to inspire the younger generation. Various technical training programmes are offered to URA staff members.