Page 32 - Urban Renewal Authority 2023-24 Annual Report

OPERATING REVIEW

Kowloon City District-based Building Rehabilitation Pilot Scheme
As part of the urban regeneration plan under the Integrated Approach in Kowloon City, a pilot area covering 40
buildings from Nam Kok Road to Tak Ku Ling Road without imminent need for redevelopment has been mapped
out as the testing ground for various district-based building rehabilitation initiatives for a period of three years.
Extensive promotion activities, such as mass briefings, workshops, tea gatherings and street booths, have been
rolled out since 2022 to engage stakeholders, resulting in significant progress.

With the provision of a Special Subsidy for the District-based Building Rehabilitation initiative, seven buildings
commenced the process of hiring project consultants to carry out façade face-lifting and roof waterproofing
works to improve the built environment in the district. The URA has also incentivised the building owners with
consultancy fees and start-up interest subsidies for formulating the building maintenance plan and making
regular contributions to the building’s Special Fund for future repair and maintenance.

To enable owners’ corporations of single-block buildings to manage their properties better, the URA has introduced
a new operational model known as “Joint Property Management” (JPM), which consolidates the management of
two or more single-block buildings without engaging any property management companies to achieve economies
of scale. After overcoming the legal, contractual and technical challenges of adopting the JPM model in the past
year, a tender exercise for the JPM service was conducted in March 2024. URA is assisting four buildings within the
pilot area to jointly engage a single JPM service provider and benefit from property management service for the
first time in the third quarter of 2024.
We have taken an integrated approach to holistically improve the existing built environment and highlight the
local characteristics of the district. In addition to carrying out improvement works for the streets and the adjoining
Tak Ku Ling Road Rest Garden, we have developed a cohesive place-making theme and design that highlights
the Chiu-Thai characteristics and the history of the old Kai Tak Airport. This design aims to rejuvenate the
building clusters and streetscape in the neighbourhood, including enhancing building façades and entrances,
shop fronts, canopies, and signage. The URA will provide subsidies for mural paintings on the external walls of
seven buildings that joined the Pilot Scheme. A total of 45 artists have been invited to submit proposals for
murals that represent the local Chiu-Thai culture of the district. The first mural, featuring Thai culture, is
scheduled to be completed in 2025. Following the approval of the design to revitalise Tak Ku Ling Road Rest
Garden in 2023, site works will commence in late 2024. The experiences gained from the implementation of the
Pilot Scheme encompassing rehabilitation, revitalisation, and the preservation of local cultures will assist the URA
in developing targeted and holistic strategies for renewing local districts in the future.

Artist Impression
Under the District-based Building Rehabilitation Pilot Scheme in
Kowloon City, a cohesive place-making theme highlighting the
local Chiu-Thai characteristics and the history of old Kai Tak
Airport will be incorporated in the mural paintings on the
external walls of buildings and the revitalisation work of Tak Ku
Ling Road Rest Garden.

Artist Impression

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