Page 56 - Urban Renewal Authority 2023-24 Annual Report

CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY

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Urban Planning for Sustainability

Sustainability Pillars ECONOMY I ENVIRONMENT I SOCIETY I PROCESS I PEOPLE

Sustainability in urban renewal and planning extends beyond just energy savings. While generating economic
improvement and social benefits for the local community is crucial, it is equally important to address
stakeholders’ views and concerns during the planning and design process. The impact on individual homeowners
and business operators needs to be taken into account as well. To address these factors, the URA has developed
a Sustainability Framework for measuring the sustainability performance of our urban renewal projects under five
Sustainability Pillars: Economy, Environment, Society, Process and People.

ECONOMY
In this domain, we examine whether our urban renewal projects can stimulate economic growth in the
local community and evaluate their impacts on property values, business operations and employment
opportunities. Additionally, the preservation of the distinctive local characteristics that contributes to
the vibrancy of the area and prosperity of the local economy are taken into consideration.

ENVIRONMENT
In the planning of URA projects, we focus on microclimate resilience, risk reduction, resource
efficiency and environmental quality. A key strategy that we employ is to promote walking as an
environmentally-friendly mode of transportation through the strategic planning of pedestrian-
friendly infrastructure, including pedestrian routing and the use of wider pavements, footbridges,
and subways. Public open spaces are also proposed to improve urban microclimate conditions and
combat the urban heat island effect.

SOCIETY
In respect of the Society domain, our urban renewal projects aim at improving the quality of life for
residents. Objectives include enhancing the quality of buildings and housing, improving mobility
and accessibility, promoting social vibrancy, ensuring safety, encouraging public art, and
integrating local culture into the community. Our projects provide various facilities and resources
to promote resources access, diversity and inclusion, and community bonding.

PROCESS
The policies, procedures and mechanisms utilised in the planning process of our urban renewal
projects must cater for the needs of our stakeholders as well as the community. Alongside the
mandatory consultation procedures under the Town Planning Ordinance and Urban Renewal
Authority Ordinance, we also conduct extensive engagement and consultations to gather the
opinions of our stakeholders. These inputs, in turn, will help refine the design and planning of our
urban renewal projects.

PEOPLE
The planning of urban redevelopment has an indirect impact on economic vitality, financial
inclusion, living environment, everyday life, community vitality, and resilience and mitigation
measures for individual owners, inhabitants and businesses. One of our key objectives is to replace
dilapidated buildings while preserving local shop cultures and district characteristics, which is crucial
for maintaining the area’s unique identity and charm.

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