Streets as public space : how mega-redevelopment has reshaped the way public urban streets are lived

We walk along the street every day. In the densely built urban environment, streets are the most abundant public space that serve not only as channels for movement but also as public realms and places catering for social activities. Throughout the development of Hong Kong, many public streets have evolved with a unique character and local identity that are integrated into the everyday life of the community. Yet, in a rapidly transforming city like Hong Kong, redevelopment has posed considerable threats to such significant cultural landscapes of public streets. In particular, mega redevelopment projects substantially alter the physical space and also trigger subsequent changes in the social dimension of streets. Such a transformation thus results in the role of streets gradually deviating from being a public space and streets disconnected from our everyday lived experience both practically and connotatively. It is the intention of this Study to investigate how mega-redevelopment has reshaped the way public urban streets are lived. It attempts to answer such questions as what cause the changes and what the changes are. Inspired by Lefebvre’s critique of everyday life, the physical and social dimension of public streets is simultaneously formed by two interrelated constituents. On one side, planning and governance measures by the institution determine more the physical space. On the other side, these institutional tools mediate spatial practices of individual street users, which thus in turn dictate the living component of public urban streets. Through the local case study of Langham Place, a mega-redevelopment in Mong Kok, this Study illustrates the dialectic relationship between these two aspects of space. Bearing in mind the dual role of streets, the findings suggest a heightened attention to the impact of redevelopment on the social space and the importance of planning for everyday life.published_or_final_versionUrban Planning and DesignMasterMaster of Science in Urban Plannin