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Dear HKIUD Members,
Encouraged by our leaders to continually tell good stories about Hong Kong, I feel it incumbent upon me, as my term as President draws to a close, to take a retrospective glance at the work of the Institute over the past two years and to evaluate the progress made as against the ambitions set. Mine has been a term running in parallel with the important first announcements and development of the major new town projects planned for Hong Kong, projects we have been told, that will attract much needed talent and inward investment to the city, projects that will continue to secure its future and demonstrate a forward looking vision for the city.
In considering this, from the outset I have continued to stress the need for significantly better development pathways than have been achieved to date, pathways that emphasise quality metrics over quantity; address issues such as poor walkability and vehicle-dominated streets; prioritise accessibility and connectivity for the ageing population; pathways that fully appreciate the financial, physical, and mental health benefits of a better living environment.
With that in mind, and particularly with relevance to the new town projects, I set out and focused the work of the Institute in three main areas:
Yet, with the suspension of government funding support for the Institute Awards last year, outreach activities had to be significantly scaled back, particularly with regards to resourcing our media capabilities. I do believe we need to find new and varied approaches to extending our visibility and heightening our messaging, both locally and internationally, in the coming years to meet a challenging business market. Finding ways to expand our in-house capability and resources will be key over the next term.
Undoubtedly the Institute is becoming increasingly positioned within the government advisory process, despite not being a recognised statutory body under Legco. A number of our Members have been able to reinforce the advocacy of HKIUD though their positions in other professional institutes and from their seats on wider advisory committees. We are starting to see some glimmers of understanding of the importance of quality urban design in creating value and a more liveable city.
The Institute is developing a ‘Manifesto for Streets’ as an outcome document from the research and outreach activities undertaken during der this term, with the intent to deliver this to government in the near future to further our advocacy position.
Whilst there have been various joint activities with Greater Bay Area Urban Designer Alliance over the past two years, these have been limited to conferences, visitations and discussions. Regretfully, I am unable to report formal progress on establishing common standards and professional recognition for urban design practitioners across the GBA. The benefit to Members of being able to freely utilise the facilities at the Qianhai Talent Hub is however a genuine short term success story and we target finding additional ways to extend the dialogue and opportunities offered through collaboration within the GBA.
HKIUD Committee members continue to support the great efforts of the Institute by attending more than 100 events annually, wherein 9 sub- committees regularly meet to carry out the ever increasing workload and enhance the reputation and capability of the Institute in promoting the urban design profession. I offer my sincere thanks to all the Members who gave up much of their valuable time and energy towards creating a better living environment for all in the city.
So, in telling a positive story, its worth recognising the significant and continued development of the Institute in its mere 14 year history. In much the same way we can consider the many aspects of quality urban living that we do already have in Hong Kong, whilst aspiring always to do better. The city did make remarkable progress across the 20th Century and with the continued strong support and involvement of Members, the Institute is positioned and committed to being able to be able to tell similar stories of success as it engages in development for the latter half of the 21st Century.
Barry Wilson
October 2024