Conserving Hong Kong – A Paper

A quick post to link to a paper given by Ho Yin Lee (Programme Director, Architectural Conservation Programme at The University of Hong Kong) and Lynne DiStefano of HKU’s Architecture Department on conservation in Hong Kong. It was presented as part of the LSE Cities Conference. Some interesting stuff – here’s a paragraph…I really wish I had time to do the course in conservation!!

For the authors, as faculty members of China’s first and only master degree level academic programme in conservation – the Architectural Conservation Programme at the University of Hong Kong – we are pleased to see that built-heritage conservation is no longer considered an obscure branch of studies lumped together with museums and antiquities. What the programme has been advocating, that urban conservation should be an essential component of the sustainable development of Hong Kong as a city, has finally been given its due recognition. Many of the principles and ideas taught and advocated in the programme have become widely discussed not only in academic circles but also by the public through the mass media. When the programme was first established in 2000, the common reaction was, ‘What’s there to conserve in Hong Kong?’. Now, the common response is, ‘There is so much we need to conserve in Hong Kong, and we’re not doing enough’. For the loss of the Star Ferry Pier and Clock Tower, Hong Kong has gained one small step in the sustainable development of the city, and a significant step in the continual effort for better urban conservation and improved quality of life.