Sustainable Underground Space Development In Hong Kong

This dissertation, "Sustainable Underground Space Development in Hong Kong" by Xiaoxiao, Xu, 徐笑晓, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Underground space development is regarded as an effective approach to promote a quality living environment in compact city. In Hong Kong, urban underground space developed by private sectors seems not well organized. Besides, underground use in HK can be multifunctional. Thirdly, inner design in some underground spaces is not desirable and lacks vibrancy. Fourthly, underground space development in HK lacks governmental incentives. Last but not least, the regulations and legal loophole on property rights are also controversial. Through in-depth sustainability evaluation of two case studies: TST and Umeda Osaka, research finds out urban underground space development is a good approach for urban sustainability in Hong Kong if with careful integrated planning. Then the specific underground uses for urban area, New Town and Island area are put forward. Among them, underground shopping street is recommended in the highly populated "Commercial+Tourism" areas, such as TST. The research argues that the effect of recreational use underground space development in TST is weak and only by shifting the tourism flow underground can improve the residents' living quality. Commercial and recreational use underground space development are suggested to develop first in Hong Kong. Finally, measures for sustainable underground space development in Hong Kong are put forward in terms of improved living environment, safety, linkage problem, third party operating, reserved space for planning, illumination, ventilation and landscape design etc. And research argues that a master plan in district scale is in urgent need and the significance of governmental incentive (e.g. plot ratio privilege for underground space), environmental-friendly design and recommendations on fire, flood, and crime safety are made on the existing Building Ordinances and relevant Codes. DOI: 10.5353/th_b5319337 Subjects: Underground areas - China - Hong Kong - Planning

This dissertation, "Feasibility Study of Vertical Greening for Underground Space in Hong Kong" by Jo-yi, Ho, 何棗兒, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Due to the scarce and limited land resources for infrastructure development in Hong Kong, the government has proposed the enhanced utilization of underground space in the future infrastructure development. Though utilization of underground space provides significant benefits in urban planning, its associated negative effects (both psychological and physiological) could not be overlooked. Implementation of vertical greening as one of the design elements serves as a solution to tackle with the negative effects in underground infrastructures. This study aims to investigate and evaluate the feasibility of vertical greening for underground space in technical, economic and operational aspects. The methodologies used in this study includes literature review, questionnaire and interview. Through studying the literature, the current development and technical issues of indoor vertical greening and the knowledge gap is identified. This method is also used for summarizing the potential environmental benefits provided by indoor vertical greening in underground space. After obtaining fundamental knowledge related to the research topic, questionnaire is conducted to assess the public attitude towards perception of underground space and vertical greening as well as acceptance and concerns about these issues. The public shows a supportive attitude for the implementation of vertical greening in underground space, and more than half of them do think the vertical greening can help to alleviate negative effects brought by underground environment. In addition, they show positive attitude towards the applications in underground MTR station and shopping centres. The public also indicated that though there is investment, they think it is still worthy to install vertical greening in underground space as it could provide environmental, social and economic benefits. At the same time, interviews are conducted with experts in landscape and property management field respectively in order to obtain professional and marketing information of vertical greening in Hong Kong. The findings help to consolidate the feasibility studies. In the technical feasibility study, technical issues of two main classifications of vertical greening and four applications in Hong Kong and other countries have been discussed. In the economic feasibility study, the cost-benefit analysis of vertical greening for underground space has been discussed. Environmental, psychological, social and private benefits have been covered and elaborated comprehensively. The estimated cost of the vertical greening based on the assumptions (i.e. a 12.5 m DEGREES2 living wall system with 10-year service life) is HKD $50,050 per year. In the operational feasibility study, the issues most likely concerned by the public and potential stakeholders have been discussed and explained with practical solutions. Recommendations are made for the enhancement of sustainability of the vertical greening in underground space. Also, it is suggested that the environment, social and economic benefits should be further investigated and explored in order to enhance public acceptance and willingness of property owners/project proponents to implement vertical greening in the coming underground space development. Subjects: Underground areas - China - Hong Kong Vertical gardening - China - Hong Kong

This dissertation, "Study on Transport-related Underground Development: With Review and Suggestions for Tsim Sha Tsui" by Jieying, Grace, Gu, 古婕莹, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: STUDY ON UNDERGROUND SPACE DEVELOPMENT ----With Review and Suggestions for Tsim Sha Tsui ABSTRACT: The thesis is to study the transport-related underground development which is now being hotly discussed and commonly carried out in cities all around the world. Recently underground development is emerging along with the underground public transit system and as a new urban develop direction and an urban development solution for promoting sustainable city. Regarding to the urban conditions and urban development features of Hong Kong, transport-related underground development is favored, however, in reality underground development in Hong Kong is not advanced compared with many other cities. The key problem is that the Hong Kong government is still holding an outdate opinion about the potential of underground development and underestimate the value of underground space. Problem such as construction technique, land use right and so on restrict government's perspective about underground development and the government fails to initiate city-wide comprehensive transport-related underground development, and the government also ignores the importance of generating long-term vision and stating the role of underground development in urban planning and design. The objective of the study is to provide Hong Kong with strategy to promote transport-related underground development and set up comprehensive criteria so as to better prepared Hong Kong for the planning and design of the transport-relate underground space in the coming future. Hong Kong transport-related underground development has formed its rudiment in Tsim Sha Tsui. Proper planning and design of future underground development can benefit the city in many aspects. The possibilities of using underground space to support urban growth, to provide new urban public space, to enhance vicinity communities and so on have been explored in ways. The study urges the government to take on its responsibility and make full use of the strength of transport-related underground development to create a better future for Hong Kong. 1 DOI: 10.5353/th_b3970733 Subjects: Underground areas - China - Hong Kong - Planning Underground areas - Tsim Sha Tsui - Planning

Land shortage problem is a challenge for the future development in Hong Kong. Nowadays, reclamation and urban redevelopment are the major methods used to increase the land supply. Yet, they are not sustainable in long term. In order to obtain new land for future development, the rock cavern development is being further introduced recently. Through using the methods of case studies, interviews and questionnaire survey, the research findings show that rock cavern development is a sustainable option for Hong Kong's further development. Generally, the public is supportive towards developing rock caverns and underground spaces in Hong Kong, with the community and public facilities are more preferable to be developed. However, more opposition of the development project is resulted once it is implementing close to the residents, which is mainly due to NIMBYism. The findings also reflected the hidden problem of Hong Kong's planning system, and the insufficiency of citizen participation within the planning and development processes. There are still rooms for Hong Kong to improve or enhance its planning system, so as to reach the achievement of community-based sustainable development.

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the streets of your city? Do you picture, in isolation, a series of train tunnels and pipes? Or perhaps the foundations of tall buildings that lie scattered, like icebergs, beneath the surface? As our cities grow up, out, and down, it is time we better understood how the different layers of these complex urban environments relate to one another. Underground Urbanism seeks to provide a new perspective on our cities, and consider how this might be used to engage more positively with them. So, tip your cities upside down to have a closer look, and let us rethink them from (below) the ground, up.

Underground the way to the future was the motto of the World Tunnel Congress 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. The use of underground space has gained importance during the last years due to the tremendous global urbanization, the high demand on transportation capacities and energy production. All this result in a wider range of use of underground spa