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Socially Just Planning: Urban Amenities in a Speculative Field: Central Market in Hong Kong

17 November 2020, 12:30 pm–1:30 pm

Socially Just Planning

Event Information

Open to

All

Availability

Yes

Organiser

Jingyi Zhu

Rebuilt in 1939, the Central Market was one of the few modernist buildings erected in Hong Kong during the interwar period. The site’s history as a locus of food supply can be traced back to the founding of the colony and evolved with the consolidation of sanitary bureaucracy across the British Empire. The project functioned as a clean machine that evoked industrial efficiency and offered ample light and air. While embracing the latest technology for the benefit of the public, the local authority expected its investment to bring immediate returns, which triggered tensions between the agency and the Chinese vendors. Strategically funding its activities, the government accepted increased responsibility to foster well-being. As a result of the gentrification of its neighbourhood since the end of the twentieth century, the Central Market closed in 2003. After years of stakeholders’ negotiation, the ongoing redevelopment aims to provide cultural and retail facilities to enhance the environment quality of the Central District, now part of Hong Kong’s CBD. The revitalization scheme and the adaptive reuse emphasized sustainability of architectural heritage.

Find out more about the Socially Just Planning Doctoral Network.

About the Speaker

Zhengfeng Wang,

PhD candidate in Art History at University College Dublin