Positive rejuvenation
Mong Kok is all set for gentrification in a bid to increase business by attracting more tourists and local shoppers. Andre Cooray reports
Mong Kok is about to get its shopping on, thanks to a planned HK$100 million facelift to five of its most popular streets. The expensive “nip and tuck” will not only make shopping more exciting but proposed green features will make the area more inviting.
Selected thoroughfares will be transformed into pedestrian precincts, and pavements will be widened and decorated with attractive signage.
If the proposals go through, each street will be themed according to its reputation. Therefore, Tung Choi Street aka Goldfish Street will adopt an aquatic motif, while Sai Yee Street and Fa Yuen Street, both referred to as Sneaker Street, will be given a sporty look. Flower Market Road, as the name suggests, will have a floral theme; and Nelson Street connecting to Ladies Market and Electrical Appliance Street will be given the appropriate decorations.
“We propose to add more green features in the area. We are open-minded as to whether certain parts of the streets should be turned into pedestrian zones. Such proposals demand careful consideration as to the need for them, their technical feasibility and practicality and the acceptance of stakeholders, before any decision is made. We hope that our proposed initiatives will further improve the air quality in the district,” a spokesperson for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said.
Proposals by the Planning Department to make Mong Kok more pedestrian- and eco-friendly include adding plants, open space, sculpture and shaded seating. A tree-lined public area to be called the “Green Corridor” intersecting Nullah Road and Flower Market Road is under consideration, and if approved, a petrol station on Nullah Road will be removed to accommodate the new feature. A park on Kai Chi Kok Road would then be widened to become an extension of this “Green Corridor.” For Soy Street, a community building with a green rooftop has been proposed.
“The revitalisation project will make the area a better place for shopping as well as for the residents. Whether property prices will go up or not will have to be determined by the market,” the URA spokesperson said. The first phase of the facelift would begin in 2011, and is expected to take two years to complete. Barry Cheung, the chairman of the URA, expects returns to be greater than the costs.
Town planners, however, have expressed fears that creating vehicle-free zones could worsen traffic congestion in surrounding areas. Also, Chung Kong-mo, the chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, has cautioned that without proper management, the new pedestrian precincts could attract unlicensed hawkers.
Few doubt, however, that the proposed changes would boost safety for pedestrians. For example, a new footbridge is already in the pipeline for Argyle Street. Also, the Planning Department has proposed that a pedestrian crossing on Nathan Road, near Nullah Road, be widened by three metres; and the one on Fa Yuen Street and Sai Yee Street junction by at least one metre. In addition, there are plans to widen the pavement on Tung Choi Street, and to introduce an eight-metre pedestrian crossing at Prince Edward Road West.
The makeover coincides with the URA’s ongoing redevelopment and preservation efforts in the area, namely Langham Place, Sai Yee Street and Macpherson Indoor Stadium. “We have also helped or are helping owners of about 100 buildings in the district to rehabilitate their homes. Moreover, we have commenced two preservation projects involving two clusters of 20 shophouses at Prince Edward Road West and Shanghai Street,” the URA spokesperson concludes.
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