it was nice to see our work documented in the HKDC Annual Report!
“Touch Tung O!” Community Design Research
The Sustainable Lantau Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department appointed HKDC, in partnership with Land+Civilization Compositions and MakerBay, as its consultant to conduct a pilot community design research project, with the vision of identifying revitalisation opportunities for the Tung O Ancient Trail and the nearby villages. With a series of design thinking engagement activities, the ‘Touch Tung O!’ team sought to understand the local characteristics of culture, environment, and economy, so as to arrive at guiding principles for designing the trail’s sustainable future.
「東澳山水研作舍」社區設計研究 土木工程拓展署轄下的可持續大嶼辦事處委任香港設計中心為顧問，並伙拍 Land+Civilization Compositions及MakerBay，進行在地社區設計研究，為東澳古道和 附近村落尋找活化的可能性。東澳山水研作舍團隊透過一系列設計思維參與活動，了解 當地的文化、環境和經濟，從而建議東澳古道未來可持續發展的指導原則。
- UNDERSTAND 了解 To build trust and communication, the project team was introduced to locals on organised field trips. 為了建立村民的信任及促進彼此溝通，項目團隊 實地考察，主動接觸當地村民。
- ACTIVATE 活化社群 The team developed visual tools for villagers and trail users to share their opinions and visions of revitalisation. 團隊利用視覺工具，讓村民和步道 使用者更容易分享他們對活化社區的 看法和願景。
- CO-DESIGN 共創 Ideation sessions were held with stakeholders and trail users to explore future possibilities and spark collective creativity. 團隊、持份者和步道使用者一同探索未來 的可能性，並激發共創力量。
- SHARE AND RE-ACTIVATE 分享及回饋 To impart understanding and provide a synthesis of local and expert knowledge, initial ideas were shared with the local community. 團隊結合了村民及專家的智慧，與當地社區分享初步 構思，促進討論及加深了解。
Read the full report here
我們是「東澳山水研作舍」，正在大嶼山東澳古道進行為期一年的社區研究。我們希望透過運用設計思維來蒐集村落歷史和故事，並與持份者互動，去理解東澳古道獨特之處，探索各種可能。
A vibrant and liveable city offers wide-ranging lifestyle options for its people and balances the needs of different groups. It holds a great urbanisation vision while treasuring its verdant countryside. Global and local communities have been capturing opportunities to reinvigorate the rural lifestyle from a range of perspectives — conservation, economic rejuvenation, cultural tourism and sustainability, among others. Hong Kong is no exception. We deeply value our rural areas and their rich cultural and natural heritage and hope to see them revitalised sustainably. Just like successful urban projects, rural revitalisation requires a thorough understanding of the context and stakeholders’ needs. Design thinking, with its exceptional capacity to make insightful observations and analyse stakeholders’ views, provides the perfect tool to master this challenge.
Design thinking, with its exceptional capacity to make insightful observations and analyse stakeholders’ views, provides the perfect tool to master this challenge.
In recent decades, creative placemaking has also proved its value in revitalisation projects. New York’s High Line transformed a historic but long-abandoned elevated rail line in Manhattan into one of the hippest urban parks in the world. On top of world-class design, it was quickly integrated into New Yorkers’ lifestyle for its approach as an open-to-all platform. Its public programmes actively engage stakeholders and citizens and foster productive dialogues among them. Japan’s Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, an international art festival in the countryside of Niigata Prefecture, uses art as a catalyst to strengthen local identity and draw cultural tourism to the depopulated region. In the process, communities are empowered as much as their abandoned historical sites and economy are revived.
New York’s High Line © Iwan Baan
In Hong Kong, the need to reinvigorate our rural areas sustainably has been widely recognised. Take the 4-year Sustainable Lai Chi Wo Programme. Using a cross-sector collaborative model involving university, government, business and community, it rejuvenated more than 5 hectares of farmlands and enhanced the biodiversity and wetland functions of the Lai Chi Wo village in north-eastern New Territories. It sets a successful example of co-creating sustainable revitalisation through effective negotiation across sectors.
Lantau’s Tung O Ancient Trail is another site coming under the spotlight. Linking up Tung Chung and Tai O, it is a popular hiking destination with several indigenous villages and numerous sites of high cultural and ecological value. Design research consultancy project Touch Tung O!, presented by Sustainable Lantau Office (SLO) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) and organised by Hong Kong Design Centre, has recently been kick-started to explore the possibilities of revitalising the trail with sustainability in mind. With natural resources, cultural heritage, ecology and community at play, this revitalisation project requires holistic and innovative planning.
With Land+Civilization Compositions (L+CC) and MakerBay as Strategic Partners, Touch Tung O! aims to develop design principles and possible revitalisation directions for the trail. It sets out to put people and users at the centre of the research process. Design thinking experts will engage stakeholders — villagers, trail users, designers and cross-disciplinary experts — in a co-creation process to better understand their needs, opinions and expectations for the future of the trail. This public engagement process will take the form of expeditions, co-design workshops and public installations in the latter half of the year. We are excited about this opportunity to apply design thinking in designing a liveable city. Follow Touch Tung O!’s Facebook page and Instagram and stay tuned with our latest activities, findings and insights!