West Kowloon
Although it is known largely for its Cultural District, the development of West Kowloon in Hong Kong reveals its pivotal role in the post-handover transition of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The transit-oriented development (TOD) behemoth of the IFC-Elements-Kowloon Station complex and the soon-to-be-completed Express Railway Link (XRL) Station, both indicate a larger intent for West Kowloon. With an imminent 99,000 passengers who will cross the border, the XRL Station is the end station of the high-speed rail that will greatly shorten Hong Kong’s the connection to Mainland China.
Land reclamation began in the early 1990s and initial proposals showed the nascent conceptions for a ‘central park’ for Kowloon. After Hong Kong’s Handover in 1997, the government designated part of the West Kowloon area a “Cultural District.” Following almost a decade of debates, including contestation against privileged private interests and the call for public engagement, the government formed a West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) as a semi-public body for managing the area’s development. At the centre of the winning masterplan for West Kowloon remains the 23-hectare waterfront public park that would embody the city’s aspiration for sustainability as well as recreation.
Reference
Zhou, Ying, and Desmond Choi. 2019. ‘West Kowloon Hong Kong, A Transport-Oriented Development with Culture’. In The Grand Projet: Understanding the Making and Impact of Urban Megaprojects, edited by Kees Christiaanse, Anna Gasco, and Naomi C. Hanakata, 149–198. nai 010 Publishers.