Editorial | Beauty of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour is to be cherished
- New park close to the magnificent natural landmark is to be welcomed by city residents who seek much-needed breathing space from their often small and cramped flats
Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour ranks among the most magnificent in the world, but for all its beauty, there are few places with unrestricted access to its waters. A new park in Wan Chai near the ferry pier offers that, adopting an approach taken in West Kowloon.
There are views to Kowloon unhindered by concrete or metal barriers and possibilities for temporary exhibition space and activities such as fishing, rollerblading and skateboarding. This is what is to be expected of so spectacular a natural asset and is a strategy that should be put in place wherever possible along the 73km (45 miles) of coastline.
There are obvious limits to such an idea; the harbour is busy with shipping and ferries and there are piers, working and handling zones, waste transfer facilities, marinas and boat clubs and the like. Just 38km has been identified for promenades, but the process of conversion to public use has been slow.
Parks such as those at Wan Chai and Belcher Bay in Kennedy Town take much planning and coordination between government departments to be realised.
