Winning ideas for pedestrianising polluted Hong Kong business district artery Des Voeux Road Central
- Dutch-led consortium’s proposal centred on themed tram stops linked to amenities and Central heritage sites wins design contest
- Competition to make Des Voeux Road Central traffic-free drew 43 entries from 11 countries
Of all the city streets in all the world, architects had to pick this one to walk into. From near and far their ideas poured, answering the call of an international competition to pedestrianise Hong Kong’s congested Des Voeux Road Central.
According to the finalists, it was a mixture of nostalgia and challenge that attracted entries to the design competition, begun last May by Walk DVRC, an NGO pursuing a vision for a more walkable and liveable Central business district.
“As an urban designer, Hong Kong is one of the most fascinating and complex urban environments in the world. The challenge to pedestrianise one of the main streets was something we couldn’t pass up,” says Daryl Mulvihill, architect and founder of Dmau.
Martin Probst, associate director of MLA+, the Dutch firm that led the winning consortium, including Dmau, says Des Voeux Road was also one of the “really worthy causes to work on”.
“All around the world there are moves to rediscover [cities] and give people more space. This is one of the really important projects happening around the world,” Probst says.
