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2.TOWN PLANNING IN A LEASEHOLD LAND SYSTEM
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
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TOWN PLANNING IN A LEASEHOLD LAND SYSTEM The concep t o f planning fo r Hon g Kon g a s a high-ris e an d high-densit y buil t environment i s a n intriguin g one . T o th e touris t wh o i s fascinate d b y th e crowdedness o f the busines s hu b o f the metropoli s (Photograp h 2.1 ) wit h th e chaotic skylin e o f towe r blocks , h e o r sh e ma y wonde r whethe r plannin g exists. However , i f the touris t travel s t o on e o f the ne w towns , he o r sh e ma y be surprised b y the orderlines s o f numerous housin g estates an d roa d system s that juxtapose wit h very relaxed an d informa l villag e houses i n the immediat e vicinity. Are thes e ne w tow n overplanned ? I s the buildin g developmen t i n th e old urban area s o r new towns ou t of 'human scale' ? To bette r appreciat e th e uniqu e natur e o f town plannin g i n Hon g Kong , we mus t understan d th e following : th e intellectua l foundation s o f 'planning ' as th e perennia l ques t fo r rationality , th e evolutio n o f modern tow n plannin g as a stat e activity , an d th e interventionis t ideolog y o f th e planner . Thes e would inform u s abou t how planning intervention affect s developmen t potentia l within th e contex t o f the leasehol d lan d tenur e syste m o f Hong Kong . THE PHILOSOPHE R KING , TH E DRIL L SERGEAN T AN D TH E MUDDLER Modern tow n plannin g i s a legac y o f th e Industria l Revolution , whic h i s i n turn a legac y o f the Age of Reason. Th e problem s tha t engende r moder n tow n planning are those of the Industrial Revolution , but the intellectual foundation s of planning goe s back in history beyond th e Age of Reason. Planning i s a matter fo r elit e reasoning. You can find th e idea l planner i n the perso n o f th e communis t 'Philosophe r King ' o f Plato' s Republic, 'Kin g Utopos' in Sain t Thoma s More' s Utopia, th e Prince in Machiavelli's The Prince 2 18 ContextandProcedures Photograph2.1High-densit ystreetsceneinCausewayBa y or accordin g t o Lenin , th e Party , o r eve n perhap s i n th e rea l perso n o f M r Deng Xiaoping an d M r Le e Kua n Yew . Thus , theoretically , tow n plannin g a s an aberratio n o f the gran d plannin g o f great sages , philosopher s an d heroe s should attrac t intellectual s wit h th e best facult y o f thinking. It i s tru e tha t man y moder n philosopher s hav e rebelle d agains t th e ide a of a societ y rule d b y th e elit e o r b y planner . Th e tw o enemie s o f th e ope n society targete d b y Kar l Poppe r ar e Plat o an d Kar l Marx . Bu t eve n th e mos t liberal-minded economis t i s fon d o f tow n planning , whic h i s i n fac t quit e a modest an d defectiv e fractio n o f the logica l perfection o f central planning. Th e famous Constitution of Liberty b y Hayek , wh o i s so-calle d 'th e las t man' , fo r instance, is an apolog y for town plannin g upon carefu l readin g (Lai , 1999) . A hero o f the moder n planne r shoul d b e Si r Patric k Abercrombi e wh o i n simple word s tha t flow smoothl y informe d u s ho w th e tow n an d th...