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South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong private firms walking in the right direction
Connectivity can mean many things for a city. Often, a focus on technology and transport can overlook a very human need for people to get around easily on two feet in urban settings. So, Hong Kong authorities deserve credit for an incentive programme encouraging private firms to build pedestrian links to help make the city a better place to live. The initiative has earmarked 10 pedestrian footbridges and underpasses to improve walkability in bustling, densely populated areas including Kowloon East, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. Two projects are set to open next year. Participating companies are offered waivers on land premiums, the government fees developers must pay to modify land use when the change boosts property value. Revenue from land premiums is a significant source of government income, so the step was not one to take lightly. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho wrote in her blog on May 25 that the government was effectively 'leveraging market forces' by collaborating with the private sector to foster a 'more convenient, connected and high-quality walking environment'. Launched in 2016, the connectivity initiative's most recently completed project was the Two Queensway Bridge in Admiralty. It opened in late April to connect Pacific Place, Harcourt Garden, Admiralty MTR station, government headquarters and commercial buildings. Causeway Bay will see a project take shape in phases next year, with five footbridges and a sheltered path to divert pedestrians from the busy Yun Ping Road, Hysan Avenue, Pennington Street and Leighton Road. Another footbridge will open in mid-2026 in Kowloon Bay. A footbridge project will also commence next year to link two towers in the Kwun Tong district. Urban planners in many communities around the world have been criticised for prioritising traffic flows over walkability. Even cities with massive traffic problems, such as Manila, are introducing pedestrian areas that offer a place to escape chaos below. For decades, authorities in Hong Kong have been urged to think further ahead about ensuring pedestrians can move comfortably in high-density zones. The new initiative is a sign that positive change is afoot. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to get 10 pedestrian walkways in connectivity push
Private companies will build 10 pedestrian walkways in bustling parts of Hong Kong under an initiative aimed at improving connectivity in the city by offering land premium waivers, with two of the projects to open to the public next year. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Sunday that the 10 approved projects in the incentive programme were located in densely populated areas, including Kowloon East, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. 'The policy is a successful example of the government effectively leveraging market forces and collaborating with the private sector,' Linn said on her blog. 'The Development Bureau will continue to promote and make good use of the policy to encourage and support more private developers to fund and build footbridges or underpasses to provide a more convenient, connected and high-quality walking environment for the public.' The connectivity initiative, launched in 2016, provides land premium waivers to private sector companies that build pedestrian links, such as footbridges and underpasses. The Two Queensway Bridge, which opened in Admiralty in late April, is its most recent project. The bridge connects Pacific Place to Harcourt Garden, providing access to Admiralty MTR station and nearby facilities such as the Hong Kong government headquarters and commercial buildings. Swire Properties was responsible for designing, building, managing and maintaining the facility, which is open to the public around the clock.
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Bomb hoax suspect arrested over calls made ahead of Nicholas Tse Hong Kong show
Hong Kong police have arrested a woman suspected to have made hoax bomb reports at Kai Tak Stadium ahead of a recent concert by Cantopop star Nicholas Tse Ting-fung in a case believed to be linked to a ticketing dispute with another person. Advertisement The force said on Friday that the 28-year-old clerical worker allegedly made five reports to police on April 27 claiming that there might be a bomb at Kai Tak Sports Park , where the concert was held. 'The contents of the five reports are similar. The person who made the reports claimed that they had found a suspicious item that they believed to be a bomb inside Kai Tak Stadium and demanded police come to deal with the matter,' said Chief Inspector So Chi-bing of the Kowloon East regional crime unit. 'That evening, there was to be a concert by a male singer, with the number of attendees exceeding 40,000 people.' The force did not find any explosive devices after searching the interior and exterior of the venue, he said. Advertisement So said police believed that the five reports were false, based on the force's risk assessment and investigations, and the concert was held successfully that evening.
