Actions For Active Ageing

30/06/2018

There are Conferences every week nowadays, where excellent speakers and highly regarded experts share their deep understanding of the complexities of the urban realm. The problems are generally well understood and solutions are awaiting implementation, but face opposition to change based on inertia and risk avoidance. How to get ACTION on making our cities better for its citizens rather than just continued talking?

The HKIUD 2018 Conference "ACTIONS for ACTIVE AGEING - Urban Design for All" sought to initiate a plan of attack, with the objective of winning stakeholders into starting a model pilot project that fully addresses the urgent needs of an ageing urban population.

Experiential Workshop

One of the main objectives of the Conference was to be able to establish an ongoing dialogue and generate clear initiatives for the undertaking of public realm improvements focused on better facilitation of ‘active aging’. As such the “Ageing in the Hong Kong Urban Environment - An Experiential Workshop” was held on 17th March 2018 as pre-conference event to raise awareness, initiate communication and highlight some clear issues for sharing at the Conference.

Roundtable Objective

The concluding "roundtable" working session of the Conference gathered all the speakers together with the aim of trying to outline how to initiate a worthy "model pilot project".

The simultaneous gathering of such expertise, with experienced researchers, policy shapers and development leaders provided a unique opportunity to go beyond mere discussion and to actually and clearly establish some practical and achievable undertakings that can be delivered.

The participants sought to actively outline a practical pathway to such a project, delivering the essential ingredients to ensuring its undertaking, ongoing relevance and monitoring as well as identifying the essential and key players.

Barry Wilson acted as moderator for the discussion, based on 'Who' 'What' 'Where' 'Why' 'When' scenarios. These were  followed up in a breakfast working session the next day for further development.

Roundtable Format

The working session structure followed the following outline: -
 
1 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The key physical barriers and positive affordances affecting salutogenic environments that need to be addressed, particularly in a suitable pilot project;

2 - TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES
Highlighted opportunities for new solutions to be trialed and measured;

3 - HONG KONG UNIQUENESS
What makes Hong Kong a special and distinct case that needs to be considered, and outlines of ways to address these;

4 - POLICY ESSENTIALS
Identified necessary inputs, coordination and operational responsibilities from government / private sector / NGO / community etc;

5 - THE MODEL
Summary of the Scope, Form; Financing; Duration; Metrics; Stakeholders and Outcomes of a 'model pilot project'.

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The Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design is a professional body for urban designers in Hong Kong. It was founded on 17 June 2010 with the support of Hong Kong Government who sent the Secretary for Development to officiate the inaugural launch. The founding president is Lim Wan-fung JP 

Key Speakers
​
Prof. Stephen Tang, BBS, President of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design

Hon. Bernard Chan, GBS, JP, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council, HKSAR Government

Dr Hon. Lam Ching-choi, BBS, JP, Chairman, Hong Kong Elderly Commission, HKSAR Government

Mr Wilfred Lau, Arup Fellow Director, Arup

Mr Leong Cheung, Executive Director, Charities & Community, Hong Kong Jockey Club

Prof. Hiroyuki Murata, Professor, Smart Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Japan

Ms Elaine Tan, Director, Architecture and Urban Design Excellence, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore

Prof. Rebecca Chiu, MH, JP, Head, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong

Mr Joel Chan, Workshop Organizing Committee Chair, The Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design

Ms Marta Pozo, Director, MVRDV Asia

Mr Stefan Krummeck, Director, Farrells Hon

Prof. Yu Yifan, Vice-President, Urban Planning Association of Shanghai

Mr Marco Wu, GBS, SBS, Chairman, Hong Kong Housing Society
- Ms Winnie Ho, JP, Deputy
Ms. Winnie Ho Wing-yin, JP, Director of Architectural Services, HKSAR Government

Mr Timothy Ma, JP, Non-Executive Director, Urban Renewal Authority