IMPROVISATIONS: RETHINKING SPACES OF IMPERMANENCE AS AN ALTERNATIVE URBAN PLANNING SOLUTION FOR HONG KONG

Abstract

Propositions based in Hong Kong shows that there are now almost two forms of city character co existing – one being emblematic of compartmentalisation and high rise efficiency, producing an undifferentiated city form of standard blocks whilst the other involves areas made and reflects an intangible realm of use that underlines qualities inherent in the historical fabric, social use and discernible visual appeal of colour, street incident and character that transcend time and place. This dilemma leads to the urban planning crisis in Hong Kong. However, the urban reality also realized the opportunity of this existing urban character of the society in Hong Kong, which is often portrayed in a sense of informality, can provide this informal urban planning alternative where the street and spaces in which the society truly engage-spaces of impermanence and embraces the notion of improvisations. The critical review of improvisation questions the micro and uncertain scale to be even qualified as an urban solution. By borrowing a viewport from a biological analogy, the aim is to address these improvisations to the biological metaphor of urban evolution. In the context of an analogy to biology, urban can then be seen as organic and many concepts from biology can be applied to explain this nature process of informalisation in the urban growth processes. DNA are used in this case to describe the fundamental elements of these spaces of impermanence. The main idea of applying the concept of DNA performs the rationalisation of the organic and diversifies nature of improvisations and therefore allows the identifications of factors and metrics that exemplified the urban character of Hong Kong. This would then allow, among other urban forces, to realise and identify optimal urban form and allowing spontaneous tradition of growth patterns and character from a sub optimal urban perspective.