Elsevier

Habitat International

Volume 35, Issue 3, July 2011, Pages 457-466
Habitat International

Problem issues of public participation in built-heritage conservation: Two controversial cases in Hong Kong

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2010.12.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Since the last two decades, public participation has become a worldwide issue as the bottom-up approach has spread across the field of heritage conservation and city planning. This paper aims to examine the problematic issues in public participation in built-heritage conservation. The paper begins by highlighting the importance of public participation in built-heritage conservation and provides an understanding of the role of public participation in decision-makings in other countries; then, it examines a theoretical framework by which to understand the extent of public participation. Two controversial cases in Hong Kong illustrate the major problem issues in public participation in built-heritage conservation. This study found that the issues include different preferences regarding what is worthy of conservation; the lack of an effective public participation mechanism and integrated heritage conservation approach in the decision-making process; the different and conflicting interests of various stakeholders; power disparity; propaganda and mobilisation of interest groups; and the lack of knowledge on heritage conservation. According to the issues identified in the case studies, corresponding policy implications and recommendations to enhance public participation are made.

Highlights

► Highlights the importance of public participation in heritage conservation. ► Advocates to involve public opinions in decision-making process. ► Provides better understanding of the problems in public participation in built-heritage conservation.

Introduction

Major cities in developing countries face similar issues related to high development pressure, a lack of concern for cultural heritage, and little or no public participation in the decision-making process in urban development and conservation (Kong and Yeoh, 1994, Steinberg, 1996). Decisions on heritage conservation in Hong Kong have traditionally been dominated by experts and technocrats since the establishment of the first heritage legislation in 1976, and public participation has been considered insignificant. Since the change in sovereignty in 1997, the majority of Hong Kong’s people have become increasingly attached to built heritage and have actively sought their right to participate in city development and heritage conservation matters. However, proper and effective consultation process in heritage conservation has yet to be established and enhanced.

This paper aims to examine the major problem issues of public participation in the field of heritage conservation. By examining the public involvement in the built-heritage conservation, Hong Kong is used as a case study which faces intensive redevelopment pressure. Examples of two historically and socially significant, but contentious historic building sites, the Queen’s Pier and Chinese historic tenement houses in Wing Lee Street are chosen for study. Both cases attract tremendous international attentions and provide insights into the major issues in public participation in heritage conservation. The debates on conservation of the Queen’s Pier in 2007 have raised unprecedented public awareness and conservation activities in the society, which in fact, have accumulated and largely driven from the unsuccessful campaign to save the Star Ferry Pier in 2006 and the subsequent debates on urban renewal projects which involved demolition of historic buildings. It is undoubtedly that the Queen’s Pier and the previous conservation campaigns have impacted on the government’s heritage conservation policy and initiatives to more actively invite the public views. However, the recent debates on conservation of tenement buildings in Wing Lee Street highlight similar issues which have encountered in the Queen’s Pier in light of the continued public enthusiasm to participate in heritage conservation. The two cases, therefore, are paramount examples of the problem issues in public participation in heritage conservation.

Case studies were chosen as the most appropriate approach. The paper is not intended to use these two cases to reflect all the issues regarding public participation in heritage conservation in Hong Kong, but is to provide detail descriptions of the mechanism, institution and governance involved, and highlight the problematic issues and difficulties in public participation in these specific cases. Findings are based on an in-depth analysis on the mass media sources such as newspapers, internet and forums, communication letters of professional associations, NGOs and local concern groups, journal papers and policy documents, this study provides the perspectives that are publicly presented and identifies the major issues of inadequacies and ineffectiveness in public participation in heritage conservation. The issues identified were then verified by 15 in-depth interviews with experts and representatives from the major stakeholders, such as the professionals in planning and conservation disciplines, concern groups, owners, tenants and politicians at the latter stage of the research study. Quotations convey the opinions of and positions adopted by them. In the last section, the paper provides policy implications and recommendations for a more effective policy on public participation in built-heritage conservation.

Section snippets

Importance of public participation in built-heritage conservation

Public participation can be defined as ‘a process by which people, especially disadvantaged people, can exercise influence over policy formulation, design alternatives, investment choices, management, and monitoring of development interventions in the communities’ (The World Bank, 1992: p. 2). Arnstein (1969) defines public participation as “the redistribution of power that enables the have-not citizens… to be deliberately included in the future” (Arnstein, 1969: p. 216).

The Charter for the

Public’s perception of built heritage

Since the sovereignty of British colonial government in 1841, Hong Kong people had little interest in heritage prior to 1997. The majority of Hong Kong residents are migrants from Mainland China, and other countries in the late 19th century to the 1970s, as such, they did not have a strong sense of belonging to Hong Kong, and thus had little concern about its heritage. In addition, rapid economic growth, property development and profit making have been the ideology in Hong Kong. Escalation of

Public participation in the conservation of built heritage in Hong Kong - Two case studies

The recent controversial debates on the preservation of the Queen’s Pier and the Chinese historic buildings clearly demonstrate the major problem issues in public participation in built-heritage conservation in Hong Kong. Table 2, Table 3 provide the major chronological events which involves the public in the conservation of the Queen's Pier and the Chinese tenement buildings. The following section provides the basic background information about the cases from the analysis on different sources

Major issues in public participation in heritage conservation

The following issues are identified by the authors’ extensive analysis of varies sources, and a comparison between two cases. In addition, the issues raised are then, further discussed with the representatives of different stakeholders in a series of in-depth interviews. It was found that the interviewees agreed on the issues, whilst providing further elaborations which engender a more holistic perspective on the issues and the possible recommendations.

Policy implications and recommendations

The success of public participation lies in identifying the different stakeholders involved in built-heritage conservation, identifying the difference between the needs and perceptions of different stakeholders, and balancing the different and even conflicting interests of the stakeholders through an appropriate conflict analysis and resolution mechanism. In general, successful stakeholder consultations are characterised by an emphasis on transparency and carefully planned process for issue

Conclusion

Examples of two socially and historically significant, but contentious historic building sites, Queen’s Pier and Chinese Tenement buildings in Hong Kong were used to demonstrate some of the issues which are affecting the process and outcome of public participation in heritage conservation. However, the issues in public participation in heritage conservation are more complex than the issues outlined in these two cases, as the final decision-making in conservation still largely depends on the

Acknowledgement

This study is supported by a research grant provided by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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