GUIDELINES GOVERNING POSPDS

Public Open Space in Private Developments

Design and Management Guidelines

(issued by the Development Bureau in 2011)

Intended Users

Town Planning Board
Various government departments and relevant public authorities such as the Urban Renewal Authority
Private developers
Private owners
General public

Design Criteria

Accessibility
Visibility
Functionality
Flexibility
Usability
Inclusiveness
Safety
Comfort/ Hygiene
Attractiveness

Design Elements

Spatial Issues
- Shape
- Street Frontage
- Width to Length Ratio
- Major/ Minor Space
Perceptual Issues
- Area
- Visibility
- Open-to-sky
- Slope/ Gradient
- Length of Stay
- Clear Space/ Amenities Arrangement
Planning Issues
- Landscape Planning
- Planting
- Type of Facilities
- Signage

Management Areas

3 Categories for Activities - Always Permissible Activities, Non-commercial or Charitable Activities, Commercial Activities
Opening Hours
Personal Safety and Security
Maintenance
Information Transparency

Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (Chapter 4)

(issued by the Planning Department in 2014)

Planning Principles

Quantity
Quality
Good Practice
Vision

Locational Guidelines

Accessibility
Functionality
Suitability
Usability
Walking Distance from Major Routes/ Transportation

Design Guidelines

Safety
Location
The Facilities Provided
Barrier Free Access

Limited Effectiveness Of “Guidelines”

In spite of many efforts deployed to set up guidelines consisting of detailed specifications to regulate and standardize the design and management of POSPDs, limited effectiveness is expected given that “guidelines” are not legally binding in nature. As such, these guidelines could not act mandatorily to strike a balance between the interests of the private parties (i.e. the developers) and the interests of the general public (i.e. users of POSPDs), even worse, they may give rise to malfunction of POSPDs as the private parties are not deterred legally from making these spaces of lower accessibility or popularity. Indeed, the limited authority of guidelines are closely linked to, or even directly contributed to the formation of common problems associated with POSPDs.

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