Hong Kong’s old buildings: 5 lessons for urban renewal

Think of Hong Kong as a living dictionary. Every old arcade, footbridge and mixed-use tong lau, or tenement building, is an entry worth studying. As the city embarks on another redevelopment cycle, we should be leafing more carefully – not erasing the dictionary’s words but learning how to write new ones in the same spirit. Here are five key words that should be at the centre of any sensitive, forward-looking renewal blueprint.
One, shelter. Tong lau arcades were an original climate adaptation....