Evaluation of statutory and contractual controls for private development in Hong Kong

published_or_final_versionReal Estate and ConstructionMasterMaster of Science in Construction Project Managemen

Architectural heritage conservation in Hong Kong: an empirical analysis

abstractpublished_or_final_versionReal Estate and ConstructionDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

Effect of Revitalisation of Historic Buildings on Retail Shop Values in Urban Renewal: An Empirical Analysis

There often exists a tension between heritage conservation and urban redevelopment. However, heritage places are progressively operated as consumption spots and economic commodification, based on scholarly argument, is a major reason for the existence of a heritage resource. In this study, it is argued that revitalisation of historic edifices in districts undergoing urban renewal enhances the values of nearby commercial properties. This study employed a Hedonic Price Model (HPM) to investigate the existence of any relationship between revitalisation of historic building developments and the value enhancement of nearby retail properties located at the ground floor in the old area of Wanchai in Hong Kong. The model used 2961 real estate transactions obtained from buildings in the neighbourhood of three revitalised historical projects in the studied area, where a number of revitalisation projects have been completed. The results show that the revitalised historical projects have generated considerable value enhancements to the retail shopping properties in the vicinity. The results also revealed that the revitalised historical sites exert a greater impact on the retail property prices than do the newly developed nearby residential projects. The findings indicate that through the value enhancement of neighbourhood properties, the revitalisation of historical sites benefit not only the surrounding property owners but also local governments in the vicinity. The finding therefore supports the arguments utilized to advocate urban revitalisation and the idea that heritage resources exist purposely for economic commodification. Moreover, three case studies of the revitalisation of Chinese tenement buildings also provide a qualitative analysis of their social and economic impacts on the community

Meshing Sustainability with Satisfaction: An Investigation of Residents’ Perceptions in Three Different Neighbourhoods in Chengdu, China

Can sustainability and liveability be simultaneously pursued at the neighbourhood level? Adopting neighbourhood satisfaction as a proxy to indicate liveability at the neighbourhood scale, this paper investigated how the residential subjective perception of sustainability factors interacted with neighbourhood satisfaction in the context of three different neighbourhoods in Chengdu, China. This began with a comprehensive literature review to construct the neighbourhood sustainability framework. Then, a total of 510 cross-sectional questionnaire surveys was conducted in Chengdu. Logistic regression was employed to investigate significant associations. The findings revealed that the ‘sense and habit of energy saving’ is the only sustainability factor that is negatively associated with neighbourhood satisfaction in commodity-housing neighbourhood. Compared with intangible factors, tangible or physical sustainability factors are more likely to contribute to improving neighbourhood satisfaction and suppressing moving intention. The study also evidenced the contextual differences of significant associations among danwei, resettlement, and commodity-housing neighbourhoods coexisting in transitional China. This calls for adaptive and contextual rather than standardized, top-down strategies for developing sustainable neighbourhood planning to simultaneously promote sustainability and liveability in Chengdu, China. Finally, a specific contextual framework was provided as policy implications for developing local and adaptive solutions

Alternative Governance Model for Historical Building Conservation in China: From Property Rights Perspective

With the rapid advancement of urbanisation, the adaptive reuse of heritage plays a key role in achieving sustainable development, which is widely recognised by UNESCO and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). In the process of urban renewal, unclear property rights have seriously hindered the relocation of old houses, compensation and the adaptive reuse of historical buildings, even causing a series of social contradictions, such as violence. Moreover, forced evictions and controversy in dealing with the rights of residents, particularly the so-called ‘nail households’ have attracted public attention. However, few studies have analysed the problems and countermeasures from the perspective of unclear property rights. This study focuses on analysing the unclear property rights of historical buildings to propose an Alternative Governance Model for Historical Building Conservation in China. Founded on the Coase Theorem of externalities and property rights to examine the existing complex property ownership and rights patterns of 63 historical buildings in the famous Pingjiang Historic Block in Suzhou, China, the model provides reasonable and feasible reconstruction schemes for each situation. The operation model can also provide a symbiosis of new and old building solutions for urban renewal in developing countries, which may encounter a similar challenge of urbanisation

Meshing Sustainability with Satisfaction: An Investigation of Residents’ Perceptions in Three Different Neighbourhoods in Chengdu, China

Can sustainability and liveability be simultaneously pursued at the neighbourhood level? Adopting neighbourhood satisfaction as a proxy to indicate liveability at the neighbourhood scale, this paper investigated how the residential subjective perception of sustainability factors interacted with neighbourhood satisfaction in the context of three different neighbourhoods in Chengdu, China. This began with a comprehensive literature review to construct the neighbourhood sustainability framework. Then, a total of 510 cross-sectional questionnaire surveys was conducted in Chengdu. Logistic regression was employed to investigate significant associations. The findings revealed that the ‘sense and habit of energy saving’ is the only sustainability factor that is negatively associated with neighbourhood satisfaction in commodity-housing neighbourhood. Compared with intangible factors, tangible or physical sustainability factors are more likely to contribute to improving neighbourhood satisfaction and suppressing moving intention. The study also evidenced the contextual differences of significant associations among danwei, resettlement, and commodity-housing neighbourhoods coexisting in transitional China. This calls for adaptive and contextual rather than standardized, top-down strategies for developing sustainable neighbourhood planning to simultaneously promote sustainability and liveability in Chengdu, China. Finally, a specific contextual framework was provided as policy implications for developing local and adaptive solutions

The status of age-friendly community research

The study presents the status of age-friendly community (AFC) research. A systematic review of AFC research from Scopus database up to November 2018 was used to identify 19 journals that published a total of 51 AFC related academic papers. The study categorised AFC papers into five main research types with empirical research studies emerging as the highest published research type. The study also identified a handful of position papers, theoretical papers, and review papers. The analysis of the highest impact citation papers revealed the following themes: development of AFC; urban environment pressures on AFC; challenges for improving AFC; integration of existing AFC theoretical models with the analysis of economic and social forces; application of ecological theory in AFC; and assessment of AFC. The findings from the study will be helpful to provide more profound insights into the AFC research field. It serves as a piece of referable information for experts and new researchers in the AFC research field. The status and the trending themes from the highest citation impact papers provide a good foundation for researchers to position their research and make suggestions for future research investigation in the AFC