Available by the end of November 2022 in bookstores across Hong Kong. Signed copies are also available at Liber’s office (7/F, Breakthrough Centre, Jordan, Kowloon)

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“There are three obstacles to cleaning up the mess in the unruly New Territories: landed interests, village gentries and failure in proper planning.”

Book Description

Is reclamation inevitable? Is the rural New Territories “unplannable”? In land-scarce Hong Kong, why is brownfield land still a “taboo” in the eyes of urban planners?

Adopting a community research approach, The ‘Field’ to Change tries to answer these perennial questions. This book consolidates the yearslong research on a range of issues from the brownfields to the broader land question in Hong Kong. Grounded on substantive research over the years, it dissects the brownfield issue from multiple perspectives. The new discourses provide a point of departure for drawing up a blueprint to tackle Hong Kong’s land problem by more sustainable development options other than reclamation.

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Recommendations 

As the Chinese saying goes, “it takes a decade to sharpen a sword”. The book reflects the perseverance of the Liber Research Community and the civil society in conceptualising “brownfield land”. “Brownfield land” transformed from an unknown into the most popular land development option in the “Land Debate” in 2018. In the following year, the government announced the official review of 160 hectares of brownfield land for public housing development. This was the achievement of the civil society in its advocacy of brownfield land redevelopment over the last the years and marked an important page in the history of land development in Hong Kong.

──Andy Chu, Programme Manager, Greenpeace

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Book information

Author: Liber Research Community
Book design: Russell Pun, Kest Cheung
Publisher: Liber Research Community
Publication date: November 2022

ISBN: 978-988-14095-8-4

Retail price: HK$108

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Content

Foreword: Andy Chu (Programme Manager, Greenpeace)

Chapter 1: An overview of brownfields in Hong Kong
　　Preface
　　A brief history of brownfield policy: Milestones over the past decade
　　　　Milestone 1: Key questions identified for a more solid factual foundation
　　　　Milestone 2: Brownfield sites as the most popular land option
　　　　Milestone 3: Brownfield development supported by civil society
　　　　Milestone 4: Policy breakthrough
　　　　Milestone 5: Ongoing public scrutiny
　　Brownfields as a land controversy in Hong Kong: An overview
　　　　Debunking the myth of “land shortage” in Hong Kong
　　　　Brownfields as a method: Changing land development patterns
　　　　Breakthroughs in land development
　　　　The civil agenda under an increasingly authoritarian policy-making environment
　　Unfinished agenda: About the book

Chapter 2: Tracing brownfields
　　Major characteristics of brownfield land
　　　　Spatial expansion
　　　　Distribution and features
　　　　Ownership structure
　　　　Operations and uses
　　Development potential
　　　　Degree of clustering
　　　　Locations and accessibility
　　　　Other factors
　　Problems caused by brownfield expansion
　　　　Poor pedestrians and vehicles separation
　　　　Safety problems
　　　　Ecological catastrophes
　　　　Land pollution
　　　　Hotbed of illegal activities
　　　　Encroaching conservation zones
　　Problematic data collection in official surveys
　　　　Outdated data
　　　　Incomplete scope of research
　　　　Fallen off the radar- “Hidden” brownfield sites
　　　　Sites used by government departments omitted from official surveys

Chapter 3: Case Studies: prominent examples of brownfield land
　　Case 1: Wang Chau, Yuen Long- The Origin of the Brownfield Controversy
　　　　The Wang Chau saga
　　　　Brownfield issues – adjourn sine die
Under-the-table deals
　　　　Land-subletting business
　　　　Road works paving the way for private development
　　　　The victims
　　Case 2: The Longest Delay: Brownfield clusters in Ping Shan, Yuen Long
　　　　A road away makes a totally different fate
　　　　Land ownership pattern influenced resumption decisions
　　Case 3: Flooding in Shek Wu Wai, San Tin: Natural disaster or man-made  misfortune?
　　　　Brownfield land quadrupled in 20 years
　　　　The top flooding blackspot in Hong Kong
　　　　The “Planning vacuum”
　　　　Poor planning fueled brownfield activities
　　
　　　　Focus 1: Shan Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long: Farmlands damaged by brownfield operations (2013)
　　　　Focus 2: Pui O, Lantau Island: Brownfield sites encroaching the coast (2015)
　　　　Focus 3: Wo Yi Hop Tsuen, Kwai Chung: Brownfield sites encroaching the Country Park (2021)
　　　　Focus 4: Ngau Tam Mei, Yuen Long: Gigantic illegal brownfield operations (2016)
　　　　Focus 5: Ha Tsuen and Kai Pak Ling: Hong Kong’s “lung disease village”
　　　　Focus 6: Sha Kong Wai, Hung Shui Kiu: the neglected brownfield clusters (2021)
　　　　Focus 7: Hung Lung Hang, Sheung Shui: The most poisonous brownfield cluster
　　　　Focus 8: Wetland at the border: facing imminent danger of brownfield encroachment

Chapter 4: Tracing the birth of the brownfield crisis through an archival lens
　　Cottage factories: Emerging “brownfield sites” in the New Territories since the 1950s
　　Taming the unruly rural areas
　　　　Dealing with the uncontrolled spread of rural workshops
　　　　1960s-Opportunities for solving the rural factory problem
　　　　A More Positive Approach
　　　　The classification principle
　　The “Small Brownfield Park” proposal revisited
　　The plan went in smoke
　　　　Should the government revive the plan?
　　The insatiable: The role of Heung Yee Kuk in the brownfield problem
　　　　The “Joint Opinion”: A prelude to the Melhado Case
　　　　Escalating into a diplomatic clash

Chapter 5: Legal issues and brownfield landscapes
　　The Tin Shui Wai “waste dump”
　　　　A rural spectacle created by legal loopholes
　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 1] Incomplete enforcement power
　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 2] Ill-defined land uses
　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 3] What defines changes of land uses?
　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 4] Unfulfilled reinstatement
　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 5]  Punished for sympathy
　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 6]  Town Planning Guidelines: a toothless tiger?

　　　　Case 1: 30 rezoning applications approved after the amendments to the “Open Storage” Planning Guidelines
　　　　Case 2: Thin end of the wedge: changing zoning categories fueled brownfield expansion
　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 1] Are brownfield operations on farmland under Block Crown Lease exempted from regulation?
　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 2]  “Movable” unauthorised building works
　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 3] Occupying government land
　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 4] Offenders occupying government land at no cost
　　　　[Waste Disposal Ordinance: Issue 1] Is waste in the eye of the landholders?
　　　　[Waste Disposal Ordinance: Issue 2 ] Toothless penalties that deter nobody
Legal loopholes encourage brownfield expansion

Chapter 6: A forward-looking roadmap
　　Three ultimate obstacles to address brownfield issues
　　　　Obstacle 1: Changing mindset – How to form a sustainable vision of land development?
　　　　Obstacle 2: Deconstruction/Reconstruction –How can we facilitate changes under the influence of vested interests?
　　　　Obstacle 3: The Future — A forward-looking urban brownfield policy
　　A roadmap for a change to brownfield issues
　　　　Drawing a blueprint
　　　　Getting to the root cause: No more land should be used as dump sites
　　　　Regular stock-taking of brownfield land
　　　　Setting an affordable housing target
　　　　Establishing a long-term policy for relocation of brownfield operations

Chapter 7: Finale- words from our researchers

Appendices
Appendix 1: Definitions of brownfields and policy changes
Appendix 2: How to plug the loopholes created by the Melhado Case: Three solutions proposed by the British Hong Kong Government