可持续都市与社区发展—香港特区政府环境局局长黄锦星先生访谈

采访 / 杨燕玲_Interviewed by Yvonne Ieong译 / 李琳_Translated by LI Lin

可持续都市与社区发展—香港特区政府环境局局长黄锦星先生访谈

采访 / 杨燕玲_Interviewed by Yvonne Ieong
译 / 李琳_Translated by LI Lin

黄锦星先生于1963年出生，是一名建筑师，多年来致力推动绿色建筑及楼宇节能减排。他曾担任香港绿色建筑议会副主席和环保建筑专业议会主席等多项公职，并推动发展本地采用的环保建筑标准及参与多个环保建筑项目。

他在加入政府前，曾参与多个政府咨询机构的工作，更多次协助可持续发展委员会推动社会参与过程，包括担任“纾缓气候变化：从楼宇节能减排开始”支援小组召集人，及“优化建筑设计 缔造可持续建筑环境”支援小组的成员。黄先生于香港大学建筑系毕业，并曾于加拿大卑诗大学进修环保建筑。他于2012年7月1日起出任香港特区政府环境局局长。

Mr. KS Wong was born in 1963 and is an architect by profession. He has been promoting green building and building energy effi ciency over the past years. He had served as the Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Building Council and the Chairman of the Professional Green Building Council. He has contributed to the development of local green building standards and taken part in a number of green building projects.

Before joining the Government, he has contributed to the work of a number of Government advisory bodies. In particular, he had active involvement in the public engagement processes of the Council for Sustainable Development. He was the convener of the Support Group on Combating Climate Change: Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction in Buildings. He was also a member of the Support Group on Building Design to Foster a Quality and Sustainable Built Environment. Mr. Wong graduated from the Department of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong. He received further education on green building from the University of British Columbia in Canada. He has been appointed as the Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR Government and assumed the post on 1 July 2012.

背景

香港，一座以高密度都市发展著名的城市，由于境内多山丘及海域，高楼集中林立于填海拓展的土地上，形成了世界上一个特殊的城市风貌。香港建筑师黄锦星先生曾经以“可持续建筑的挑战与2010年的香港”为题阐述了香港高密度都市发展的历史，并刊登于《生态城市与绿色建筑》的创刊号上。在文章的最后，黄锦星先生认为，“有质量的城市和有质量的生活”是我们的共同梦想。对于香港而言，如果高密度发展是无可避免的话，那么提出更加切实可行的政策和行动规范来实现整体的对“高楼、高舒适性和高质量设计”的考量则是有迫切需要的。2012年7月起，黄锦星先生获委任为香港特区政府环境局局长。

距今5年，从可持续性角度，黄锦星局长将如何评述香港的都市发展？他对此是否有新的观点？2015年10月，香港建筑师杨燕玲（Yvonne Ieong）据此篇文章，及上述问题采访了黄锦星局长。

可持续性的切实政策和行动规范

问：您的文章已经出版了5年，您认为在我们的可持续都市发展和生活方式中，是否已有切实可行的政策和行动规范得到施行？

黄锦星局长仍然相信务实的政策和行动规范对实现优良的城市品质和生活方式是必不可少的。例如，就空气质量，他阐述了2013年3月环境局联同运输及房屋局、食品及卫生局和发展局共同发表的《香港清新空气蓝图》（A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong），已经对高密度发展有正面的影响。公共交通在香港得到了很好的发展。由于拥挤的交通和高密度都市肌理结构，路旁污染和街道峡谷效应已经成为了一个挑战。因此，蓝图包含了由2013年开始的逐步淘汰欧盟IV期以前的柴油商业车（diesel commercial vehicles）特惠资助计划，以改善路旁空气质素。其总计金额达100亿港元。

问：目前，路面上有太多的公共巴士。我们要如何处理这方面的污染？

黄锦星局长介绍，在《香港清新空气蓝图》中，降低路旁污染的策略之一是逐步淘汰欧盟IV期以前的柴油商业车，包括货车、公共小巴和非专利巴士。为了协助这些受到影响的车主，2014年3月1日政府部门推出了特惠补偿计划，逐步淘汰82 000辆欧盟IV期以前的柴油商业车，为符合资格的车主提供特惠资助。因此，非专利巴士的排放性能将得到改善。2015年底在铜锣湾、中环及旺角等交通繁忙地段设立专营巴士低排放区试点，只允许低排放标准的巴士，例如符合欧盟IV期或者更高排放标准的，又或者已加装选择性催化变换器的欧盟II期和III期巴士在此区域通行。

这是政府和巴士公司达成的共识，而非运用规例或专营条款。技术在应对污染排放中也发挥了作用。香港特区政府部门还将全额资助专营巴士公司购买36辆单层电动巴士和相关充电设施作为试点。这个试点工作已在2015年年底开始。

为了优良的空气质素，同时也将收紧管控发电厂的污染排放。自2008年起，政府部门已经公布了4项技术备忘录，强制设定了2010年开始电力行业的3项主要空气污染排放物，如SO2、NOX和PM10的排放上限。

第5项技术备忘录于2015年10月公布，进一步降低电力行业在2020年的污染排放量。两大电力公司被要求逐步降低污染物排放，以达到该项技术备忘录设定的排放限额。先进的技术，例如烟气脱硫和氮氧化物（NOX）控制装置已经用于电力公司，用以降低他们的燃煤电厂的污染物排放。

同时，尽可能采用低排放煤。发电是香港空气污染物排放的主要来源，2013年发电而产生的SO2、NOX和PM10分别占区域总排放量的47%、31%和16%。除了从“供给采用”一方管控措施以外，香港特区政府部门同时也引进了“电力需求”方面管理，例如将在后文中讨论的节能和提高能源效益措施。

绿色都市设计和接触优良/低劣的空气质素

问：能否在道路和行人区域种植更多的绿地植被，作为污染屏障？

黄局长认为，此理念是减低行人曝露于空气污染排放物中的途径。虽然高密度都市环境和现有建筑物可以作为减少这种曝露于污染空气的实际限制因素，《香港清新空气蓝图》有清晰的时间表来完成此计划。类似的理念同样已适用于其他都市如伦敦。降低行人曝露在空气污染范围的例子，如行人可以被引导行走铜锣湾到中环的滨海长廊，而非使用原有的繁忙交通道路旁的行人道。这种创新理念可以由建筑师或者城市规划师通过设计提出。过往，设计师在广场设计因素上，可能并不会考量空间与行人曝露于优劣空气环境的关系。因此，一些本地学者鼓励香港的设计师、政策制定者和公众密切研究这种行人曝露于优劣空气环境与公众健康的关系。

虽然在不同的情况下，植被可以充当污染物的屏障，但是黄局长强调，距离是不容忽视的一个因素。在设计应用上，应包括设计空间、周边环境和高差之间的关系。例如，一个广场可以设计成具有高差的空间，以区分行人区和机动车交通区域。这些设计的微妙细节在近年来已经引起了科学家和学者的关注。

改善都市环境策略

问：作为一个高密度城市，香港是否有相关的法规规范以提升市民的生活质素？

黄局长指出，改善空气质素、减少碳排放、充分利用资源、减少废弃物，以及令城市气候更具适应性及抗御力，亦正是政府部门采取应对气候变化的措施。在高密度都市环境中，我们不仅需要减少自然资源的消耗，同时，也需要改善生活质素。

气候变化对天气、环境和我们生活的影响已经越来越显著，全球气候变暖和海平面上升已经成为了亟需解决的问题。

为了改善空气质素，特区政府强制要求从2015年7月1日起远洋船舶（ocean-going vessels）在香港泊岸时须改用洁净燃料，如低硫船用燃料（low-sulphur marine fuel）、液化天然气（liquefi ed natural gas）或者其他获批准的燃油。香港是亚洲首个施行该项计划的城市。为了透过施行该项强制措施以保持香港港口的竞争力，特区政府将从2012年开始实施的宽减计划延长了30个月，至2018年8月底才结束。该项计划将宽免远洋船舶一半的港口设施和灯标费。由于货柜码头位于香港高密度市区，实施宽减计划和订立规例以改善空气质素显得尤为重要，从而改善市民的生活质素。

黄局长说明，能源强度（energy intensity）是衡量城市经济能源效益的一个代表性指标。相对于亚太经济合作组织（APEC），甚至欧盟等地区，由于城市的密集形态有助于加强建筑和交通能效，香港在该指标的表现最佳。下一步，特区政府会在保持环境方面优势的同时，进一步提高生活质素。

问：有一群人曾经主张德辅道中（Des Voeux Road Central）应设立行人和电车专用区域。您认为是否应该鼓励这种崭新的思路？

黄局长表示，从空气质素角度出发，设立行人专区是国际上常用的使行人减少曝露于污染空气的策略。但他提醒我们，在建议可行性的讨论中，应考虑不同利益相关者的情况。例如，在德辅道中有很多诊所，一些病人需要搭乘出租车并最好停在诊所门口。如果德辅道中成为行人专区，汽车将无法直达，那么这些病人该如何到达诊所？大家需要认真地讨论这类社会和区域问题，及其附带的可行解决方案。

补充信息：

2014年，香港规划师学会联同香港城市大学、思汇政策研究所智囊团和交通规划咨询公司，建议特区政府德辅道中应改为行人和电车专用区域。根据他们的研究，柴油公交车和货车是德辅道中路旁空气污染物的主要和直接来源，而沿德辅道中的空气污染扩散则被高层建筑阻隔。他们计划在德辅道中的1.5公里部分，除必要的汽车交通，如银行押运车、厢式货车和紧急车辆以外，将禁止车辆行驶。他们同时建议，将汽车分流到污染物更容易散去的干诺道（Connaught Road）和附近的街道，电车将成为德辅道中唯一的公共交通。一些交通流量将被分流到中环湾仔绕道（the Central-Wan Chai bypass，大约2017年完工）和沙田至中环线的港铁（MTR's Shatin-Central Link，大约2020年完工）上。

生物多样性和自然保育

问：如何在香港这样的高密度城市中引入生物多样性？

黄局长解释，除了空气质素、废物管理和节能方面的3份蓝图以外，香港特区政府正随之准备生物多样性的策略性蓝图，因此渔农自然护理署已于2006年1月就 “香港生物多样性策略及行动计划”（Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan，BSAP）进行3个月公众咨询。这是一项根据“生物多样性公约”（the Convention on Biological Diversity，CBD）推展的行动计划。这个在城市层面的生物多样性策略及行动计划，将研究香港的生物多样性现况及其保育措施。

虽然香港有70%的土地还没有被城市化，这些土地包括郊野公园、绿地带和农地。黄锦星局长认为，对生活在城市的居民来说，与大自然保持更密切的联系是重要的。藉此增加市民对自然保育和生物多样性的理解和关注。

香港在城区与绿地空间之间的关系上，与其他城市如巴黎不同。由于巴黎用地在很大比例上已经城市化，政府需要在城市中为植物和野生生物寻找生态绿岛和廊道的空间。对香港这个高密度城市而言，讨论生物多样性的议题变得别有意思。

为了让公众更理解生物多样性与城市之间的关联，以及提升公众对生物多样性的认识和兴趣，在2015年底，环境局（the Environment Bureau）和渔农自然护理署（the Agriculture，Fisheries and Conservation Department，AFCD）举办了香港首届生物多样性节——“香港生物多样性节2015－爱 · 识自然”（HKBF 2015）。此次活动得到本地大学、非盈利政府组织（NGOs）和环保团体的支持。并举办了一系列适合不同年龄市民参与的相关活动，如家庭同乐日、展览、公众演讲和嘉年华会，等等。

都市节能蓝图和智慧城市

问：“智慧城市”的理念将会在启德区试点。关于可持续发展，哪些方面将被考虑并在该区域实施？

黄局长解释，未来的计划中对在九龙东（Kowloon East），包括启德区发展“智慧城市”的理念进行研究。但九龙东地区发展“智慧城市”的可行性试验研究仍处于初步阶段。在“智慧城市”的愿景下，智慧数据和技术等将被应用，使该地区成为一个宜居、可持续的中央商务区（Central Business District，CBD）；构建低碳绿色社区；通过优质的城市管理和公共服务，包括环保连接系统及基础设施，以提升宜步性和智能流动性。

在香港，超过一半的年能耗透过使用电力，其中建筑物用电量占全港总用电量的90%左右。因此，推广绿色建筑及提升建筑物节能为特区政府的首要任务。市民的用电量、电力的使用模式以及提升节能意识，也是重要的任务。

可持续生活的硬件和软件

问：有质素的生活也意味着“可持续生活”。废物管理是香港的一个热门话题。您能否分享一下您在这方面的经验？我们如何在废物管理方面获得更优质的生活？我们的城市如何结合废物管理而达至更可持续？

黄局长解释，在高密度生活环境下要实现可持续生活，需要在“软件”（主要包括文化、政策和管理方面）和“硬件”（主要指基础设施）的相关方面作出配合。

涉及到可持续生活的“软件”在香港仍然在演化中，大有讨论空间。例如，垃圾回收站/垃圾及物料回收房的楼面面积会由屋宇署（Buildings Department）做出宽免。但是对此项宽免更为清晰和详细的标准，将在未来实施的都市固体废物处理收费生效的同时以作业指引进一步阐释。过去，香港人可能会以方便为先，置环保于后，但我们需要改变。

对于“硬件”来说，主要有三方面常用基础设施。第一方面是在屯门区的淤泥处理设施（sludge treatment facility，STF）。该设施于2015年开始运营，是亚洲同类处理厂中规模最大的。淤泥处理设施设计处理容量可达每天2 000吨污泥。污泥是污水处理过程（sewage treatment works，STWs）产生的半固态副产品。过去，此类污泥通常被填埋处理，但这并不环保，因为这种做法占用了大量香港稀缺的堆填区空间。

第二方面是有机资源回收中心（Organic Waste Treatment Facilities，OWTF）。该设施一期工程位于北大屿山的小濠湾，并预期于2017年上半年完工。第一期项目的有机资源（主要为厨余）日处理量为200吨，产生沼气和堆肥。生产出来的沼气成为再生能源（转废为能并转换为电力或煤气应用。根据《香港厨余及园林废弃物处理计划2014～2022》（A Food Waste & Yard Waste Plan for Hong Kong 2014～2022），香港在其他区域将筹建更多的有机资源回收中心。第三方面是位于石鼓洲的综合废物处理设施（Integrated Waste Management Facilities，IWMF）。这是综合废物处理设施的第一期工程，预期2023年完工，日处理量为3 000吨。

综合废物处理设施的目的在于减少混合都市固体废物（municipal solid waste，MSW）的体积，并回收有用资源，包括转化为能源和金属可回收物料。

此外，还有一些较小规模的转废为能设施，如以回收沼气发电的污水处理厂等。这些小型设施采用热电联供（combined heat and power，CHP）系统。此外，由堆填区收集的沼气已越来越多地被用作煤气。

黄局长同时提到，从初步提议到最终完工，“硬件”的建设需要很长时间。对于大规模的工程项目，不得不预留20～30年时间来实现。《香港资源循环蓝图2013-2022》（Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-2022）的目标之一，是在10年内对废弃物垃圾填埋处理的依赖减半。垃圾堆填区仍是城市废物处理所需的，例如处理一些含非惰性和不可回收再利用的建筑垃圾。

推广低碳生活

问：在香港，我们如何实践低碳生活？

黄局长指出，如果香港要致力成为低碳生活的社会，那么需要社会各界共同努力合作。首先，环境局和机电工程署（the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department ，EMSD）于2015年5月联合启动了“全民节能”（Energy Saving for All）为题的运动，以推进节能及提高能源效率。活动包含“室内温度节能约章”、一站式“全民节能专题网站”、“新能源新世代太阳能车比赛”、“青年节能奖”以及“全民节能”宣传片。

室内温度节能约章由政府自2012年开始推行，邀请建筑及物业管理界承诺在盛夏期间将旗下物业的平均室内温度维持在24～26℃之间，减少空调的耗电量。香港建筑物耗电量约占全港总耗电量的90%，而空调耗电量约占总耗电量的三分之一。

公众参与对推动低碳生活至为重要。一站式全民节能网站和“青年节能奖”便于公众参与，前者涵盖了全社会一起节能，后者则鼓励年轻人构思和实践节能措施。

各种比赛和奖项有利于推动低碳生活。由机电工程署推出的“新能源新世代太阳能车比赛”，不仅能令大专生及中学生学习可再生能源及将其应用在工程科技上，同时也提升他们对可再生能源的兴趣和认识。最后一点是，改变行为模式是日常节能的关键所在。关掉不在使用状态的电器看似琐碎，但其积累效应对整体用电量是巨大的。故此，推出“全民节能”宣传片，以“悭电熄一熄”为口号，推广节能信息，鼓励大众从日常生活习惯中着手。

城市的适应性和抗御力

为了应对香港气候变化的挑战，2015年11月香港环境局公布了《香港气候变化报告2015》，面对加剧的气候变化，城市的适应性和抗御力有待强化，蓝图和减排策略并驾齐驱。例如，跨部门的适应气候变化方案能强化城市的抗御力，于2020年以前（以2005年的基准）减低碳强度50%～60%是一缓和策略，防洪方案是适应极端天气的准备，而区域供冷系统能带来缓减又适应的两方面好处。香港是高密度集中发展的城市。与世界上其他发达城市相比，市民较少使用私人汽车代步，而多乘搭公共交通工具，如香港地铁（mass transit railway，MTR），其中好处之一是产生相对较低的碳排放。估计在2031年，公共交通服务乘客量预期将分担整体交通服务乘客量的45%～50%，并覆盖75%的本地人口和85%的就业机会。对于香港这样的高密度城市，集中且就近拥有资源的好处是便捷与高效率，但其宜居性则可能因为“街道峡谷”效应影响空气质素，而受到影响。都市环境气候规划建议图是维持香港城市宜居性的重要参考实例之一。

公营部门和私营机构的节能减排

香港特区政府是香港最大的建筑物管理者之一，管辖着大约8 000栋建筑物和设施。从2013年开始，成立了由环境局局长率领，并由政府高层官员参与的推动绿色建筑督导委员会。建筑物设计对其未来的节能表现具有极大的影响，而建筑物内的人士的日常习惯则对总体能源消耗影响很大。

2015年，环境局出版了首个《香港都市节能蓝图2015～2025+》（Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment 2015 ～ 2025+），以2005年为基准年，在2025年减少40%的能源强度，政府部门率先示范了如何达到这个目标。对于建筑总楼面面积5 000m2以上并配有中央供冷系统，或总楼面面积达到10 000m2及以上的新建政府大楼，必须取得香港绿建环评金级（BEAM Plus Gold）或以上的认证；对于新建公共屋邨，至少需符合香港绿建环评金级（BEAM Plus Gold ready）的水平要求。

公共屋邨的能源使用约占香港住宅建筑物能源使用总量的45%。自2000年起，香港房屋委员会（Hong Kong Housing Authority，HKHA）采取了节能系统、设立能源管理工具以及推广提升节能意识等措施，以达到更好的能耗性能。例如，在节能系统方面，由于照明、电梯和水泵的能源使用量分别约占公屋大厦的公共能源量55%、21%和16%，香港房屋委员会一直致力于减少这些系统的能耗。例如，在照明方面采用具有能效的照明装置、光感器和定时器控制，以不同方法节省电梯及水泵系统耗电。为了提升公屋住户的节能意识，房屋委员会在新建屋邨大厦地下大堂安装了智能电表和显示屏，使居民可以看到每座屋邨中住宅单位的平均电力、煤气以及食水用量。

结论

5年过去了，黄锦星局长认为，从可持续发展角度，过去以及现在对香港都市发展观点和研究基本上是一致的。近数年里，特区政府公布了多份蓝图和计划，包括2013年的《香港清新空气蓝图》、《香港资源循环蓝图2013～2022》，2014年的《香港厨余及园林废弃物处理计划2014～2022》、《香港都市节能蓝图2015～2025+》，以及2015年的《香港气候变化报告2015》。这些蓝图和计划，驱使香港迈向更永续和宜居的城市。香港特区政府将很快继续完成“香港生物多样性策略及行动计划”，总而言之，香港将建构一整套覆盖空气质素、废弃物管理、节能和气候变化以及生物多样性方面的绿色计划。

虽然这些都是塑造高密度环境下可持续发展社会的关键因素，社会各阶层的参与和认同至为重要。后者在2015巴黎气候会议后变得越来越重要。大家都应理解气候变化并知而后行，投入低碳和减废的生活方式。

Introduction and background

Hong Kong is well-known for its high density urban developments with clusters of high-rise buildings among the hills and the sea, and being a special urbanscape in the world. The history of Hong Kong's high density urban development had been issued in an article titled "Sustainable Building Challenge @ Hong Kong 2010" written by Hong Kong Architect Mr. K. S. Wong in the fi rst issue of this magazine. In the end of the article, Mr. Wong believed good city qualities and life style would be what we pursued if high density urban development was unavoidable in Hong Kong, and practical strategies and regulations should be implemented accordingly. Since July 2012, Mr. Wong has been appointed as the Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong SAR Government.

Five years from now, how would Mr. Wong review the urban development in Hong Kong in terms of sustainability? Has he got any new findings and perspectives? Mr. Wong was interviewed by Yvonne Ieong in October 2015 as recorded in this article, with supplementary information of the related topics added.

Practical Strategies and Regulations Implemented for Sustainability

Question: After fi ve years of the issue of your article, do you think any practical strategies and regulations had been implemented to improve our sustainable urban development and life style?

Mr. K. S. Wong still believed practical strategies and regulations were essential for attaining good city qualities and life style. For air quality, for example, he explained that "A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong", released by the Environment Bureau in collaboration with the Transport & Housing Bureau, the Food & Health Bureau and the Development Bureau in March 2013, had positive impacts to the high density development. The public transport was well used in Hong Kong. Due to the busy traffi c and the high density urban fabric, the roadside pollution and "street canyon" effect had been challenging to tackle. Therefore, among others, an incentive programme amounting to over $10 billion to phase out pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles was launched in 2013 to replace the old diesel commercial vehicles to improve roadside air quality.

Question: There are currently too many buses on the road. How can we handle the pollution in this aspect? Mr. K. S. Wong explained that in the blueprint "A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong", one of the strategies to mitigate the roadside pollution was phasing out pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles (DCV) which include goods vehicles, public light buses and nonfranchised buses. On 1 March 2014, an incentive-cum-regulatory scheme was launched to progressively phasing out some 82,000 pre-Euro IV DCVs. To assist the affected vehicle owners, the Government offers an ex-gratia payment to eligible vehicle owners for phasing out their DCVs.

Thus, the emission performance of non-franchised buses would be improved. As for franchised buses, low emission zones will be set up at the busy corridors in Causeway Bay, Central and Mong Kok at the end of 2015. Only low emission buses (i.e. those meeting Euro IV or higher emission standards or Euro II and III buses retrofi tted withselective catalytic reduction devices) are allowed to travel in the low emission zones. This was a consensus between the Government and the bus companies rather than a regulation or franchise terms. Technology also played a role in the combat of emissions. The Government is fully subsidizing the franchised bus companies to purchase 36 single-deck electric buses and relating charging facilities for trial in Hong Kong. The trial will commence progressively by the end of this year. For good air quality, the emission of power plants also had to be controlled. The Government had issued four Technical Memoranda so far since 2008 to impose emission caps for 3 major air pollutants, i.e. SO2, NOXand PM10 on the power sector from 2010 onwards.

The Fifth Technical Memorandum published in October 2015 would further tighten power plant emissions from 2020 onwards. The two power companies had been required to progressively reduce their emissions to meet emission caps set under these Technical Memoranda. Advanced technology, like flue gas desulphurization and NOXcontrol devices, had been used by the power companies to reduce emissions from their coal-fi red plants. Low emission coals had also been used whenever possible. Power generation was a major source of air pollutant emission in Hong Kong, accounting for 47%, 31% and 16% respectively of the territory-wide emissions of SO2, NOXand PM10 in 2013.

Apart from control measures on the supply side, the Government had also introduced demand side management, such as energy conservation and energy efficiency, which would be discussed in later sections.

Green Urban Design & Exposure to Good/Poor Quality Air

Question: Could more vegetation be planted between the roads and the pedestrian zones as pollutants barriers?

Mr. Wong considered that this idea was a way to help reduce the exposure of air pollutants to pedestrians. Although there may be physical restrictions from the high density environment and existing buildings to reduce such exposure, Hong Kong had a blueprint, "A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong", with clear timeline to do so. Similar ideas could also be found in other cities like London. An example of reducing such exposure to pedestrians was that the people could be induced to walk along the future waterfront promenade from Causeway Bay to Central, instead of taking the typical routes along the main roads. This kind of innovative ideas could be proposed by architects or urban designers through design. In the past, even when the designers were thinking of introducing plazas into the urban environment, they might not associate the spaces with good/poor quality air exposure. Therefore, some local scholars encouraged the designers, policy makers and public in Hong Kong to look into the exposure - related health risks closely.

While plants might be able to act as barriers for pollutants, depending on different scenarios, Mr. Wong stressed that distance is the factor not to be missed. Design implementations should include relationship of the designed space with the surrounding environment and level differences. For example, a plaza could be designed with level difference to demarcate the visitor zone from the vehicular one. These subtle details of designhad been gaining attention from the scientists and scholars in recent years.

Strategies improving the Urban Environment

Question: Are there any regulations facilitating Hong Kong as a high density city to raise the living quality of its citizens?

Mr. Wong answered that improving air quality, reducing carbon emissions, making good use of resources and reducing wastes, and making the city climate adaptive and resilient were the strategies the Government adopted to help combat climate change. In the context of high density urban environment, not only did we need to reduce the depletion of natural resources, but also we had to improve the living qualities at the same time.

The effect of climate change on the weather, environment and our lives had been more discernible, and global warming and rising sea level were pressing problems to tackle.

In order to improve air quality, the Government made it mandatory for ocean-going vessels (OGVs) to switch to cleaner fuel (i.e. lowsulphur marine fuel, liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) or other approved fuel) while at berth in Hong Kong starting from July 1 2015. Hong Kong was the first Asian city to do so. To keep Hong Kong port's competiveness with this pioneer mandatory measure, the Government has extended the 3-year incentive scheme, which was started in September 2012, for 30 months to end August 2018. The incentive scheme would reduce the Port Facilities and Light Dues of OGVs by half. Since the container ports were located in the high density urban area of Hong Kong, it was important to improve the air quality by incentives and regulations, which would lead to a better living quality in the city.

Mr. Wong pointed out that energy intensity was a representative indicator of measuring the energy effi ciency of a city's economy. When compared to other places in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and even European Union (EU), Hong Kong performed best in this indicator, for its compact urban form with energy efficiency in buildings and transportation. The next step would be to enhance the quality of living while keeping the environmental merits.

Question: There were a group of people advocating that Des Voeux Road Central should be transformed into a pedestrians' zone with trams passing through. Do you think this kind of new ideas should be encouraged?

Mr. Wong answered that in terms of air quality, the pedestrians' zone proposal was a commonly used strategy in similar international cases as a less exposure alternative. But he reminded us that during the discussion for the feasibility of the proposal, the situations of different stakeholders should be considered. For example, there were many clinics in the area of Des Voeux Road Central, and some patients would have to travel by taxis and preferably stop by the door. If the road were pedestrianized and the vehicles could not reach the buildings directly, how would these patients visit the clinics? These kinds of social and district issues should bediscussed seriously with possible solutions.

Supplementary information:

In 2014, the Hong Kong Institute of Planners, with City University of Hong Kong, the Civic Exchange think tank and a transport and planning consultancy firm, suggested to the government that Des Voeux Road Central could be transformed into a pedestrians' zone with trams passing through. According to their studies, diesel buses and goods vehicles were the main and direct contributors for roadside air pollution in Central, and the air pollutants along Des Voeux Road Central had been trapped by the high-rise buildings.

In their plan, the 1.5 kilometre section of Des Voeux Road Central, would be closed to all vehicles except necessary traffic such as banks' security vans, delivery vans and emergency vehicles. Their scheme proposed diverting vehicular traffic to Connaught Road, where pollutants would be dispersed more easily, and nearby streets so that the tram would become the only form of public transport allowed along Des Voeux Road Central. Some traffi c was expected to be absorbed by the future Central-Wan Chai bypass (to be completed around 2017) and the MTR's Shatin-Central Link (to be completed around 2020). They hoped the government will adopt the scheme and fully implement it by 2020. The air pollution in the area could thus be reduced.

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation

Question: How to introduce biodiversity into a high density city like Hong Kong?

Mr. Wong explained that besides air quality, waste management and energy saving, biodiversity was the fourth series that the Government would likely issue a blueprint and had strategies accordingly-Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP). It would be a plan under the Convention on Biological Diversity (the Convention). The city-level BSAP would examine the existing condition of biodiversity and practices for its conservation in Hong Kong.

Although around 70% of the land in Hong Kong is not yet urbanised, including country parks, green belt and rural areas, Mr. Wong thinks

that it would be important for the people living in the urban areas to have closer linkages with the nature, so as to form a basis for the people to understand and be concerned about nature conservation and biodiversity.

Hong Kong is different from other cities like Paris for the spatial relationship between urban areas and greenery. Since a high proportion of the areas of Paris are urbanized, the Government there has to look for areas (also known as "islands") and paths for greenery and wildlife in the city. For our compact urban farm, it would be interesting to discuss how we address the issue of biodiversity in Hong Kong.

In order to let the public know the relationship between biodiversity and the city, and to raise public awareness and interest in local biodiversity, the Environment Bureau and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) had launched the first biodiversity festival in Hong Kong in late 2015–"Hong Kong Biodiversity Festival 2015–Cherish Nature" (HKBF 2015). The Festival was supported by local universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and green groups. Activities suitable for members of the public of different ages, like family days, exhibitions, public lectures and a carnival, were held.

Energy Saving Plan and Smart City

Question: The idea of "Smart City" would be realized in the Kai Tak area. How many sustainability aspects would be considered and carried out in the area?

Mr. Wong expressed that for the future plan, the concept of realizing "Smart City" in Kowloon East (including Kai Tak area) was being studied. But the pilot study to examine the feasibility of developing a "Smart City" in Kowloon East was still in an early stage. Under the "Smart City" vision, smart data and technology etc. would be employed to transform the area into a liveable and sustainable central business district (CBD); low carbon green communities would be created, and walkability and smart mobility would be enhanced by high-quality municipal management and public services, including the implementation of the Environmentally Friendly Linkage System and infrastructure.In Hong Kong, more than half of the total annual energy use was in the form of electricity consumption, and buildings account for about 90 per cent of the city's electricity use. Therefore, promoting green buildings and enhancing building energy saving had been the priority tasks of the Government. Concerning the public consumption of electricity, understanding the pattern of usage and raising the awareness of saving energy were also important tasks.

Software and Hardware for Sustainable Living

Question: Quality living can also mean "sustainable living". Waste management is a hot topic in our city. Can you share your experience on waste management, and how can we have a "higher quality" in this aspect? How can our city incorporate waste management and be more sustainable?

Mr. Wong explained that to attain sustainable living, related "software" (mainly culture, policies and management) and "hardware"(mainly facilities) would be required in the context of high density living environment.

The "software" concerning sustainable living was still evolving in Hong Kong, and there was plenty of room for discussion. For example, the gross floor area (GFA) of the room for recycling bins (Refuse Storage and Material Recovery Chamber) could be granted GFA concessions by the Buildings Department, but a clearer and more detailed standard could be further developed in the Practice Notes especially when municipal solid waste charging would be implemented. In the past, people in Hong Kong might put convenience over sustainability. We need change.

For "hardware", there were mainly three facilities in use. The first one was the Sludge Treatment Facility (STF) in Tuen Mun. It started operating in 2015, and was the biggest facility of its kind in Asia. The STF had a design capacity of treating 2000 tonnes of sewage sludge per day. Sludge was the semi-solid by-product of sewage treatment at sewage treatment works (STWs). In the past, the sludge, was disposed of at the landfi lls. This was not environmentally sustainable for its depletion of the scarce landfi ll capacity in Hong Kong.

The second type would be the Organic Waste Treatment Facilities (OWTF). The OWTF Phase 1 was located at Siu Ho Wan of North Lantau, and was expected to be completed by the fi rst half of 2017. For the fi rst phase of the OWTF, 200 tonnes of organic waste (mostly food waste) would be treated, and biogas and compost would be produced. The biogas produced by the OWTFs would be used as renewable energy (waste-to-energy) in form of either electricity or town gas. More OWTF would be considered for different districts of Hong Kong according to "A Food Waste & Yard Waste Plan for Hong Kong 2014-2022".

The third type was the Integrated Waste Management Facilities (IWMF) at the Shek Kwu Chau site. It was the fi rst phase (expected to be completed in 2023) of the IWMF, and it would have a treatment capacity of 3,000 tonnes each day. The objectives of the IWMF were to reduce the bulk size of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW), and to recover useful resources including waste-to-energy and metal recyclables.

There were other waste-to-energy facilities of smaller scale like the sewage treatment facilities which would generate electricity by biogas. Combined heat and power (CHP) generation system was adopted in these facilities. In addition, the landfill gas collected in landfi lls was increasingly used as town gas.

Mr. Wong explained that the "hardware" took a long time from preliminary proposal to completion–for large-scale projects, 20 to 30 years had to be reserved for the realization. One of the goals of the "Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013～2022" was to reduce the dependence of waste management on the landfi ll by half in a decade. Landfi lls were still necessary for the waste disposal of the city, for example for the construction waste of which some substances were non-inert and not suitable for reuse or recycling.

Promotion of Low Carbon Living

Question: How could we attain the low carbon living in Hong Kong?

Mr. Wong said if Hong Kong was aiming to become a society with low carbon living, collaborative efforts from every sector of the communities would be required. To start with, the EnvironmentBureau and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) had jointly launched the "Energy Saving for All" Campaign in May 2015 to promote energy saving and enhance energy effi ciency. The Campaign comprised an Energy Saving Charter on Indoor Temperature, an Energy Saving for All dedicated website, a New Energy New Generation Solar Car Competition, a Youth Energy Saving Award, and an "Energy Saving for All" API.

The Energy Saving Charter on Indoor Temperature had actually been launched by the Government since 2012 which invited the buildings and properties management sectors to reduce their electricity consumption on air-conditioning systems during mid-summer by maintaining the indoor temperature between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius–since buildings accounted for about 90 per cent of the total electricity consumption and one-third of which was caused by airconditioning systems in Hong Kong.

Public engagement was important for holistic participation from the society for low carbon living. The Energy Saving for All dedicated website and the Youth Energy Saving Award were for public engagement while the former was to engage the entire community in energy saving and the latter was to encourage young people to plan for and implement energy saving measures.

Competitions and awards were also advantageous activities for promotion of low carbon living. For the New Energy New Generation Solar Car Competition launched by EMSD, not only could the undergraduates and secondary school students learn the knowledge of renewable energy and its application in engineering technology, but also could their interest and awareness of the renewable energy be raised.

Last but not least, behavior change would be crucial for energy saving on a daily usage level. Turning off electrical appliances that were not in use seemed to be a trivial matter, but the accumulating effect by the whole population would be huge. The "Energy Saving for All" API was therefore launched with the slogan "Save Energy with the Push of a Button" to promote the message of energy saving, and encourage the public to take simple steps in daily life.

Adaptability and Resilience of the City

To address the climate change challenges in Hong Kong, the Environment Bureau released the "Hong Kong Climate Change Report 2015" in November 2015. When facing with the aggravating climate change, adaptability and resilience of a city need to be strengthened, going hand in hand with the blueprints and mitigation strategies. For example, inter-departmental climate change adaptation programmes were employed to strengthen the city's resilience, while the carbon intensity target of 50%～60% reduction by 2020 versus the level in 2005 was a mitigation strategy; fl ooding prevention scheme was employed for better adaptation to extreme weathers, while district cooling system would provide both mitigation and adaptation benefi ts.

Hong Kong is a high density city with concentrated urban development. The use of public transport is prevalent, and less people travel with private vehicles when compared with other developed cities in the world. One of the benefits of people using mass transit railway collectively is the relative low carbon emissions when compared to people commute by driving individually. In 2031, the rail in Hong Kong is expected to share 45%～50% of the public transport patronage, and it would cover 75% of the local population and 85% of the job opportunities. For a compact city like Hong Kong, the benefi ts of having resources concentrated and in proximity may be convenience and high efficiency. But the liveability may be affected due to the "street canyon" effect with constrained air quality. The urban climate recommendation map, for instance, is an important reference for safeguarding urban liveability in Hong Kong.

Energy Reduction in Public and Private Sectors

The Government is one of the largest building managers in Hong Kong which manages about 8,000 buildings and facilities. Starting from 2013, an internal high-level Steering Committee on the Promotion of Green Building led by the Secretary for the Environment was formed. The building design was found out to be greatly infl uencing the future energy performance of a building, and the total energy consumption was highly affected by the behaviour of inhabitants.

In 2015, the Environment Bureau published the first-ever Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment 2015～2025+. In order to reduce the energy intensity by 40% by 2025 using 2005 as the base, the Government has taken the initiative to demonstratehow to achieve the target. For new government buildings with construction fl oor area (CFA) of 5,000 m2or above with central airconditioning, or those with CFA of 10,000 m2or above, BEAM Plus Gold certifi cation or above has to be achieved; for new public housing estates, at least BEAM Plus Gold ready has to be obtained. Public housing accounts for around 45% of the total energy consumption in residential buildings in Hong Kong. Energy saving systems, energy management tools and energy awareness raising have been adopted by Hong Kong Housing Authority to achieve better energy performance since 2000. For example, for energy saving systems, effort has been made to reduce energy use in the communal energy consumption – lighting, lifts and water pumps which account for around 55%, 21% and 16% respectively of the total communal energy consumption of a typical public housing block. Energy efficient lighting, photo sensor and timer control for lighting, and various ways to save energy of lifts and water pump systems have been used, for instance. For raising energy awareness among the residents, the HKHA has installed small meters and display panels at G/F lobbies of the new housing blocks to help residents to visualize the per fl at average electricity, gas and water consumption of the block.

Conclusion

Five years from now, Mr. Wong stated that his past and current fi ndings and perspectives for the urban development in Hong Kong in terms of sustainability had been largely consistent. More plans and strategies had been launched by the Government during these few years, including "A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong" in 2013, "Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-2022" in 2013 and "A Food Waste and Yard Waste Plan for Hong Kong 2014-2022" in 2014, "Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment 2015-2025+", and "Hong Kong Climate Change Report 2015" in 2015. All these drived Hong Kong towards a more sustainable and liveable society. The Government would work on a Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP) soon. Overall, the city would have a more holistic set of green plans covering air quality, waste management, energy and climate change, and biodiversity.

Although those are influential factors in shaping the society for sustainability in a high density context, participation and engagement from different sectors in the society would be crucial as well. The latter is increasingly important in the era of post-COP21. Everyone has to understand climate change and adopt a low carbon and waste less lifestyle.

References

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[9] Hong Kong's Information Services Department, "A Food Waste & Yard Waste Plan" outlines strategy for 40 per cent reduction of food waste disposal by 2022, 20 February 2014, http://www.info. gov.hk/gia/general/201402/20/P201402200472.htm, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[10] Environmental Protection Department, 'Integrated Waste Management Facilities', http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/ english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/WFdev_ IWMF.html, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[11] Drainage Services Department, 'Renewable Energy', 27 May 2015, http://www.dsd.gov.hk/EN/Sewerage/Environmental_ Consideration/Renewable_Energy/index.html, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[12] Hong Kong's Information Services Department, "Energy Saving for All" Campaign launched today, 15 May 2015, http://www.info. gov.hk/gia/general/201505/15/P201505150841.htm, (accessed 26 November 2015).

注

杨燕玲女士为香港注册建筑师, 中国绿色建筑与节能委员会委员, 香港绿色建筑议会董事（2014-2015）。

Note

Ms. Yvonne IEONG is Hong Kong Registered architect. She serves as Committee member of China Green Building Council and Hong Kong Green Building Council Director (2014-2015).

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITIES IN HONG KONG: AN INTERVIEW WITH WONG KAM-SING, THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OF HONG KONG SAR GOVERNMENT