West Kowloon Cultural District

Passing the to-be WKCD site by ferry over the summer I saw there still remains a lot to be done. Hong Kong has been in the talks for a cultural spot securing its cultural hub status in Asia. And it's come far.

This is a good summary of the vision and problems facing the Cultural District: http://www.hab.gov.hk/wkcd/pe/eng/doc/CC_Report_eng/3_executivesummary.pdf

After public consultation in 2007, a report by the Public Policy Research Institute of the Hong Kong PolyTechnic University was published in Jan 2008, http://www.hab.gov.hk/wkcd/pe/chi/Public_EE_Report/doc/Reports/Final%20Report_Eng.pdf

Watch out for more consultations from now until early January 7.

I believe the project has been one of the few that has involved the private sector, and relevant creative art bodies and experts. The power of the WKCD Authority has been set in the WKCDA Ordinance. However, its government officials have been criticized to be too experienced to make investment decisions with the funds separately . More consultants should be brought on board.

The first phase will be completed in 2014-15 and I await to see the results. Will it also balance logistics, traffic and environmental impact considerations?

When the time comes the Government should also investigate how the arts industry relates to the creative industry, which the Chief Executive especially highlighted after setting up CreativeHK in June 2009.