Cultural Preservation

 

What are the reactions of the landlords when they know that the buildings they own are labelled as “historically significant buildings”?

- Shocked

- Take legal actions by issuing official complaints

 

Factors affecting preservation of historic buildings in HK

- Money-minded/Economic-driven mindset

- Real estate-led economy

 

Reasons for preservation

1. Architectural style reflecting the contemporary time

2. Historic significance

3. Collective memory of the public (Social significance)

4. Type of building is rare in Hong Kong and soon will go extinct

5. Building represents a unique style that only exist in Hong Kong

 

Reasons against preservation

1. Economic potential in developing new buildings

2. Urban decay

(Buildings becoming old and dilapidated; people looking for better quality of life moving out; population decreases in the area)

3. Affecting quality of life

E.g. transportation (e.g. the reason behind the demolition of the Queen’s Pier in Central is to build a road to alleviate the pressure from the traffic.)