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Carving out space for parks and gardens
in one of the most densely populated
cities in the world is no easy feat. In Hong
Kong, public spaces are squeezed between
skyscrapers, under flyovers and into oddly
shaped corners of land. Among the almost
2,000 parks in the city, nearly 500 measure
just half the size of a tennis court.
More than just a place to idle, these
micro-parks are important social spaces,
providing an escape for people shoehorned
into cramped apartments in the world’s most
expensive housing market. Pass by any park
in the morning and you’ll find pensioners
practicing tai chi, reading the newspapers
and playing mahjong. In the evening, young
couples cuddle behind the dangling roots of
banyan trees.
Until recently, all the parks looked
pretty much the same; same tiles, same
benches, same playground equipment, same
plants and trees. Then, in 2017, the newlyestablished Design Trust Futures Studio
caught the eye of the government with its
‘Small Is Meaningful’ exhibition, which
imagined rubbish skips as flower beds and
miniature gardens being delivered to homes
by Uber. A few thousand miles of red tape
later and the Design Trust team were tasked
with revamping four of Hong Kong’s small
parks into thoroughly modern micro-parks.
READ MORE ONLINE AT
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVELTHE STORY BEHIND HONG
KONG’S NEW POCKET PARKS
Space is hard to come by in tightly packed Hong Kong, but a radical new initiative is
transforming tiny public spaces into bright, welcoming hangouts. Words: Lee CobajWHAT’S ONLINE
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