采訪 / 楊燕玲_Interviewed by Yvonne Ieong譯 / 李琳_Translated by LI Lin

可持續(xù)都市與社區(qū)發(fā)展—香港特區(qū)政府環(huán)境局局長黃錦星先生訪談

采訪 / 楊燕玲_Interviewed by Yvonne Ieong
譯 / 李琳_Translated by LI Lin

黃錦星先生于1963年出生，是一名建筑師，多年來致力推動綠色建筑及樓宇節(jié)能減排。他曾擔任香港綠色建筑議會副主席和環(huán)保建筑專業(yè)議會主席等多項公職，并推動發(fā)展本地采用的環(huán)保建筑標準及參與多個環(huán)保建筑項目。

他在加入政府前，曾參與多個政府咨詢機構(gòu)的工作，更多次協(xié)助可持續(xù)發(fā)展委員會推動社會參與過程，包括擔任“紓緩氣候變化：從樓宇節(jié)能減排開始”支援小組召集人，及“優(yōu)化建筑設計 締造可持續(xù)建筑環(huán)境”支援小組的成員。黃先生于香港大學建筑系畢業(yè)，并曾于加拿大卑詩大學進修環(huán)保建筑。他于2012年7月1日起出任香港特區(qū)政府環(huán)境局局長。

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，一座以高密度都市發(fā)展著名的城市，由于境內(nèi)多山丘及海域，高樓集中林立于填海拓展的土地上，形成了世界上一個特殊的城市風貌。香港建筑師黃錦星先生曾經(jīng)以“可持續(xù)建筑的挑戰(zhàn)與2010年的香港”為題闡述了香港高密度都市發(fā)展的歷史，并刊登于《生態(tài)城市與綠色建筑》的創(chuàng)刊號上。在文章的最后，黃錦星先生認為，“有質(zhì)量的城市和有質(zhì)量的生活”是我們的共同夢想。對于香港而言，如果高密度發(fā)展是無可避免的話，那么提出更加切實可行的政策和行動規(guī)范來實現(xiàn)整體的對“高樓、高舒適性和高質(zhì)量設計”的考量則是有迫切需要的。2012年7月起，黃錦星先生獲委任為香港特區(qū)政府環(huán)境局局長。

距今5年，從可持續(xù)性角度，黃錦星局長將如何評述香港的都市發(fā)展？他對此是否有新的觀點？2015年10月，香港建筑師楊燕玲（Yvonne Ieong）據(jù)此篇文章，及上述問題采訪了黃錦星局長。

可持續(xù)性的切實政策和行動規(guī)范

問：您的文章已經(jīng)出版了5年，您認為在我們的可持續(xù)都市發(fā)展和生活方式中，是否已有切實可行的政策和行動規(guī)范得到施行？

黃錦星局長仍然相信務實的政策和行動規(guī)范對實現(xiàn)優(yōu)良的城市品質(zhì)和生活方式是必不可少的。例如，就空氣質(zhì)量，他闡述了2013年3月環(huán)境局聯(lián)同運輸及房屋局、食品及衛(wèi)生局和發(fā)展局共同發(fā)表的《香港清新空氣藍圖》（A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong），已經(jīng)對高密度發(fā)展有正面的影響。公共交通在香港得到了很好的發(fā)展。由于擁擠的交通和高密度都市肌理結(jié)構(gòu)，路旁污染和街道峽谷效應已經(jīng)成為了一個挑戰(zhàn)。因此，藍圖包含了由2013年開始的逐步淘汰歐盟IV期以前的柴油商業(yè)車（diesel commercial vehicles）特惠資助計劃，以改善路旁空氣質(zhì)素。其總計金額達100億港元。

問：目前，路面上有太多的公共巴士。我們要如何處理這方面的污染？

黃錦星局長介紹，在《香港清新空氣藍圖》中，降低路旁污染的策略之一是逐步淘汰歐盟IV期以前的柴油商業(yè)車，包括貨車、公共小巴和非專利巴士。為了協(xié)助這些受到影響的車主，2014年3月1日政府部門推出了特惠補償計劃，逐步淘汰82 000輛歐盟IV期以前的柴油商業(yè)車，為符合資格的車主提供特惠資助。因此，非專利巴士的排放性能將得到改善。2015年底在銅鑼灣、中環(huán)及旺角等交通繁忙地段設立專營巴士低排放區(qū)試點，只允許低排放標準的巴士，例如符合歐盟IV期或者更高排放標準的，又或者已加裝選擇性催化變換器的歐盟II期和III期巴士在此區(qū)域通行。

這是政府和巴士公司達成的共識，而非運用規(guī)例或?qū)I條款。技術(shù)在應對污染排放中也發(fā)揮了作用。香港特區(qū)政府部門還將全額資助專營巴士公司購買36輛單層電動巴士和相關(guān)充電設施作為試點。這個試點工作已在2015年年底開始。

為了優(yōu)良的空氣質(zhì)素，同時也將收緊管控發(fā)電廠的污染排放。自2008年起，政府部門已經(jīng)公布了4項技術(shù)備忘錄，強制設定了2010年開始電力行業(yè)的3項主要空氣污染排放物，如SO2、NOX和PM10的排放上限。

第5項技術(shù)備忘錄于2015年10月公布，進一步降低電力行業(yè)在2020年的污染排放量。兩大電力公司被要求逐步降低污染物排放，以達到該項技術(shù)備忘錄設定的排放限額。先進的技術(shù)，例如煙氣脫硫和氮氧化物（NOX）控制裝置已經(jīng)用于電力公司，用以降低他們的燃煤電廠的污染物排放。

同時，盡可能采用低排放煤。發(fā)電是香港空氣污染物排放的主要來源，2013年發(fā)電而產(chǎn)生的SO2、NOX和PM10分別占區(qū)域總排放量的47%、31%和16%。除了從“供給采用”一方管控措施以外，香港特區(qū)政府部門同時也引進了“電力需求”方面管理，例如將在后文中討論的節(jié)能和提高能源效益措施。

綠色都市設計和接觸優(yōu)良/低劣的空氣質(zhì)素

問：能否在道路和行人區(qū)域種植更多的綠地植被，作為污染屏障？

黃局長認為，此理念是減低行人曝露于空氣污染排放物中的途徑。雖然高密度都市環(huán)境和現(xiàn)有建筑物可以作為減少這種曝露于污染空氣的實際限制因素，《香港清新空氣藍圖》有清晰的時間表來完成此計劃。類似的理念同樣已適用于其他都市如倫敦。降低行人曝露在空氣污染范圍的例子，如行人可以被引導行走銅鑼灣到中環(huán)的濱海長廊，而非使用原有的繁忙交通道路旁的行人道。這種創(chuàng)新理念可以由建筑師或者城市規(guī)劃師通過設計提出。過往，設計師在廣場設計因素上，可能并不會考量空間與行人曝露于優(yōu)劣空氣環(huán)境的關(guān)系。因此，一些本地學者鼓勵香港的設計師、政策制定者和公眾密切研究這種行人曝露于優(yōu)劣空氣環(huán)境與公眾健康的關(guān)系。

雖然在不同的情況下，植被可以充當污染物的屏障，但是黃局長強調(diào)，距離是不容忽視的一個因素。在設計應用上，應包括設計空間、周邊環(huán)境和高差之間的關(guān)系。例如，一個廣場可以設計成具有高差的空間，以區(qū)分行人區(qū)和機動車交通區(qū)域。這些設計的微妙細節(jié)在近年來已經(jīng)引起了科學家和學者的關(guān)注。

改善都市環(huán)境策略

問：作為一個高密度城市，香港是否有相關(guān)的法規(guī)規(guī)范以提升市民的生活質(zhì)素？

黃局長指出，改善空氣質(zhì)素、減少碳排放、充分利用資源、減少廢棄物，以及令城市氣候更具適應性及抗御力，亦正是政府部門采取應對氣候變化的措施。在高密度都市環(huán)境中，我們不僅需要減少自然資源的消耗，同時，也需要改善生活質(zhì)素。

氣候變化對天氣、環(huán)境和我們生活的影響已經(jīng)越來越顯著，全球氣候變暖和海平面上升已經(jīng)成為了亟需解決的問題。

為了改善空氣質(zhì)素，特區(qū)政府強制要求從2015年7月1日起遠洋船舶（ocean-going vessels）在香港泊岸時須改用潔凈燃料，如低硫船用燃料（low-sulphur marine fuel）、液化天然氣（liquefi ed natural gas）或者其他獲批準的燃油。香港是亞洲首個施行該項計劃的城市。為了透過施行該項強制措施以保持香港港口的競爭力，特區(qū)政府將從2012年開始實施的寬減計劃延長了30個月，至2018年8月底才結(jié)束。該項計劃將寬免遠洋船舶一半的港口設施和燈標費。由于貨柜碼頭位于香港高密度市區(qū)，實施寬減計劃和訂立規(guī)例以改善空氣質(zhì)素顯得尤為重要，從而改善市民的生活質(zhì)素。

黃局長說明，能源強度（energy intensity）是衡量城市經(jīng)濟能源效益的一個代表性指標。相對于亞太經(jīng)濟合作組織（APEC），甚至歐盟等地區(qū)，由于城市的密集形態(tài)有助于加強建筑和交通能效，香港在該指標的表現(xiàn)最佳。下一步，特區(qū)政府會在保持環(huán)境方面優(yōu)勢的同時，進一步提高生活質(zhì)素。

問：有一群人曾經(jīng)主張德輔道中（Des Voeux Road Central）應設立行人和電車專用區(qū)域。您認為是否應該鼓勵這種嶄新的思路？

黃局長表示，從空氣質(zhì)素角度出發(fā)，設立行人專區(qū)是國際上常用的使行人減少曝露于污染空氣的策略。但他提醒我們，在建議可行性的討論中，應考慮不同利益相關(guān)者的情況。例如，在德輔道中有很多診所，一些病人需要搭乘出租車并最好停在診所門口。如果德輔道中成為行人專區(qū)，汽車將無法直達，那么這些病人該如何到達診所？大家需要認真地討論這類社會和區(qū)域問題，及其附帶的可行解決方案。

補充信息：

2014年，香港規(guī)劃師學會聯(lián)同香港城市大學、思匯政策研究所智囊團和交通規(guī)劃咨詢公司，建議特區(qū)政府德輔道中應改為行人和電車專用區(qū)域。根據(jù)他們的研究，柴油公交車和貨車是德輔道中路旁空氣污染物的主要和直接來源，而沿德輔道中的空氣污染擴散則被高層建筑阻隔。他們計劃在德輔道中的1.5公里部分，除必要的汽車交通，如銀行押運車、廂式貨車和緊急車輛以外，將禁止車輛行駛。他們同時建議，將汽車分流到污染物更容易散去的干諾道（Connaught Road）和附近的街道，電車將成為德輔道中唯一的公共交通。一些交通流量將被分流到中環(huán)灣仔繞道（the Central-Wan Chai bypass，大約2017年完工）和沙田至中環(huán)線的港鐵（MTR's Shatin-Central Link，大約2020年完工）上。

生物多樣性和自然保育

問：如何在香港這樣的高密度城市中引入生物多樣性？

黃局長解釋，除了空氣質(zhì)素、廢物管理和節(jié)能方面的3份藍圖以外，香港特區(qū)政府正隨之準備生物多樣性的策略性藍圖，因此漁農(nóng)自然護理署已于2006年1月就 “香港生物多樣性策略及行動計劃”（Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan，BSAP）進行3個月公眾咨詢。這是一項根據(jù)“生物多樣性公約”（the Convention on Biological Diversity，CBD）推展的行動計劃。這個在城市層面的生物多樣性策略及行動計劃，將研究香港的生物多樣性現(xiàn)況及其保育措施。

雖然香港有70%的土地還沒有被城市化，這些土地包括郊野公園、綠地帶和農(nóng)地。黃錦星局長認為，對生活在城市的居民來說，與大自然保持更密切的聯(lián)系是重要的。藉此增加市民對自然保育和生物多樣性的理解和關(guān)注。

香港在城區(qū)與綠地空間之間的關(guān)系上，與其他城市如巴黎不同。由于巴黎用地在很大比例上已經(jīng)城市化，政府需要在城市中為植物和野生生物尋找生態(tài)綠島和廊道的空間。對香港這個高密度城市而言，討論生物多樣性的議題變得別有意思。

為了讓公眾更理解生物多樣性與城市之間的關(guān)聯(lián)，以及提升公眾對生物多樣性的認識和興趣，在2015年底，環(huán)境局（the Environment Bureau）和漁農(nóng)自然護理署（the Agriculture，F(xiàn)isheries and Conservation Department，AFCD）舉辦了香港首屆生物多樣性節(jié)——“香港生物多樣性節(jié)2015－愛 · 識自然”（HKBF 2015）。此次活動得到本地大學、非盈利政府組織（NGOs）和環(huán)保團體的支持。并舉辦了一系列適合不同年齡市民參與的相關(guān)活動，如家庭同樂日、展覽、公眾演講和嘉年華會，等等。

都市節(jié)能藍圖和智慧城市

問：“智慧城市”的理念將會在啟德區(qū)試點。關(guān)于可持續(xù)發(fā)展，哪些方面將被考慮并在該區(qū)域?qū)嵤?/p>

黃局長解釋，未來的計劃中對在九龍東（Kowloon East），包括啟德區(qū)發(fā)展“智慧城市”的理念進行研究。但九龍東地區(qū)發(fā)展“智慧城市”的可行性試驗研究仍處于初步階段。在“智慧城市”的愿景下，智慧數(shù)據(jù)和技術(shù)等將被應用，使該地區(qū)成為一個宜居、可持續(xù)的中央商務區(qū)（Central Business District，CBD）；構(gòu)建低碳綠色社區(qū)；通過優(yōu)質(zhì)的城市管理和公共服務，包括環(huán)保連接系統(tǒng)及基礎設施，以提升宜步性和智能流動性。

在香港，超過一半的年能耗透過使用電力，其中建筑物用電量占全港總用電量的90%左右。因此，推廣綠色建筑及提升建筑物節(jié)能為特區(qū)政府的首要任務。市民的用電量、電力的使用模式以及提升節(jié)能意識，也是重要的任務。

可持續(xù)生活的硬件和軟件

問：有質(zhì)素的生活也意味著“可持續(xù)生活”。廢物管理是香港的一個熱門話題。您能否分享一下您在這方面的經(jīng)驗？我們?nèi)绾卧趶U物管理方面獲得更優(yōu)質(zhì)的生活？我們的城市如何結(jié)合廢物管理而達至更可持續(xù)？

黃局長解釋，在高密度生活環(huán)境下要實現(xiàn)可持續(xù)生活，需要在“軟件”（主要包括文化、政策和管理方面）和“硬件”（主要指基礎設施）的相關(guān)方面作出配合。

涉及到可持續(xù)生活的“軟件”在香港仍然在演化中，大有討論空間。例如，垃圾回收站/垃圾及物料回收房的樓面面積會由屋宇署（Buildings Department）做出寬免。但是對此項寬免更為清晰和詳細的標準，將在未來實施的都市固體廢物處理收費生效的同時以作業(yè)指引進一步闡釋。過去，香港人可能會以方便為先，置環(huán)保于后，但我們需要改變。

對于“硬件”來說，主要有三方面常用基礎設施。第一方面是在屯門區(qū)的淤泥處理設施（sludge treatment facility，STF）。該設施于2015年開始運營，是亞洲同類處理廠中規(guī)模最大的。淤泥處理設施設計處理容量可達每天2 000噸污泥。污泥是污水處理過程（sewage treatment works，STWs）產(chǎn)生的半固態(tài)副產(chǎn)品。過去，此類污泥通常被填埋處理，但這并不環(huán)保，因為這種做法占用了大量香港稀缺的堆填區(qū)空間。

第二方面是有機資源回收中心（Organic Waste Treatment Facilities，OWTF）。該設施一期工程位于北大嶼山的小濠灣，并預期于2017年上半年完工。第一期項目的有機資源（主要為廚余）日處理量為200噸，產(chǎn)生沼氣和堆肥。生產(chǎn)出來的沼氣成為再生能源（轉(zhuǎn)廢為能并轉(zhuǎn)換為電力或煤氣應用。根據(jù)《香港廚余及園林廢棄物處理計劃2014～2022》（A Food Waste & Yard Waste Plan for Hong Kong 2014～2022），香港在其他區(qū)域?qū)⒒I建更多的有機資源回收中心。第三方面是位于石鼓洲的綜合廢物處理設施（Integrated Waste Management Facilities，IWMF）。這是綜合廢物處理設施的第一期工程，預期2023年完工，日處理量為3 000噸。

綜合廢物處理設施的目的在于減少混合都市固體廢物（municipal solid waste，MSW）的體積，并回收有用資源，包括轉(zhuǎn)化為能源和金屬可回收物料。

此外，還有一些較小規(guī)模的轉(zhuǎn)廢為能設施，如以回收沼氣發(fā)電的污水處理廠等。這些小型設施采用熱電聯(lián)供（combined heat and power，CHP）系統(tǒng)。此外，由堆填區(qū)收集的沼氣已越來越多地被用作煤氣。

黃局長同時提到，從初步提議到最終完工，“硬件”的建設需要很長時間。對于大規(guī)模的工程項目，不得不預留20～30年時間來實現(xiàn)?！断愀圪Y源循環(huán)藍圖2013-2022》（Hong Kong: Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013-2022）的目標之一，是在10年內(nèi)對廢棄物垃圾填埋處理的依賴減半。垃圾堆填區(qū)仍是城市廢物處理所需的，例如處理一些含非惰性和不可回收再利用的建筑垃圾。

推廣低碳生活

問：在香港，我們?nèi)绾螌嵺`低碳生活？

黃局長指出，如果香港要致力成為低碳生活的社會，那么需要社會各界共同努力合作。首先，環(huán)境局和機電工程署（the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department ，EMSD）于2015年5月聯(lián)合啟動了“全民節(jié)能”（Energy Saving for All）為題的運動，以推進節(jié)能及提高能源效率?；顒影笆覂?nèi)溫度節(jié)能約章”、一站式“全民節(jié)能專題網(wǎng)站”、“新能源新世代太陽能車比賽”、“青年節(jié)能獎”以及“全民節(jié)能”宣傳片。

室內(nèi)溫度節(jié)能約章由政府自2012年開始推行，邀請建筑及物業(yè)管理界承諾在盛夏期間將旗下物業(yè)的平均室內(nèi)溫度維持在24～26℃之間，減少空調(diào)的耗電量。香港建筑物耗電量約占全港總耗電量的90%，而空調(diào)耗電量約占總耗電量的三分之一。

公眾參與對推動低碳生活至為重要。一站式全民節(jié)能網(wǎng)站和“青年節(jié)能獎”便于公眾參與，前者涵蓋了全社會一起節(jié)能，后者則鼓勵年輕人構(gòu)思和實踐節(jié)能措施。

各種比賽和獎項有利于推動低碳生活。由機電工程署推出的“新能源新世代太陽能車比賽”，不僅能令大專生及中學生學習可再生能源及將其應用在工程科技上，同時也提升他們對可再生能源的興趣和認識。最后一點是，改變行為模式是日常節(jié)能的關(guān)鍵所在。關(guān)掉不在使用狀態(tài)的電器看似瑣碎，但其積累效應對整體用電量是巨大的。故此，推出“全民節(jié)能”宣傳片，以“慳電熄一熄”為口號，推廣節(jié)能信息，鼓勵大眾從日常生活習慣中著手。

城市的適應性和抗御力

為了應對香港氣候變化的挑戰(zhàn)，2015年11月香港環(huán)境局公布了《香港氣候變化報告2015》，面對加劇的氣候變化，城市的適應性和抗御力有待強化，藍圖和減排策略并駕齊驅(qū)。例如，跨部門的適應氣候變化方案能強化城市的抗御力，于2020年以前（以2005年的基準）減低碳強度50%～60%是一緩和策略，防洪方案是適應極端天氣的準備，而區(qū)域供冷系統(tǒng)能帶來緩減又適應的兩方面好處。香港是高密度集中發(fā)展的城市。與世界上其他發(fā)達城市相比，市民較少使用私人汽車代步，而多乘搭公共交通工具，如香港地鐵（mass transit railway，MTR），其中好處之一是產(chǎn)生相對較低的碳排放。估計在2031年，公共交通服務乘客量預期將分擔整體交通服務乘客量的45%～50%，并覆蓋75%的本地人口和85%的就業(yè)機會。對于香港這樣的高密度城市，集中且就近擁有資源的好處是便捷與高效率，但其宜居性則可能因為“街道峽谷”效應影響空氣質(zhì)素，而受到影響。都市環(huán)境氣候規(guī)劃建議圖是維持香港城市宜居性的重要參考實例之一。

公營部門和私營機構(gòu)的節(jié)能減排

香港特區(qū)政府是香港最大的建筑物管理者之一，管轄著大約8 000棟建筑物和設施。從2013年開始，成立了由環(huán)境局局長率領(lǐng)，并由政府高層官員參與的推動綠色建筑督導委員會。建筑物設計對其未來的節(jié)能表現(xiàn)具有極大的影響，而建筑物內(nèi)的人士的日常習慣則對總體能源消耗影響很大。

2015年，環(huán)境局出版了首個《香港都市節(jié)能藍圖2015～2025+》（Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment 2015 ～ 2025+），以2005年為基準年，在2025年減少40%的能源強度，政府部門率先示范了如何達到這個目標。對于建筑總樓面面積5 000m2以上并配有中央供冷系統(tǒng)，或總樓面面積達到10 000m2及以上的新建政府大樓，必須取得香港綠建環(huán)評金級（BEAM Plus Gold）或以上的認證；對于新建公共屋邨，至少需符合香港綠建環(huán)評金級（BEAM Plus Gold ready）的水平要求。

公共屋邨的能源使用約占香港住宅建筑物能源使用總量的45%。自2000年起，香港房屋委員會（Hong Kong Housing Authority，HKHA）采取了節(jié)能系統(tǒng)、設立能源管理工具以及推廣提升節(jié)能意識等措施，以達到更好的能耗性能。例如，在節(jié)能系統(tǒng)方面，由于照明、電梯和水泵的能源使用量分別約占公屋大廈的公共能源量55%、21%和16%，香港房屋委員會一直致力于減少這些系統(tǒng)的能耗。例如，在照明方面采用具有能效的照明裝置、光感器和定時器控制，以不同方法節(jié)省電梯及水泵系統(tǒng)耗電。為了提升公屋住戶的節(jié)能意識，房屋委員會在新建屋邨大廈地下大堂安裝了智能電表和顯示屏，使居民可以看到每座屋邨中住宅單位的平均電力、煤氣以及食水用量。

結(jié)論

5年過去了，黃錦星局長認為，從可持續(xù)發(fā)展角度，過去以及現(xiàn)在對香港都市發(fā)展觀點和研究基本上是一致的。近數(shù)年里，特區(qū)政府公布了多份藍圖和計劃，包括2013年的《香港清新空氣藍圖》、《香港資源循環(huán)藍圖2013～2022》，2014年的《香港廚余及園林廢棄物處理計劃2014～2022》、《香港都市節(jié)能藍圖2015～2025+》，以及2015年的《香港氣候變化報告2015》。這些藍圖和計劃，驅(qū)使香港邁向更永續(xù)和宜居的城市。香港特區(qū)政府將很快繼續(xù)完成“香港生物多樣性策略及行動計劃”，總而言之，香港將建構(gòu)一整套覆蓋空氣質(zhì)素、廢棄物管理、節(jié)能和氣候變化以及生物多樣性方面的綠色計劃。

雖然這些都是塑造高密度環(huán)境下可持續(xù)發(fā)展社會的關(guān)鍵因素，社會各階層的參與和認同至為重要。后者在2015巴黎氣候會議后變得越來越重要。大家都應理解氣候變化并知而后行，投入低碳和減廢的生活方式。

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

[1] Environment Bureau, Transport & Housing Bureau, Food & Health Bureau and Development Bureau, 'A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong', March 2013, http://www.enb.gov.hk/en/files/New_Air_ Plan_en.pdf, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[2] Hong Kong's Information Services Department, 'Extended incentive scheme for ocean-going vessels using cleaner fuel while berthing in HK starts accepting applications', 1 June 2015, http:// www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201506/01/P201506010622.htm, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[3] Fung, W. Y. Fanny, 'Transform Des Voeux Road into pedestriantram green zone, Hong Kong planners urge', South China Morning Post, Environment, 29 April, 2014, http://www.scmp.com/news/ hong-kong/article/1499424/joint-study-proposes-vehicle-bancleaner-air-des-voeux-road-central?page=all, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[4] Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, 'Hong Kong Biodiversity Festival 2015 - Cherish Nature (Past Event)', https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_bsap/bsap_ engagement/bsap_engagement_hkbf.html#hkbf_intro, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[5] Environment Bureau, Development Bureau, Transport & Housing Bureau, 'Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment 2015-2025+', May 2015, http://www.enb.gov.hk/sites/default/ fi les/pdf/EnergySavingPlanEn.pdf, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[6] Development Bureau, 'Smart City @Kowloon East', http://www. ekeo.gov.hk/en/smart_city/index.html, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[7] Environmental Protection Department, 'Sludge Treatment Facility (STF)', http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/ waste/prob_solutions/WFdev_TMSTF.html, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[8] Environmental Protection Department, 'Organic Waste Treatment Facilities', http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/ waste/prob_solutions/WFdev_OWTF.html, (accessed 26 November 2015).

[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

楊燕玲女士為香港注冊建筑師, 中國綠色建筑與節(jié)能委員會委員, 香港綠色建筑議會董事（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