Centre Street: Soeng5 Lok6 - Urban Renewal Fund

Objective	Centre Street is one of the steepest streets in Hong Kong and has always been a local gathering spot. In 1870, a large number of immigrants set up food stalls along Centre Street for a living. Although these stalls were moved to the Centre Street Market immediately after its establishment in 1985, there has always been a constant stream of vehicles and residents getting groceries in the district. Despite the frequent visits to Centre Street, the district lacks a comfortable open space for resting and activities. After conducting the community assessment, we have discussed how to leverage the community’s features, advantages, and available resources to address community needs. We would like to achieve three of the following outcomes in the project “Centre Street: Soeng5 Lok6”: (1) providing a comfortable open space; (2) providing an attractive activity space; and (3) bringing art into the community to revitalise the old district and increase its attractiveness.
Activities	Activities The target participants of “Centre Street Soeng5 Lok6” are the residents of Centre Street. Through engaging in different activities, such as Storytelling Activities, Art Workshops, and ICH Workshops, the residents will join hands with artists to co-create a new cityscape of the old district. The project has recruited participants online and through promotion support from the Caritas Community Centre – Caine Road. 1. Revitalisation of Centre Street (i) Community Garden at Ui On Lane To further explore the community’s ideas on revitalising a public open space of the area, fostering a greater sense of belonging, and promoting community interaction, the team has conducted a series of activities which include mapping workshops, city tours, and collective design workshops. The co-creation process involved active participation from the project participants, and their contributions were collected as design inspiration for enhancing the public open space. The data collected revealed that delicate greenery and the historical and cultural stories of the Sai Ying Pun district stood out as the most captivating elements presented in the works. Since the start of 2024, the project team has been actively searching for public open spaces near Centre Street that have the potential for revitalisation. The aim is to establish a Community Garden in these spaces, allowing for smooth progress and adherence to the project schedule. Fortunately, with the support and assistance from the Central and Western District Office Home Affairs Department, we finally obtained approval in May 2024 to convert Ui On Lane, which is currently a green area, into a Community Garden. In early July 2024, we have issued an invitation to obtain a fabrication contractor. Currently, our consultancy team has collected and analysed the tender documents according to the procedure. An experienced fabrication contractor in a related field will be awarded to construct the Community Garden. 2. The Art Creation of Centre Street (i) Mural Art From January to February 2023, mural artists Rebecca T Lin and Carol Mui (Creativehustlershk) conducted a series of workshops to gather community feedback for the mural art project. The workshops included art walks, sketchbook making and book cover designing workshops with Catholic Mission School and King’s College Old Boys’ School Association Primary School No. 2; and a tote bag workshop with the public. Through these workshops, the artists collected valuable design inspirations, such as shop pets, greenery, and famous shops on Centre Street. They incorporated these elements with their art styles, reflecting the spirit of co-creation with the community. Currently, we have invited local mural artist, Smile Maker’s Tim Yan and his team to be the fabrication artist. The second phase has been commenced since April 2024, a series of creative Mural Art with storytelling has been presented on the stair walls and vertical sides. All Mural Art has been completed in early July 2024. The Mural Art covers a significant portion of the Centre Street area, stretching from Second Street to Bonham Road. This extensive coverage aims to create an immersive and visually captivating experience for visitors and residents alike. The overall theme for the second phase Mural Art depicts a fun anecdote which happened in Centre Street in the past, with the inclusion of animal friends commonly found in the district. The story unfolds from a wall between Bonham Road staircase and a convenience store – A playful orange cat stretches out its little paw, causing a basket filled with oranges to topple over, the round fruit then rolls along the steep Centre Street, creating a whimsical scene. (ii) The Art Era of Centre Street Artistic Railing In mid-2023, a series of community engagement workshops was completed. The observations and creative input from the workshops were combined with design inspiration from the Studio of SAI to confirm the initial designs of the Artistic Railing in May 2024. Currently, the detailed design for the Artist Railing has been completed, and we successfully awarded a fabrication contractor, through public tendering in June 2024. The preparation for the fabrication is in full swing, and the contractor has started the fabrication process. Mock-up models made with medium-density fiberboard were used to ensure the correct measurements for the on-site railing posts, a laser level was also utilised for accurate dimensions and positions. Detailed technical drawings were being submitted for structural engineering approval. With careful preparation, the project aims to receive smooth governmental approval and proceed to the fabrication stage. The project is progressing streadily, and we will closely monitor the fabrication progress. We hope for a beautiful Artistic Railing that will bring surprise and joy to passerby, vitality to the community and tourists, and create a unique and bright scenery for the city. Art Installation Organised by the local artists Sim Chan and Vann Ip, three groups of community engagement activities – “Light & Shadow at Centre Street” workshops were completed in August 2023. By taking reference to the lamp patterns created by the workshop participants, they transformed those into elements in the Art Installations. In mid-May 2024, with the support of the Central & Western District Office and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Art Installation will be displayed at the Centre Street Sitting-out Area, which is situated opposite Sai Ying Pun Market. By integrating Art Installations, they will serve as informative and visually captivating displays, offering insights into the cultural heritage and significance of Centre Street and the underlying objectives of the project. The Art Installations are named 《城光律影》and 《窗影昔韻》. These art installations draw inspiration from the historical and contemporary aspects of Central Street. 《城光律影》is a tall stainless steel installation with lighting, which illuminates at night. It symbolises how every light in a home represents and records the memories of our city. It also serves as a reminder that every individual, encounter, and object contribute tot he vibrant vitality of the city. 《窗影昔韻》is a shorter bronze installation. Its design concept is derived from strolling through the old and present streets, tracing the history, and witnessing urban change and livelihoods over the past half-century. We successfully awarded a fabrication contractor through public tendering in June 2024. The contractor is now working actively on the preparatory stage. When you walk by the Centre Street Sitting-out Area, please take a look at the progress of the art installations and experience the city landscape that they are creating. 3. Social Impact Assessment The team has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the community’s features, advantages, and available resources, relying on five key aspects: historical background, environmental characteristics, resident demographics, community-based organisations, and communication channels. This analysis serves as the basis for identifying and addressing the community’s needs. To evaluate the social impact outcomes of community engagement, researchers have participated in most workshops to interview participants and artists. This evaluation will continuously help identify areas for improvement and refine engagement strategies for more impactful initiatives in the process.

Activities

The target participants of “Centre Street Soeng5 Lok6” are the residents of Centre Street. Through engaging in different activities, such as Storytelling Activities, Art Workshops, and ICH Workshops, the residents will join hands with artists to co-create a new cityscape of the old district. The project has recruited participants online and through promotion support from the Caritas Community Centre – Caine Road.

1. Revitalisation of Centre Street

(i) Community Garden at Ui On Lane

To further explore the community’s ideas on revitalising a public open space of the area, fostering a greater sense of belonging, and promoting community interaction, the team has conducted a series of activities which include mapping workshops, city tours, and collective design workshops. The co-creation process involved active participation from the project participants, and their contributions were collected as design inspiration for enhancing the public open space.

The data collected revealed that delicate greenery and the historical and cultural stories of the Sai Ying Pun district stood out as the most captivating elements presented in the works.

Since the start of 2024, the project team has been actively searching for public open spaces near Centre Street that have the potential for revitalisation. The aim is to establish a Community Garden in these spaces, allowing for smooth progress and adherence to the project schedule.

Fortunately, with the support and assistance from the Central and Western District Office Home Affairs Department, we finally obtained approval in May 2024 to convert Ui On Lane, which is currently a green area, into a Community Garden.

In early July 2024, we have issued an invitation to obtain a fabrication contractor. Currently, our consultancy team has collected and analysed the tender documents according to the procedure. An experienced fabrication contractor in a related field will be awarded to construct the Community Garden.

2. The Art Creation of Centre Street

(i) Mural Art

From January to February 2023, mural artists Rebecca T Lin and Carol Mui (Creativehustlershk) conducted a series of workshops to gather community feedback for the mural art project. The workshops included art walks, sketchbook making and book cover designing workshops with Catholic Mission School and King’s College Old Boys’ School Association Primary School No. 2; and a tote bag workshop with the public.

Through these workshops, the artists collected valuable design inspirations, such as shop pets, greenery, and famous shops on Centre Street. They incorporated these elements with their art styles, reflecting the spirit of co-creation with the community.

Currently, we have invited local mural artist, Smile Maker’s Tim Yan and his team to be the fabrication artist. The second phase has been commenced since April 2024, a series of creative Mural Art with storytelling has been presented on the stair walls and vertical sides.

All Mural Art has been completed in early July 2024. The Mural Art covers a significant portion of the Centre Street area, stretching from Second Street to Bonham Road. This extensive coverage aims to create an immersive and visually captivating experience for visitors and residents alike.

The overall theme for the second phase Mural Art depicts a fun anecdote which happened in Centre Street in the past, with the inclusion of animal friends commonly found in the district. The story unfolds from a wall between Bonham Road staircase and a convenience store – A playful orange cat stretches out its little paw, causing a basket filled with oranges to topple over, the round fruit then rolls along the steep Centre Street, creating a whimsical scene.

(ii) The Art Era of Centre Street

Artistic Railing

In mid-2023, a series of community engagement workshops was completed. The observations and creative input from the workshops were combined with design inspiration from the Studio of SAI to confirm the initial designs of the Artistic Railing in May 2024.

Currently, the detailed design for the Artist Railing has been completed, and we successfully awarded a fabrication contractor, through public tendering in June 2024.

The preparation for the fabrication is in full swing, and the contractor has started the fabrication process. Mock-up models made with medium-density fiberboard were used to ensure the correct measurements for the on-site railing posts, a laser level was also utilised for accurate dimensions and positions.

Detailed technical drawings were being submitted for structural engineering approval. With careful preparation, the project aims to receive smooth governmental approval and proceed to the fabrication stage.

The project is progressing streadily, and we will closely monitor the fabrication progress. We hope for a beautiful Artistic Railing that will bring surprise and joy to passerby, vitality to the community and tourists, and create a unique and bright scenery for the city.

Art Installation

Organised by the local artists Sim Chan and Vann Ip, three groups of community engagement activities – “Light & Shadow at Centre Street” workshops were completed in August 2023. By taking reference to the lamp patterns created by the workshop participants, they transformed those into elements in the Art Installations.

In mid-May 2024, with the support of the Central & Western District Office and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Art Installation will be displayed at the Centre Street Sitting-out Area, which is situated opposite Sai Ying Pun Market.

By integrating Art Installations, they will serve as informative and visually captivating displays, offering insights into the cultural heritage and significance of Centre Street and the underlying objectives of the project.

The Art Installations are named 《城光律影》and 《窗影昔韻》. These art installations draw inspiration from the historical and contemporary aspects of Central Street.

《城光律影》is a tall stainless steel installation with lighting, which illuminates at night. It symbolises how every light in a home represents and records the memories of our city. It also serves as a reminder that every individual, encounter, and object contribute tot he vibrant vitality of the city.

《窗影昔韻》is a shorter bronze installation. Its design concept is derived from strolling through the old and present streets, tracing the history, and witnessing urban change and livelihoods over the past half-century.

We successfully awarded a fabrication contractor through public tendering in June 2024. The contractor is now working actively on the preparatory stage. When you walk by the Centre Street Sitting-out Area, please take a look at the progress of the art installations and experience the city landscape that they are creating.

3. Social Impact Assessment

The team has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the community’s features, advantages, and available resources, relying on five key aspects: historical background, environmental characteristics, resident demographics, community-based organisations, and communication channels. This analysis serves as the basis for identifying and addressing the community’s needs.

To evaluate the social impact outcomes of community engagement, researchers have participated in most workshops to interview participants and artists. This evaluation will continuously help identify areas for improvement and refine engagement strategies for more impactful initiatives in the process.