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) Design Enhancement of the Pavilion at Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space To revitalise the Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space, our collaborating partner Bo Lo Yeo Collective undertook a community engagement campaign in July and August 2023. We aimed to gather residents’ opinions and feedback through online questionnaires and street booths, which act as an important basis for the design enhancement. To further explore the community’s ideas on optimizing the historical culture 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. These activities will provide residents with opportunities to actively participate in the co-creation of the revitalization process. The co-creation process involved active participation from the project participants, and their contributions were collected as design inspiration for enhancing the Pavilion and its surrounding public open space. The data collected revealed that delicate greenery, as well as the historical and cultural stories of the Sai Ying Pun district, stood out as the most captivating elements presented in the works. These findings will be incorporated into the pavilion design and public open space. At present, the design for the Pavilion at Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space is design development and liaising with related departments for approval. The design concept of the Pavilion centres around capturing the essence of Yu Lok Lane and Sai Ying Pun’s natural environment, as well as showcasing their rich historical and cultural narratives. Once approval is granted, the fabrication process will commence. 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. The design phase of the mural art creation has been finalised. At present, we have invited local mural artist, Smile Maker’s Tim Yan and his team to be the fabricator for the beautification of the Centre Street area. The initial phase of mural fabrication, which encompassed four locations, was successfully carried out in early 2024 at Sai Ying Pun Market. Moving forward, the completion of the second phase will be scheduled and presented along the vertical and sideway surfaces. (ii) The Art Era of Centre Street Artistic Railing Studio of SAI organized a series of workshops with St. Anthony’s School students to gather their ideas and engage them in the design process. The workshops included an art walk, collage-making, and ceramic bowl painting, which allowed the students to showcase their creativity and unique perspectives. The ceramic bowls will also be exhibited in The Festival of Centre Street. To collect more thoughts from different stakeholders, a model-making workshop was held to engage the public in the design brainstorming process. Each group was allocated with different topics (Play, Rest, Exchange and Utility). This workshop generated a lot of potential elements for the railing design, including innovative functions. The input from the students and the public will serve as inspiration for the design, ensuring that it reflects the community’s needs. Currently, the design for the artistic railing is undergoing design development, with a focus on incorporating the project’s theme colour and integrating a location wayfinding function for all key design items. Additionally, our team will continue to engage with related governmental departments to seek the necessary approvals and ensure compliance with regulations. Art Installation The community engagement activities were completed in August 2023. Artists Sim Chan and Vaan Ip organised “Light & Shadow at Centre Street” workshops for three target groups (teenagers, families and seniors). The participants were first taken on a guided tour to sketch around Centre Street. Their sketches were then converted to unique sets of materials by laser-cutting, the materials were used for assembling their lamps in the second session. The elements will act as inspirations for the design of installations at Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space. The forthcoming installations introduce fresh perspectives that symbolize the historical, cultural and livelihood aspects of the location. At present, the design of the installations is undergoing design development and liaising with governmental departments for approval. 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) Design Enhancement of the Pavilion at Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space

To revitalise the Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space, our collaborating partner Bo Lo Yeo Collective undertook a community engagement campaign in July and August 2023. We aimed to gather residents’ opinions and feedback through online questionnaires and street booths, which act as an important basis for the design enhancement.

To further explore the community’s ideas on optimizing the historical culture 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. These activities will provide residents with opportunities to actively participate in the co-creation of the revitalization process. The co-creation process involved active participation from the project participants, and their contributions were collected as design inspiration for enhancing the Pavilion and its surrounding public open space. The data collected revealed that delicate greenery, as well as the historical and cultural stories of the Sai Ying Pun district, stood out as the most captivating elements presented in the works. These findings will be incorporated into the pavilion design and public open space.

At present, the design for the Pavilion at Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space is design development and liaising with related departments for approval. The design concept of the Pavilion centres around capturing the essence of Yu Lok Lane and Sai Ying Pun’s natural environment, as well as showcasing their rich historical and cultural narratives. Once approval is granted, the fabrication process will commence.

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.

The design phase of the mural art creation has been finalised. At present, we have invited local mural artist, Smile Maker’s Tim Yan and his team to be the fabricator for the beautification of the Centre Street area. The initial phase of mural fabrication, which encompassed four locations, was successfully carried out in early 2024 at Sai Ying Pun Market. Moving forward, the completion of the second phase will be scheduled and presented along the vertical and sideway surfaces.

(ii) The Art Era of Centre Street

Artistic Railing

Studio of SAI organized a series of workshops with St. Anthony’s School students to gather their ideas and engage them in the design process. The workshops included an art walk, collage-making, and ceramic bowl painting, which allowed the students to showcase their creativity and unique perspectives. The ceramic bowls will also be exhibited in The Festival of Centre Street.

To collect more thoughts from different stakeholders, a model-making workshop was held to engage the public in the design brainstorming process. Each group was allocated with different topics (Play, Rest, Exchange and Utility). This workshop generated a lot of potential elements for the railing design, including innovative functions.

The input from the students and the public will serve as inspiration for the design, ensuring that it reflects the community’s needs.

Currently, the design for the artistic railing is undergoing design development, with a focus on incorporating the project’s theme colour and integrating a location wayfinding function for all key design items. Additionally, our team will continue to engage with related governmental departments to seek the necessary approvals and ensure compliance with regulations.

Art Installation

The community engagement activities were completed in August 2023. Artists Sim Chan and Vaan Ip organised “Light & Shadow at Centre Street” workshops for three target groups (teenagers, families and seniors). The participants were first taken on a guided tour to sketch around Centre Street. Their sketches were then converted to unique sets of materials by laser-cutting, the materials were used for assembling their lamps in the second session.

The elements will act as inspirations for the design of installations at Yu Lok Lane Public Open Space. The forthcoming installations introduce fresh perspectives that symbolize the historical, cultural and livelihood aspects of the location. At present, the design of the installations is undergoing design development and liaising with governmental departments for approval.

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.