Opinion | How to put the fun back into Hong Kong’s parks, with a flexible approach and a little imagination

Carine Lai says Hongkongers have conflicted ideas about what they want from parks, including more safety but also more relaxed rules

The solution, as indicated by the West Kowloon Cultural District Park and Kwun Tong Waterfront Promenade, is to be more creative with the rules

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 11:30am, 11 Nov 2018Updated: 6:30pm, 11 Nov 2018

Go to just about any park in Hong Kong, and you will find a long list of banned activities listed outside. No bicycles, no skateboards, no ball games, no dogs, and don’t even think about walking on the grass. These rules are easy to mock – “no fun allowed!” – but the public’s attitudes may have something to do with it.

In a poll we conducted earlier this year, people were asked which, if any, of nine frequently banned activities they thought could be allowed in most open spaces. About half the respondents (48 per cent) thought at least one of the rules could be relaxed, but there was little agreement on precisely which ones. The most popular activity, walking dogs, was chosen by only 23 per cent. The other half of the respondents thought that none of the rules should be relaxed.

In focus groups we also organised, some people said having a lot of rules gave them a sense of security in case of an accident or a dispute. One man argued that, for the sake of consistency, even three-year-olds should not be allowed to kick a ball outside a football pitch. Adults acknowledged that things were very different when they were children; they used to ride their bikes everywhere and it was fine!

They did perceive Hong Kong as an increasingly overcrowded and contentious society, making open space a scarce resource to be jealously guarded against rival visitors. Such attitudes are especially prevalent among older people: while over 70 per cent of respondents aged 60 and over felt that none of the rules should be relaxed, less than a quarter of respondents aged 18-29 agreed.

Yet, such levels of risk-aversion get in the way of their own enjoyment. In a classic case of wanting to have their cake and eat it, only 16 per cent of survey respondents thought cycling should be allowed in most open spaces, yet 47 per cent wanted to have shared jogging and cycling paths in their communities. Only 8 per cent of respondents thought people should be allowed to walk on the grass, but 45 per cent asked for more lawns to sit on. Even the man who wanted to stop toddlers kicking a ball around said he preferred going to parks with fewer restrictions. He just didn’t want to live near one.

Marsha and Marcus Chan have fun on the grass in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. Photo: Nora Tam

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