Concrete Analysis | Going underground: do plans for Kowloon Park’s subterranean space go far enough?
- According to conceptual plans, three storeys of underground space are designed to alleviate street-level traffic, enhance pedestrian access, and create a diversified retail destination
If you have ever tried to travel across Tsim Sha Tsui, by foot or by road, you know it is far from an easy task. Pedestrian and traffic congestion make covering even short distances troublesome, but a pilot study into the creation of an underground zone beneath Kowloon Park has the potential to ease the overcrowding above ground.
According to conceptual plans, three storeys of underground space are designed to alleviate street-level traffic, enhance pedestrian access, and create a diversified retail destination. With the addition of three storeys above ground, the development will cover about 620,000 square feet, including retail and food offerings, community facilities, car parking, and pedestrian passageways.
But it could go further – both literally and figuratively.
When it comes to improving pedestrian access around the area, the current plan does not reach some desirable destinations. While the proposed space connects to Tsim Sha Tsui’s existing metro and subway systems and their extensive 26 exits to local landmarks, sightseeing spots, and private commercial developments, it does not add anywhere meaningful to that list – nor does it cross any streets, apart from an exit to Kowloon Park Drive.
This undermines the project’s objective of alleviating congestion, since pedestrians exiting the underground space and crossing roads at ground level will continue to interrupt the flow of traffic and vice versa.
Furthermore, while it may be controversial to propose connections with private commercial developments, these should not be dismissed out of hand. Such networks are not unprecedented – land premium waivers have previously been used to incentivise private developments to finance footbridges or subways connecting to public spaces. Integrating the Kowloon Park project with nearby private destinations would further enhance its reputation as a community destination, and increase its economic value to the surrounding area.