Today was the first time we met the HKU students and professors that we will be working with abroad. It was very exciting to see them, though only through a screen, and introduce ourselves to them. All of them are urban planning students while in contrast, our class is made up of diverse specializations. However, this diversity and mix in our class along with their urban planning background will guide us into thinking in very different perspectives as we explore Shanghai and later Hong Kong together.
First time meeting HKU students and professors via video call. So excited to meet in person!
Today was also the day that our group finally picked our topic! After hours of contemplation, we decided that we wanted to look at activists in Vancouver and Hong Kong and how their activism to preserve space differs respectively. For example, we drew connections from Vancouver’s Chinatown activists and their lobbying against the redevelopment of Chinatown (i.e. new condominiums being built), to Hong Kong’s activists who fight to preserve landmarks and buildings carrying meaning to them (i.e. Star ferry terminal, Clock tower). Though it is just a start, my group finally agreed on going this direction for our project, which I think is already a huge step forward for us! Our idea may change though, depending on what happens when we talk to Henry, Alyssa and Jo tomorrow about it.
Tomorrow the whole class will be going to Chinatown for a tour accompanied by Hayne Wai and Melissa Fong. I can’t remember the last time I was in Chinatown, so I’m eager to revisit the area to better understand exactly what is happening in Chinatown and what many activists are fighting for, and how.
Today, we got a first-hand look at the modernization of Vancouver’s Chinatown, through the implementation of trendy-looking architecture and demolition of mom and pop shops, to name a few ways, that continues to threaten Chinatown’s historic foundation. Although we’d talked and watched videos about the gentrification of Chinatown and the historical aspects of the area, seeing what was happening in person reinforced the very real battle of old vs. new Chinatown for me. What I saw today was not what I remembered Chinatown to be. I recall, in a video we viewed in class, Henry talking about the smell of a place evoking a sense of nostalgia. To me, my most vivid memory of Chinatown was due to the particular food smells of it (Though this might be because as a youngster, I often went to Chinatown solely for the food, with my father). It was a reality check for me to see “hip” places newly situated in the area like Starbucks, and vibrant, neon signage that contrasted hugely against the architecture of the “old” Chinatown.
My group also went to visit an exhibition on social housing in Vancouver, located in the Downtown Eastside. Called, ‘Housing for All’, the exhibition had many examples of WHO was being displaced as a result of redevelopment, and what their story was. There was a lot of data at the exhibition that showed the comparison of public housing in different parts of the world (including where we are going in a week: Hong Kong!), as well as data that showed the expenses of social housing. I can’t speak for the others, but after leaving the exhibition, I felt a little more confident in our topic by knowing more about the importance of social housing.
We leave for Hong Kong in one week!!!!!!!!!!!