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The Hong Kong waterfront will be transformed into a 23-kilometre urban mobility network, if plans from multidisciplinary architecture studio Lead 8 and engineering firm BuroHappold are realized. In a press release issued to the media, the collaborating duo announced their intention to move to the next phase of the HarbourLoop project.
The ambitious proposal looks to connect Hong Kong Island to the dense urban area of Kowloon on the north side of Victoria Harbour. The network would form a continuous loop utilizing a variety of different modes, including bicycle paths, pedestrian walkways, and a 1.5-kilometre cable car hovering over 60 metres above the west harbour. On the east side, a multimodal bridge 500 metres in length will link the Museum of Coastal Defence and the Shau Kei Wan waterfront with the village of Lei Yu Mun.
"As the team involved in the Highline in New York, BuroHappold brings to bear vast experience and will help make the HarbourLoop’s infrastructure interventions viable for Hong Kong," said Ian Ralph, Senior Planner/Urban Designer at Lead 8. "Together, we believe that there is a pressing need to invest in more people-focused multimodal networks to connect Hong Kong, and promote a healthy and active means of moving around and spending leisure time."
The project's central location along currently underutilized waterfront property would put it within a ten-minute walk of over 1.7 million residents. While Hong Kong is consistently ranked highly on the Urban Mobility Index, the city falls short when it comes to walking and bicycle paths. Its air quality is poor as well, with the roadside nitrogen dioxide level increasing by a quarter since 2006. The HarbourLoop hopes to inhibit these trends by supporting zero emission modes of transit and adding much-needed cycle paths to the city. The first workshop was held in March, and the HarbourLoop team will reveal the next phase in the coming months.
Until then, you can find more information and images in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
