Bulletin No. 1, 2016

14 Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 2016 Two y e a r s l a t e r, t h e A V A r e s e a r c h w a s completed with a set of guidelines which were subsequently adopted by all major publicly funded development projec t s and urban renewal plans. I n 20 0 6 , CU H K wa s commis si oned by the Planning Department to start the ‘Urban Climatic Map (UCM) and Standards for Wind Environment— Feasibility Study’. Some of the proposed measures to mitigate UHI effects and enhance urban ventilation (see illustration on p.12) have been incorporated in the Town Planning Board Report and Sustainable Building Design Guidelines from 2012 onwards. ‘Hong Kong is the first Chinese city to undertake urban climate studies, but what we have done is just the beginning,’ explained Professor Ng. His team has been offering scientific mapping and comprehensive analysis to urban planners beyond the city of Hong Kong—in Kaohsiung, Wuhan and Singapore. They have also started a new project to map the climate zones of major cities in mainland China. Challenges With all the scientific data in hand, sometimes it is still difficult for the government to implement every proposal stated in the Sustainable Building Design Guidelines. In Hong Kong, the demand for housing is real and pressing, with the unfortunate result that high- rise residential towers are often planted right in the heart of compact districts, thus worsening the problem of poor air ventilation and intensifying the UHI effects in the city. ‘Will attempts to solve short-term housing shortage end up creating more problems for the future?’ pondered Professor Ng. A Sense of Mission ‘In order to raise public awareness on the importance of sustainable urban planning, the University has been initiating a series of public lectures and academic programmes to nurture a new generation of climate-conscious citizens and experts,’ said Professor Ng. He has been running from school halls to lecture theatres, delivering climate change seminars to secondary school students and the general public. At the same time, Professor Ng and his team are drafting an interdisciplinary academic framework on climate change to include topics such as climatic science, urban planning, energy and resource management and public health. ‘One can only see the problem within a single discipline. But in order to solve the problem, we have to educate scholars with a multi-disciplinary perspective. That’s our goal for the next 20 years.’ Will attempts to solve short-term housing shortage end up creating more problems for the future? Prof. Edward Ng