Government and municipal leaders, urban planners, property developers, architects, environmentalists and investors will gather at the W Hotel in Hong Kong on July 13 for the second annual Urban Regeneration Summit, a major international conference organised by the Financial Times.
Building on the success of the inaugural Summit in Shanghai last year, this landmark one-day event is sub-titled “Sustainable Renewal of Financial and Economic Hubs” and comes as the Hong Kong government launches a far-reaching review of its urban renewal strategy, while preparing to move ahead with a number of key projects.
The Summit will feature a keynote address by the Secretary for Development, Carrie Lam. The Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority, Barry Cheung, will be interviewed on-stage by FT South China Correspondent Tom Mitchell, and there will be contributions from a number of other experts, including Peter Lee, Chairman of Hysan Development, Christine Loh of Civic Exchange, Albert Chan of Shui On Land, and leading designers such as Paul Katz of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Keith Griffiths of Aedas.
The Summit will include case studies on other financial and economic centres, including innovative and successful renewal initiatives in cities such as Madrid, Birmingham and Singapore, with a focus on complex issues such as affordable housing, public-private partnership financing, energy efficiency, citizen participation, green spaces and the preservation of old buildings.
The conference will be co-chaired by Mr Mitchell and Stephen Barter, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Oxford University’s Programme for the Future of Cities. Elite speakers include:
- Carrie Lam, Secretary for Development, Hong Kong SAR Government
- Nicholas Brooke, Chairman, Professional Property Services
- Albert Chan, Director of Planning and Development, Shui On Land
- Barry Cheung, Chairman, Urban Renewal Authority, Hong Kong
- Peter Cookson Smith, Founding Director, Urbis
- Kevin Edmunds, Chief Operating Officer, Business Environment Council, Hong Kong
- Keith Griffiths, Chairman – Asia and the Middle East, Aedas
- Paul Katz, President, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
- Alven Lam, Director, International Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Law Chi-kwong, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong
- Chris Law, Director, The Oval Partnership
- Peter Lee, Chairman, Hysan Development
- Liu Thai-Ker, Chairman, Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore
- Christine Loh, Chief Executive Officer, Civic Exchange, Hong Kong
- Bindu Lohani, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Asian Development Bank
- Ignacio Nino Perez, Chief Executive Officer, Madrid Global
- Philip Singleton, Assistant Director, City Centre Development and Design, Birmingham City Council
- K.S. Wong, Director of Sustainable Design, Ronald Lu & Partners
Key topics include:
- What impact can successful regeneration have on the economy and society?
- How can planners ensure that urban regeneration is financially viable while also meeting social and environmental goals?
- What is the balance between preserving the past and building for the future?
- Low-carbon living: how green do we need to go?
- Public spaces: the key to new urban planning
- Possible futures for Hong Kong
Aedas, Ronald Lu & Partners, and the Urban Renewal Authority are Associate Sponsors of the Summit. AIA Hong Kong, the Business Environment Council, Ming Pao and the Urban Land Institute are Supporting Partners.
“This very timely Summit will examine the intense debate in Hong Kong about the best way to regenerate underused and underdeveloped areas and create sustainable living and working environments in this high-density metropolis,” said David Pilling, Asia Editor, Financial Times. “This is a key issue for Hong Kong as it seeks to defend and even strengthen its role as a regional financial and services hub.”
The Summit is open to media. Delegates and media can register online on the summit website – www.ftconferences.com/urbanregeneration2009 – which also provides updates to the programme and speakers list.
For further information, please contact:
Azmar Sukander – Head of Communications, Asia Pacific Director of Communications
T: +852 2905 5519 T: +44 (0) 20 7873 4447
E: azmar.sukandar@ft.com
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