11 January 2021
The Anderson Road Quarry development offers the promise of an inclusive community in an environment that is as lovely as it is unique.
Here in the foothills of Fei Ngo Shan, also known as Kowloon Peak, lies the emerging Anderson Road community. The location, a former quarry site known as Anderson Road Quarry (ARQ), was envisioned in 2012 as “a green and liveable community that meets the territorial, district and local needs by providing land for residential, commercial, recreational and community uses,” according to the Planning Department of Hong Kong.
Birth of a convenient new community
ARQ occupies an elevated position in the foothills of Fei Ngo Shan, with a ridgeline more than 200 metres above sea level. Since the 1950s, ARQ in East Kowloon supplied aggregate, asphalt, stone and concrete to the Hong Kong construction industry until the land was returned to the government in 2016. The 88-hectare site is now undergoing a transformation to become a sustainable community with a planned population of about 30,000 people. Construction began in December 2016, and residents are expected to populate the neighbourhood from 2023-24 onwards.
Kowloon Peak’s hidden gem with strong connectivity
This is a visually prominent location from southern Kowloon and the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. Tucked off Clearwater Bay Road, the location is just moments from the Kowloon East CBD, enjoying elevated views over the city into the Victoria Harbour in the distance. It is only a short drive from Sai Kung, where you can go deep into country parks or hop on a boat
The open space in ARQ covers an area of about 21.5 hectares. To promote community engagement, a city park, known as the Quarry Park, is being built. Covering 8.5 hectares of green space, the park will include the core part of the development, providing a green promenade and a recreational area. It is
intended to be a regional park with a quarry museum and a centre of leisure and sports. The quarry museum will be a rock cavern development exhibiting the quarrying history, while rock caverns will be used for commercial activities such as wine cellars, spas and restaurants, to help boost the local economy.
In addition to ARQ’s green initiatives, a new bus-to-bus interchange will be constructed at the toll plaza of the nearby Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, to address surging demand for public transport and mitigate the impact of new traffic generated by ARQ development. A series of associated off-site road improvement works, and pedestrian connectivity facilities is likewise proposed to enhance pedestrian connectivity between the ARQ site and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Smart, walkable community
Developed within the “Smart Green Resilient” (SGR) planning framework, ARQ boasts smart city initiatives with an emphasis on walkability and sustainability. Smart initiatives include pedestrian walkable networks, cycling networks with shared/rental bikes, interactive bus-stop concepts and smart phone apps, all of which can be used to encourage residents to use convenient and healthy ways to commute within the area, thus helping to reduce vehicular transportation and emissions.
In its report on the State of Sustainable Built Environment (2017), the government praised ARQ’s water management systems, noting that its “low impact development will help to create a leisure oriented, socially integrated and harmonious community... a blue-green infrastructure, integrating water planning with landscape and urban design.”
Inclusive community
The SGR principles satisfy many master-planning principles that Rina Ko, a Registered Architect and Research Associate at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, attributes to an inclusive community, including safe mobility and activity; an environment that fosters confidence and independence in activities of daily living; a community that supports cognitive ability and reduces anxiety; and finally, well-being: an environment that promotes sense of contentment.
“An inclusive community promotes respect to all people in the community, of different backgrounds, abilities and interests; it values diversity and engages all people in decision-making process that affects them while ensuring equal access to all resources and opportunities,” said Ko. “It’s vital to a city’s well-being – and is an important element of an SGR city.”
“A mind-set of inclusiveness among policy makers, planners and all decision makers should be cultivated,” she said. That way, a community, bringing together people representing different groups, can make decisions collaboratively.”
ARQ will be a dynamic showcase of green and sustainable thinking; a vibrant new community at the forefront of Hong Kong’s transition to an SGR city.
Here in the foothills of Fei Ngo Shan, also known as Kowloon Peak, lies the emerging Anderson Road community. The location, a former quarry site known as Anderson Road Quarry (ARQ), was envisioned in 2012 as “a green and liveable community that meets the territorial, district and local needs by providing land for residential, commercial, recreational and community uses,” according to the Planning Department of Hong Kong.
Birth of a convenient new community
ARQ occupies an elevated position in the foothills of Fei Ngo Shan, with a ridgeline more than 200 metres above sea level. Since the 1950s, ARQ in East Kowloon supplied aggregate, asphalt, stone and concrete to the Hong Kong construction industry until the land was returned to the government in 2016. The 88-hectare site is now undergoing a transformation to become a sustainable community with a planned population of about 30,000 people. Construction began in December 2016, and residents are expected to populate the neighbourhood from 2023-24 onwards.
Kowloon Peak’s hidden gem with strong connectivity
This is a visually prominent location from southern Kowloon and the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. Tucked off Clearwater Bay Road, the location is just moments from the Kowloon East CBD, enjoying elevated views over the city into the Victoria Harbour in the distance. It is only a short drive from Sai Kung, where you can go deep into country parks or hop on a boat
The open space in ARQ covers an area of about 21.5 hectares. To promote community engagement, a city park, known as the Quarry Park, is being built. Covering 8.5 hectares of green space, the park will include the core part of the development, providing a green promenade and a recreational area. It is
intended to be a regional park with a quarry museum and a centre of leisure and sports. The quarry museum will be a rock cavern development exhibiting the quarrying history, while rock caverns will be used for commercial activities such as wine cellars, spas and restaurants, to help boost the local economy.
In addition to ARQ’s green initiatives, a new bus-to-bus interchange will be constructed at the toll plaza of the nearby Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, to address surging demand for public transport and mitigate the impact of new traffic generated by ARQ development. A series of associated off-site road improvement works, and pedestrian connectivity facilities is likewise proposed to enhance pedestrian connectivity between the ARQ site and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Smart, walkable community
Developed within the “Smart Green Resilient” (SGR) planning framework, ARQ boasts smart city initiatives with an emphasis on walkability and sustainability. Smart initiatives include pedestrian walkable networks, cycling networks with shared/rental bikes, interactive bus-stop concepts and smart phone apps, all of which can be used to encourage residents to use convenient and healthy ways to commute within the area, thus helping to reduce vehicular transportation and emissions.
In its report on the State of Sustainable Built Environment (2017), the government praised ARQ’s water management systems, noting that its “low impact development will help to create a leisure oriented, socially integrated and harmonious community... a blue-green infrastructure, integrating water planning with landscape and urban design.”
Inclusive community
The SGR principles satisfy many master-planning principles that Rina Ko, a Registered Architect and Research Associate at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, attributes to an inclusive community, including safe mobility and activity; an environment that fosters confidence and independence in activities of daily living; a community that supports cognitive ability and reduces anxiety; and finally, well-being: an environment that promotes sense of contentment.
“An inclusive community promotes respect to all people in the community, of different backgrounds, abilities and interests; it values diversity and engages all people in decision-making process that affects them while ensuring equal access to all resources and opportunities,” said Ko. “It’s vital to a city’s well-being – and is an important element of an SGR city.”
“A mind-set of inclusiveness among policy makers, planners and all decision makers should be cultivated,” she said. That way, a community, bringing together people representing different groups, can make decisions collaboratively.”
ARQ will be a dynamic showcase of green and sustainable thinking; a vibrant new community at the forefront of Hong Kong’s transition to an SGR city.
Anderson Road Quarry is a visually prominent location from southern Kowloon and the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, enjoying elevated views over the city into the Victoria Harbour in the distance.