A Comparative Study of Use Patterns of Open Spaces in the Wanchai District of Hong Kong

Abstract

Whilst Hong Kong is suffering from a limited supply of developable land in its major urban areas, some open spaces are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users, consequently leading to an ineffective use pattern. How to enhance the performance of open space is therefore a critical issue faced by city planners. In this case, this paper takes 14 open spaces in the Wanchai District of Hong Kong as samples, and compares and analyses the use patterns of different types of open spaces in terms of mean number of users, time pattern and user profiles, in order to provide a reference for the planning and provision of open spaces in the urban area of Hong Kong. As a result, this study reveals that open spaces in Wanchai show different patterns of use, which are somehow related to their types and locations. Of all the sample open spaces, playgrounds exhibit a much higher mean use than others. The distribution of mean use in pocket parks is relatively consistent. In contrast, the distribution of mean use in gardens is not consistent throughout the day. While there is still a need to increase the provision of open space in the Wanchai District, the efficiency of the use of the gardens north of Gloucester Road should be improved.