The art of strolling in Hong Kong: slow down, discover a ‘city in the sky’ and other surprises

Urban researcher Sampson Wong Yu-hin marvels every time he rides the lift from street level in Hong Kong’s Chai Wan to what he calls “a city in the sky”.

Hing Wah II Estate is made up of seven slab blocks of high-rises perched on a hillside and connected by a network of walkways and skybridges 15 storeys above ground.

For the 8,000 Hongkongers living there, it is a daily routine to ride the two large lifts that get them from their homes to street level at Chai Wan’s urban centre, where they can go shopping or take public transport to the rest of the city.

“Such ‘cities in the sky’ have always intrigued me because the buildings are constructed on a hill, giving rise to architectural solutions such as connecting buildings across different platforms through pedestrian bridges,” Wong said.

“The flats in the older public housing estates are more densely packed, so residents spend more time in shared public spaces such as playgrounds and parks to expand their activity areas.”

Wong, an urban studies lecturer at Chinese University who has written two books on the art of strolling in Hong Kong, wants more people to experience the city in new ways by slowing down to observe their surroundings as they move around.