URL: https://youtu.be/S9U6JCI5130
Theme: Disappearing City
Site: Public playground (Central and Western District of Hong Kong Island)
Theme description:
Hong Kong, a city of tall buildings and high population density, has always faced the challenge of a shortage of buildable land. However, in such a city, every few streets in the Central and Western districts of Hong Kong Island have a space that is still “open” and “not dense”.
Playgrounds have been created as places where kids can enjoy their right to play. Children can develop their social and physical skills through play. Children in Hong Kong, where living conditions are crowded, are especially in need of public playgrounds since there is limited space for play.
The LCSD is responsible for maintaining the public playgrounds in Hong Kong. Spaces in Hong Kong that have not been exploited by capitalism for economic benefit are uncommon. However, it seems that the non-profit sector is losing attraction. I discovered through research and field trips that the fundamental cause is the amusement facilities’ lack of diversity and complexity.
Does the fact that fewer people visit public playgrounds mean they are no longer needed by the city? The answer is no. The dense playgrounds mean that they are close to each other and have a strong alternative when choosing. Unpopular playgrounds for kids have a second purpose: they serve as senior citizens’ activity centers.
However, as a crucial space for kids to develop their skills, public playgrounds are very important for the city. Therefore, more attention should be paid to quality than quantity. It could become a more valuable space in Hong Kong with diversified facilities. The short film demonstrates how the desire for public playgrounds has disappeared and seeks to raise awareness of this issue by emphasizing how basic the existing facilities are.
Statement:
The desire of kids for small-scale public playgrounds in Hong Kong’s Central and Western districts is disappearing.
The method of conducting the research:
On my way home from school one day, I observed three vacant public playgrounds. I wondered how these crowded public playgrounds could survive in an environment where capitalism was dominant. Why do they survive yet appear to be “dead”? I thus conducted a lot of secondary online research. A report issued by the Hong Kong Legislative Council suggests that the game facilities might be insufficient in quantity and boring in design, making the playground unattractive.
I made several field trips in an effort to collect more first-hand information to support this claim. 12 public playgrounds in Hong Kong Island’s Central and Western districts serve as my study zones. On weekdays and weekends, I went to these public playgrounds of different sizes in the morning and the afternoon separately. Between each playground, it is just a quick three- to four-minute walk.
After completing multiple field trips, I observed that, whether it was during the week or on the weekends, little to no one used the small public playgrounds. A few kids get attracted to the larger playground, but not many. All of these little playgrounds shared a single feature: a lack of facilities.
Interviews with several parents and kids at the larger playground (located inside Hollywood Road Park) verified the claim. Due to the lack of variety in playing spaces, kids are unwilling to visit small-scale playgrounds where there is only one slide and a swing. During the conversation, I also discovered that youngsters are becoming less and less motivated to spend more time climbing up the slide, as they can only stay on it for a few seconds.
The method of producing the video:
Based on this information, I went back to these small amusement parks and started my shooting. The video is divided into three main sections. In the first part, I used the technique of repeating montage, showing repeated scenes of the lack of diversity of facilities in small playgrounds that no one visited. To show how the slide appears to a five-year-old child, I filmed slides in a crouching pose. To simulate what kids would see as they approached the slide, I added some shaky visuals when shooting.
In the second segment of the video, I used a rotated wide Angle. From the perspective of looking up, located in the middle of the residential building, it indicates the common positional features of the public playground. Although there is a very large potential user base for public playgrounds, as evidenced by the large number of residential buildings, these playgrounds are largely vacant. It once again draws attention to the disappearance of potential users of these playgrounds.
In the third segment of the film, I zoom in and out to demonstrate the larger playground’s more extensive facilities. With the help of these shots of kids having fun on upgraded facilities, I aim to demonstrate the possibility of “resurrection” for this forgotten space.
I deliberately slowed down all of the scenes with a few individuals in them. This more effectively highlights the issue that playgrounds, as public open areas, do not provide potential users with abundant gaming facilities options. People can compare and view the lack of variety in facilities in small playgrounds through the slower screen. To keep people focused on the picture, I kept the built-in subtitles simple. More detailed captions have been set up on Youtube.
I picked pure music rather than music with lyrics as background music since I believe it is difficult to find acceptable lyrics to represent this issue in Hong Kong. I chose Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Opus,” which has a gloomy and quiet vibe. However, the piano’s own sound was clear and crisp. The background music thus sounds sadness yet hopeful.
Reflection:
The video highlights the singleness of facilities in order to point out the insufficient attention Hong Kong allocates to its small-scale public areas. It is hoped that by exposing this phenomenon, Hong Kong’s “disappearing” public space could be upgraded in terms of diversity and have the potential to add greater value to the city.
References:
Fainstein, S. S. (2013). The just city. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 18(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2013.834643
Fan, L. Y. (2019). A Brief History of Playgrounds in Hong Kong. M+ Magazine. https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/magazine/a-brief-history-of-playgrounds-in-hong-kong/
Hong Kong Park – Facilities – Children’s Playground [Press release]. (2014). Leisure and Cultural Services Department. https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/hkp/facilities/outdoor/childrens_playground.html
Lai, P.-C., & Low, C.-T. (2019). Provision of Convenient Play Space in a Densely Populated City. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6be9/81e59b41b3f86bc3613a49dea9b89535b87e.pdf
LAU, S. (2017). Public playgrounds in Hong Kong. The Legislative Council. https://www.legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/essentials-1718ise04-public-playgrounds-in-hong-kong.htm
LCQ2: Public playgrounds for children [Press release]. (2018, July 11). The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201807/11/P2018071100453.htm
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Mak, N. (2017, November 2). Taking the Play out of Playground. Varsity. https://varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php/2017/11/hk-boring-playgrounds/
Ng, Y. (2018, April 7). Are Hong Kong’s super-safe and boring playgrounds failing our children?South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2140539/are-hong-kongs-super-safe-and-boring-playgrounds-failing
Pitsikali, A., & Parnell, R. (2019). The public playground paradox: ‘child’s joy’ or heterotopia of fear? Children’s Geographies, 17(6), 719–731. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.1605046
Play Equipment for All Children [Press release]. (2018). Leisure and Cultural Services Department. https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/facilities/facilitieslist/children/playequipment.html
Siu, K. W. M., Wong, Y. L., & Lam, M. S. (2017). Inclusive Play in Urban Cities: A Pilot Study of the Inclusive Playgrounds in Hong Kong. Procedia Engineering, 198, 169–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.080
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