Walter Koditek: Exploring Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage

Christopher DewolfFebruary 1, 2023

A German urban planner shines a light on the vulnerable heritage of Hong Kong's modern architecture...

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryPhotographyUrbanism0 Comments14 views 08 min read

20,000 New Trees Aren’t Enough: Hong Kong’s Effort to Go Green

Christopher DewolfJanuary 13, 2023

One of the minds behind the Greening Master Plan says the city can do more to bring nature into the concrete jungle...

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What Placemaking Can Do For Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfSeptember 28, 2022

Architects and planners are using collaborative design to create urban spaces that people actually want to use...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments724 views 011 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: Bridges

Christopher DewolfSeptember 22, 2022

Unlike San Francisco, New York or Sydney, Hong Kong isn't particularly known for its bridges. Maybe that should chan...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments569 views 012 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: Ferry Piers, Maritime Town Squares

Christopher DewolfJuly 22, 2022

The ferry piers along Victoria Harbour are sites of transit but also places to gather...

A Little BreakHistoryUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments418 views 09 min read

The Vanishing City: Tit Hong Lane and the Future of Hong Kong

Molly GroganMay 13, 2022

On and On Theatre Workshop director Chan Ping-chiu looks back at his childhood home in Central to understand how Hong Kong is changing...

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Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: Rooftop Billboards

Christopher DewolfApril 28, 2022

Neon signs once dominated Hong Kong's skyline, but they are quickly being replaced by LED video screens...

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Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: The Faded Glory of Tsim Sha Tsui East

Christopher DewolfMarch 15, 2022

Once famous for its holiday displays and over-the-top nightlife, TST East has fallen on hard times – but it's still a Hong Kong icon...

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Fairview Park: Living the Dream in Hong Kong Suburbia

Christopher DewolfMarch 13, 2022

Architect/developer Clifford Wong was smitten by North America suburbia. So he tried to recreate it here in Hong Kong...

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Why You Should Care About Brutalist Architecture

Christopher DewolfJanuary 14, 2022

A spotlight is being shone on Hong Kong's few examples of a controversial form of architecture...

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Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: ICC and IFC, Guarding the Harbour

Christopher DewolfOctober 21, 2021

What do the icons of Hong Kong’s skyline say about the city?...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanismUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments1627 views 09 min read

How Did Hong Kong Become Addicted to Air Conditioning?

Christopher DewolfSeptember 15, 2021

Air conditioning made its debut in Hong Kong in 1931. How did it become one of the most icily air-conditioned places on earth?...

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Via North Point, Part I: What Makes a Neighbourhood “Sticky”

Zolima CityMagSeptember 6, 2021

A new festival taps into North Point’s community spirit to explore how this beloved neighbourhood can be made better for its residents...

ArchitectureDesignEventExhibitionHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2692 views 09 min read

A Colourful Cure for What Ails Hong Kong’s Grey Public Spaces

Christopher DewolfJune 3, 2021

A new Design Trust project is bringing Hong Kong’s forgotten squares, plazas and playgrounds back to life. ...

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How Epidemics Shaped Hong Kong, Part II: The Scars of SARS – and Covid

Christopher DewolfApril 22, 2021

SARS left deep scars on Hong Kong – but it also led to positive reforms in public hygiene, healthcare and urban planning. What will Covid bring?...

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How Epidemics Shaped Hong Kong, Part I: The “Fatal City”

Christopher DewolfApril 12, 2021

Today's Hong Kong is a reflection of the epidemics it has faced. In the first of a two-part article, we look at the legacy of the plague, malaria and the flu....

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Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part VIII: Shanghai Street Shophouses

Christopher DewolfOctober 15, 2020

Hong Kong's largest intact cluster of shophouses has been preserved and restored – but only in part. ...

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Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part VII: The Pedder Building

Christopher DewolfAugust 27, 2020

The Pedder Building is known as a hub for art galleries, but that is just the latest chapter in a long life....

ArchitectureArtDesignHistoryInspring ItinerariesUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2753 views 08 min read

Video: How We Saved a Classic Hong Kong Neon Sign

Zolima CityMagJuly 23, 2020

When a renowned Happy Valley dim sum parlour closed its doors, its vintage neon sign was headed for the landfill – until Zolima CityMag stepped in....

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In the Midst of a Pandemic, Walk DVRC Wants to Give Hongkongers More Space

Christopher DewolfMay 20, 2020

Cities around the world are responding to Covid-19 by giving pedestrians and cyclists more space. Why not Hong Kong?...

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Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part IV: The Western Market

Christopher DewolfMay 6, 2020

Hong Kong's oldest surviving market building has a history even older than its Edwardian façade....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3094 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage, Part XII: Breeze Blocks

Christopher DewolfDecember 19, 2019

Air conditioning transformed Hong Kong – but there are still reminders of a breezier era....

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Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage, Part X: Corner Buildings

Christopher DewolfOctober 31, 2019

Well liked but disappearing quickly, Hong Kong's corner buildings embrace the street....

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The Unexpected Link Between Hong Kong’s Urban Spaces and the Global Climate Crisis

Christopher DewolfJuly 25, 2019

A new project by the Canadian Centre of Architecture examines the link between Hong Kong's financial district and environmental damage around the world....

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Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage, Part VII: The Monster Building

Christopher DewolfJuly 11, 2019

An enormous block of shops and housing was conceived as an affordable place to live – but now it has also become a tourist attraction....

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Neighbourhood Guide: Tai Ping Shan, An Old Soul With a Trendy Heart

Zabrina LoJuly 9, 2019

A traditional neighbourhood is thriving thanks to an infusion of fresh energy....

ArtBig StoriesBooksCultureDesignFashionFoodHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesStreet ArtUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments9539 views 032 min read

Hong Kong’s Most Beloved Public Space is Under Threat

Christopher DewolfJune 6, 2019

The Western District Public Cargo Working Area, also known as the Instagram Pier, is a rare open space on the waterfront. But government plans could soon carve it up into smaller pieces – or worse....

A Little BreakArtPhotographyUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments4086 views 09 min read

One of a Kind: The Kowloon Walled City Through the Eyes of Photographer Greg Girard

Christopher DewolfApril 25, 2019

A unique quirk of history created one of the strangest and most fascinating urban settlements the world has ever seen. ...

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Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage, Part III: Choi Hung, the Rainbow Estate

Christopher DewolfMarch 20, 2019

Choi Hung changed the way Hong Kong built public housing – and its unique appearance has given it a second life as a tourist attraction....

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Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part III: Squatter Factories

Christopher DewolfFebruary 6, 2019

Hong Kong became an industrial powerhouse thanks in part to informal factories run out of shantytowns and residential flats....

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Hong Kong’s Missing Trees

Christopher DewolfJanuary 24, 2019

The destruction of Typhoon Mangkhut underscored the precarious nature of Hong Kong's urban forest. ...

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Neighbourhood Guide: Wong Chuk Hang, a Factory for Creativity

Zabrina LoJanuary 17, 2019

An old industrial area on the south side of Hong Kong Island has been reborn as an art and design district....

ArtCultureDesignFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesMusicPhotographyProduct DesignUrbanismVideo artVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments4232 views 132 min read

The Last Remnant of Kai Tak: Inside the Half-Destroyed Airport Fire Station With HK Urbex

Christopher DewolfDecember 19, 2018

Zolima CityMag teams up with a crew of urban explorers to survey the last remnant of Kai Tak Airport before it is redeveloped....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments4319 views 08 min read

A French Design Duo Daydream About How to Improve Hong Kong’s Urban Space

Catherine ShawNovember 28, 2018

Designers Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec offer a greener vision of urban life, one that is particularly relevant in city where nature is relegated to the periphery....

ArchitectureDesignPeoplePortraitsProduct DesignUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments504 views 011 min read

ESKYIU PLAYKITS: A Shape-Shifting Exhibition That Changes Every Day

Christopher DewolfNovember 15, 2018

Bringing together sports, dialogue and music, ESKYIU PLAYKITS is an architectural retrospective unlike any other...

ArchitectureDesignUrbanism0 Comments320 views 04 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Sham Shui Po is Hong Kong’s Most Quintessential Neighbourhood

Janice ChenNovember 7, 2018

Sham Shui Po captures Hong Kong's industrious spirit, both past and present. ...

CultureFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments8780 views 030 min read

Hong Kong’s Train to China: A Brief History of the Kowloon-Canton Railway

Christopher DewolfNovember 7, 2018

As Hong Kong opens its new high-speed rail link to mainland China, we look back at its original cross-border railway....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments6039 views 113 min read

Inside the Famously Haunted Nam Koo Terrace With HK Urbex

Christopher DewolfOctober 25, 2018

A group of urban explorers seek out and document Hong Kong's abandoned buildings. ...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments7233 views 17 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part I: A City That Made Things

Christopher DewolfOctober 11, 2018

A group of amateur historians is investigating Hong Kong's long and diverse industrial past....

HeritageHistoryUrbanism0 Comments3279 views 07 min read

What Does the Future Hold for Victoria Harbour?

Christopher DewolfOctober 4, 2018

Millions of people live within a 10-minute walk of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong’s most important natural asset and the very reason the city exists in the first place. But most of them would have a hard time finding their way to the shore past the roadways and fences that divide it from the city. Even […]...

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