Effective Implementation (2)

Effective implementation of urban regeneration programmes is always depended on the support of the stakeholders especially the land and building owners. It means nothing even though the authority can formulate a comprehensive master plan without the participation of them. As brown field development is always touching on the living community, it is also a difficult task to to meet entire community's aspiration and agenda, even sometime the objective of majority is not an easy venture. Thereby, engaging the land and building owners are critical and pre-requisite for any successful urban regeneration programme.

In Guangzhou, I was told instead of compulsory acquisition of land, the owners are allowed to look for their development partner first. Failure with, they can request the city government to auction their land for development. They will get 60% of the amount without the city government acting on their behalf for disposing the land. Third option is the owners can stay put and continue with their line of business, but of course to comply with all the city regulation. Nothing to stop them from continuing with their activities unless the law is broken.

I think it is a good move of encouraging urban regeneration without jeopardising the right and responsibilities of the land and building owners. They are given the chance to be consulted and to part share the profit of the programme. It is truly another form of public participation in practice, I presume.