Learning from Hong Kong:
A Tale of the Mall City
Hong Kong Design Trust Grant
with Peta Feng and Lisa Zhu (Studio Pencil)
Learning from Hong Kong: A Tale of the Mall City is a multidimensional approach to examining the significance of the mall as the city’s major public space typology. The constellation of indoor mall spaces exemplifies Hong Kong as a connected city, a hybrid city, and most importantly, a shopping city. Through a combination of architectural and ethnographic research (including site visits, interviews and design workshops), the research team attempts to illuminate the impressive relevance of this type of space and describe its intangible role in the public psyche. The project became even more relevant in light of 2019 public activities, when various political groups would congregate in different malls to protest or show their support. This occupation of seemingly apolotical commercial spaces illuminated the tension of political and cultural interests lurking below the surface of these air conditioned public spaces.
