Mika Savela

Arrivals

In the movie Evita, Madonna arrives in the Argentine capital singing “Hello, Buenos Aires”. And I guess that, and all those other “New York, New York” moments of popular culture make us think about arriving in new cities in a certain way. Especially if we’re pursuing our dreams (yeah, like Madonna did already in the 1980s).

So as I’ve now arrived in another city, I decided to share some of my impressions, after spending about one month here, and trying to make sense of it all. Firstly, it’s immediately different to move somewhere than to go and visit. It’s not perhaps as fun as being on a holiday. You’re kind of aware of the fact that some things are there to stay, because they come with the package, whether you like them or not. You also have time, time to see things many times, walk pass them, talk about them.

One of the first things I remember noticing was the vertical nature of Hong Kong. But as unbelievable as the visual reality of the city sometimes is, it’s even more mysterious how quickly you get used to it. And in the long run, I guess it changes your wiring a little bit. When you see impossible structures on top of each other, things taken to the extremes, getting all worked up about such trivial things as “the feeling of place” seems very distant.

In Hong Kong, I think people are very used to certain ways. The system of life in this city is built upon small traditions. This means that doing the opposite of what is expected, is not creative, but only incomprehensible. And within this system, I’m of course still a total newbie.

This is also the first city where I’ve seen people routinely video calling each other, and people way over their early 60s watching videos with their tablets in the subway. Even in a bigger picture, Hong Kong is definately a mechanized city, being kept alive with technology, digital in every way possible.

For an urban designer, one of the most puzzling features of Hong Kong, is the concept of public space. Here, because of the high density, almost any sad little park or bench will enjoy public use. Places that would only attract, well basically no one in many Western cities, are used as they were planned. These places can be anywhere, high up on platforms, or in dark shafts between buildings, in the middle of highway crossings. But if they’re called “sitting out areas”, people will come and sit in them. On the other hand, they will also come and sit in the dreamy display living rooms of IKEA, for hours on end.

Malls are also a quintessential part of HK public space. They are routes, in the same way as streets. Many of them are also squeaky clean, heavily air-conditioned, massive marble and granite clad spaces, often conjoined with luxury hotel entrances and valet parking arrangements. And you really have to use them, malls. Otherwise, it’s just hard to get anywhere at all.

Perhaps unlike Berlin or New York, Hong Kong does not really have a rough artistic side. At least not yet. In a city with about a zillion flagship stores (we’re talking ridiculous brand eroding retail next to retail proximity issues here) the real locally handmade exclusivity of small hipster boutiques is only starting to blossom. At the same time, the old manufacturing shops, trinket sellers, household suppliers and stamp makers are never far away. The noodle kitchens and bakeries are there, enviably mixed into the super expensive.

It will be definitely interesting to see how things will develop in a couple of years.