An analysis of the Hong Kong - Malmö

Sustainability Collaboration

Waltraut Ritter, Björn Gunnarsson

Knowledge Dialogues

World Environmental Education Congress

1 July 2015

Gothenburg

Can Cities Learn From Each Other?

Background: Malmö Hong Kong Sustainability

Charter

"We share a common vision of the vital role of sustainable development

to our community and future generations" Hong Kong, China-Malmö, Sweden "Sustainability Charter",

2011.

Can an open innovation approach be applied to sustain the collaboration?

2011 The cities of Malmö and Hong Kong signed the sustainability charter.

Renewable energy, waste treatment, sustainable transport, innovation and

technologies.

Share information, experiences, best practices to the environment.

Strengthen the link between Hong Kong and Malmö.

Achievements:

Study visits between Malmö and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks as third party of the collaboration.

Innocarnival in Malmö inspired by Hong Kong and supported by Hong Kong

Science and Technology Parks.

Waste management in Hong Kong inspired by Malmö.

Research Questions:

How can local community activities strengthen

learning exchanges between Malmö and Hong Kong?

Who are the current and potential stakeholders in

the collaboration?

Can an open innovation approach be applied to

sustain the collaboration?

The cities

Hong KongPopulation: 7.3 million

Density: 6690 inhabitants/km²

Area: 1 108 square kilometers where

443km2 is country park

Green space per capita: 3m²

Bikes: 0.5% of daily transport,

62 000 bike trips a day.

Environmental Ranking:

2012: Above average

(Asian Green City Index, Siemens.)

5.7 tonnes CO2 production per capita, 2012

Distance between Hong Kong and Malmo:

8648 km or 5374 miles

MalmöPopulation: 7.3 million

Population: 316 000

Density: 897 inhabitants/km²

Area: 355 km²

Green space per capita:35.01m2

Bikes: 25% of all transport is by bikes. 100

000 bike trips a day

Environmental Ranking:

2014: No 1 in Sweden

2015: No 23 in Sweden

Miljöaktuellt,

http://miljoaktuellt.idg.se/2.37899

4 Tonnes CO² production per capita, 2012

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Aims of the project

Developing a workable collaboration platform for cities (communities, academia,

business and government)

Defining urban practices, where community groups in different cities can learn from

each other on:

Urban Gardening (Food Resilience)

Green Buildings (Old and New Buildings)

Mobility (Increasing non-motorized mobility)

Flooding (Mitigation strategies)

Innovation Spaces (e.g. Living Labs, Innocarnival)

Exploring common grounds for exchange and communication.

Defining benefits from international community collaboration.

Contributing to open innovation research

Theory: Urban sociology

Collaborative Planning Theory:

Citizen participation is a crucial tool to gain credibility for government.

Citizen participation can improve quality of environment, programme and planning

since participants have special knowledge contributing to quality.

Participation shall increase responsibility and inclusivity.

Participation shall decrease anonymity and alienation in neighbourhoods.

Empowerment through collaborative learning.

Training and resources enabling members to participate as real and equal partners.

Local communities recognized as dynamic, diverse entities and as actors in

innovation.

Urban Gardening

We consider urban gardening as a tool for:

Greening the city

Self-sufficient food supply

Integration

Educating about sustainable living

Meeting point for and different cultures and generations

Learning how to collaborate cross generations and cultures

Urban Gardening examples

Malmö: Odla i Stan (Cultivate in the City)

Strengthen community and get children and elderly to meet each other.

Creating a safe and attractive neighbourhood.

Finding and testing crops from participants native countries to create inclusivity.

Hong Kong: Time to Grow

Teaching the Hong Kong community to grow vegetables in the city and to live a low-

carbon life.

Lack of space to be self-reliant from food.

Rooftop gardens, implying that community groups and social enterprises get access

to roof space.

Green Buildings

A major focus area with regard to GHG reductions.

Sustainable approach to waste management.

Sustainable energy systems.

Buildings are major contribution to CO² production in cities

Built area in Hong Kong:

264 km² of a total of 1108 km². Equals to 24% of the total area.

Built area in Malmö:

38.07km² of a total of 158,36 km². Equals to 24% of the total area.

Buildings take up 61% of all greenhouse emissions in Hong Kong.

Both cities experience challenges with space and need to densify the city.

Malmö Municipality limits extension of the city to the outer highway since the best soil of

northern Europe is next to the city border.

Country parks in Hong Kong covers 443km² .

Green Buildings examples

Malmö:

Greenhouse (Augustenborg, Malmö)

Each flat has a large balcony with space for gardening.

Passive design, solar energy, innovative green design.

Social aspect: garden as meeting place, theater, pre-school.

Hong Kong

Energizing Kowloon East Office

Saving space by revitalize unwanted land under a fly over.

Reusable material. Steel structures that can be reused in the future.

Passive design.

Mobility

Malmö (mobility)Strategic plan for pedestrian

Hong Kong (transport)No dedicated strategy for

pedestrians

Innovation Spaces

Innovation Space in cities are public spaces where different groups can

meet: citizen/city halls, libraries, living labs etc. What spaces are there

in Hong Kong and Malmo? How are they used?

Innovation activities involving different groups:

Example: InnoCarnival, originally organised in Hong Kong by the Hong

Kong Science and Technology Parks.

Online idea management: Malmo.se/initiativet

http://initiativet.malmo.se/epetition_core/

Outline for an inter-city collaboration

platform for cities Community involvement in Western Harbour (“Green Buildings”) as a

model for an inter-city collaboration platform.

“Det goda samtalet” (The Good Conversation), dialogue between

developers, municipality and citizens, as inspiration.

Users, entrepreneurs and developers can share information and experience

to create new ideas in both cities.

Ongoing learning space of exchanging knowledge and values.

Different experiences of urban

gardening

Malmö

Integration of marginalised groups.

Strengthening the community.

Inclusive and accessible for

everyone to participate.

Easy access to land due to space

anc acceptance and support from

authorities.

Not technically advanced growing

methods.

Hong Kong

Education of a healthy living.

Self-reliance of food supply.

Not very accessible since they

are limited to roofs and walls.

Technically advanced due to

urban

circumstances demanding

technical solutions.

Current status and next steps:

Dialogue between the cities started autumn 2014 in the context of the

BODW (Business of Design Week), where Sweden was partner country

We are now exploring possible partners, funding and needs of the

communities to sustain the project.

Next step is to establish networks between communities in the two

cities.

Presentations and seminars

WEEC 2015 (World Environmental Conference), in Gothenburg, June 29 - July

2nd, 2015. Presentation of research project.

The Hong Kong – Malmo sustainable

collaboration project is open to anyone interested

in the topic.

Please contact:

ritter@knowledgedialogues.comOr

bjoerngunnarsson@gmail.com

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