'MOBILE PEDESTRIAN URBANISM IN HIGH DENSITY ENVIRONMENTS'-A CASE STUDY OF THE HONG KONG MID-LEVELS ESCALATOR

摘要

This paper will investigate the urbanism of pedestrian mobility in extreme high density environments, through exploring The Mid Levels Escalator transport infrastructure's impact on urban design in Hong Kong. The giant 'Din Tai'電梯(Electric Ladder) longest outdoor escalator in the world over 800m long, climbs vertically 135m and carries 45,000 persons a day up and down HK's steep terrain, behaving as an artificial landscape touching and raised off the ground in 20 sections. As a piece of pure architecture it has few design merits, but as a sustainable generator of urban vitality and radical urbanism, the Escalator has a unique value. It has thrived on congestion and generated a whole new 'Escalator culture' along its length. New offices, bars, clubs, restaurants, gyms, galleries, boutiques, and service apartments have sprung up around it. The Escalator blurs travel, work, play, leisure, commerce, culture and home, reflecting the speed, mobility and diversity of HK's urban culture.