Gentrification and Urban Design

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.0 Background and the Research Context

The modern world is increasingly becoming more dynamic in terms of the lifestyle, living environment, shelter, fashion, and even the diet people take. The recent adoption of the pencil buildings in Hong Kong seem to reflect the very high as well as the modern structures that are surrounded by the lower rise. Perhaps, the key question in all these changes is how gentrification came in play convinced the local culture to embrace the change in Hong Kong. There is much more that must be hidden behind the graphic design that people may not understand. People tend to understand that current design reflects fashion in the face of modernism but they equally fail to understand the coded message behind the designs. Gentrification is thought to be the only description to all the changes because it reflects the process engaged in renovating the deteriorated urban neighbourhood through the influx of the affluent residents. Gentrification aims at boosting the material quality of the buildings, which compels the established residents as well as businesses to move from the gentrified area to a place that has houses and stores that cost much lower. In the course of the process, researchers have delved into a series of case studies that might one understand whether such changes have any impact on the local culture, and whether the design has any meanings. The research, therefore, relies on the qualitative methodology in describing the research process. This will be accompanied by the use of the case studies, including the café culture in Hong Kong and the rice shops. This will help to build the content around the research question that tries to explore whether gentrification had changed the local culture of Hong Kong or not. The research will also capture the ideas and findings that would have been established by other case studies related to the research topic. This will involve exploring previous researches and case studies that have been conducted in relation to gentrification and local culture linked to Hong Kong, or any other relevant community around the world. The research will be arranged in three chapters. The first chapter will expound the research question, establish the background, and indicate the research methodology and a literature review. The second chapter entails development of the discussion, application of the discussion to the case study and a summary of the key points in the chapter. The last chapter includes further reflection and analysis while establishing a new case study.

1.1 Research Question

The research question is how has gentrification convinced the local culture to a new direction in Hong Kong? The research question points at a situation where the middle class people will occupy the gentrified areas while pushing the low class people, or the locals, to areas where houses and the costs of living are affordable. The redevelopment is seen as one way of influencing a transformative process within the Hong Kong context. However, it is still of interest as to whether the new design in town has a coded message to local culture as far as communication and graphic design are put into consideration (Tomba 2017). The new course of research looks into significant case studies that would help construct content around the research question. It is of note that gentrification has been the platform for urban redevelopment or urban renewal across the global cities. The scope of gentrification is a root cause for social polarization, which is the same experience encountered by the people in Hong Kong (Smart and Smart 2017). In addition, the socio-economic change or polarization is being blamed for being the cause for development of economic zones. The emergence of social classes yields significant consequences both to the incomers and even to the locals. The economic and social sense of gentrification has further triggered the commercial change, which equally leads to development of perceptions regarding a particular area, different cultural experiences regarding a certain way of life and social separations that widens the rifts within the society.

1.2 Background information

Ley and Teo (2014) indicated that gentrification came into the spotlight over 50 years ago and the urban form is said to have evolved over the same period. The period came with renovation of the old cities and neighbourhoods through migration of the young professionals. Over a significant period, the sub-market of the young professionals has been growing as well as improved in terms of the properties. Some of the professionals grew mature and wealthier at the same time while the housing stock became more diversified following the addition of the new condominiums. Ley and Teo (2014) noted that the key understanding of gentrification revolves around social class transition as well as displacement of the households while using minimal power across the marketplace. The subsequent dispersal of the field sites is in itself a big danger due to the unselfconscious transfer of the conceptualization of culture in other regions based the Anglo-American perceptions. However, gentrification in the Asia Pacific seems to be argued based on the alternative modernity (Smart and Smart 2017). In China, for example, the western visitors are said to have responded to the awed tones that travellers are said to have expressed before Manchester. The pace for growth seemingly triggers the modern construction plans. This has led to a paradigm change that fosters state direction in economic development. However, this notion was never left without criticism stating that gentrification was a western idea that could not be matched with the characteristics of Lilong housing, which has the features of the Shanghai traditional neighbourhoods. Notably, some of the China-based scholars have however seen considerable parallels across the processes as well as the scale of gentrification. The argument being that the process of internationalization made the China gentrification turned the country in the western behaviour. However, the ones who have interacted with the western literature seem to be cautious with the western conceptualization. The trend in the Asia Pacific has been different for a long period. Instead of renovations, the region has been experiencing high-rise redevelopment, as a form of reinvestment and it is restricted to more tourist-based and leisure reconstructions. The same trend must have been adopted in Hong Kong with gentrification directly hitting the nerves of the local culture. Hong Kong has experienced urban renewal as well as population displacement accompanied with house vulnerability. The new developments have been an awakening call to not only Hong Kong but also most of the developing countries around the world. The emergence of the middle class and the growth of the urban centres is a move that is constantly squeezing the norms and values to certain region, while welcoming diversity in the urban areas (Sun et al. 2016). Hong Kong and China are two countries that show significant cases of gentrification while triggering the crisis of media attention that forgets the locals and treats the foreigners as the bearers of the history that has been shaped for many years. Therefore, the key research gap in this context entails how gentrification is gradually changing the local culture within the context of Hong Kong.

1.3 Research Methodology

The research adopts the qualitative research in describing, explaining, and exploring avenues that related to the research topic. Key areas of interest include the changes in local culture of Hong Kong, the process of gentrification and elements of design and communication that have eroded the historical value of Hong Kong. The qualitative approach is regarded as one of the best because of the scientific nature of collecting information that is of non-numerical nature. Behind the qualitative method, the research finds it necessary to make use of the case study as the key tool in collecting significant and relevant data. This is perfectly informed through real life scenarios as it is witnessed with the Café Culture and the rice shops in Hong Kong. Making use of case studies in this research gives the insights, which are rarely achieved by other approaches. The tool gains more significance during the exploratory stage of the research project. The case study of rice shops and café culture in Hong Kong form the most significant platform where the research process can extract key findings and observations that can easily be connected to the research topic.

1.4 Literature Review

Ley and Teo (2014) gave a glimpse of gentrification and changes happening in cities around the world. They both noted that housing and the redevelopment market seems to grow within the perimeters of Hong Kong. The authors indicated that while other cities showcase national patterns attached to economic development, Hong Kong showcases the purest models that have never been witnessed before. Hong Kong is being regarded as the property state due to the growing political economy proceeds because of the property based accumulation. Similar to other Asia Pacific cities, there has been a fast tract of influx in Hong Kong as the population continues to increase. Therefore, Hong Kong facilitates a credible case of land development regime as argued out by Tang (2008). This comes at a time when the exchange of value is an absolute supremacy beyond the value of use. The 1980-90s Property-Bubble saw a consolidation of certain meaning of property. The frenzied market gave room for the property deals via well-organized routes that bolstered real estate development, social mobility, and creation of an organized society and the rise of the middle class status. Most of the property prices are said to have doubled in a span of four years that ranged from 1985 to 1989. The trend reappeared in a threefold as from the year 1989 to 1994 (Ye et al. 2015). At the same time, homeownership rates were inflated from around 25% to around 50% in a period ranging from the year 1980 to 2001. Such conditions established the conditions of a global city that encouraged the rise of the white-collar middle class, rapid population growth and marked economic and social inequality. Gentrification through redevelopment, therefore, puts Hong Kong in a precarious state as the country designs buildings that can last for 50 years but the value deteriorates due to inattentive management practices and poor construction. The new developments in Hong Kong must have triggered gentrification by all means. The pervasive scope of redevelopment and housing in the light of public consciousness triggers observation of the conceptual lens and changes in neighbourhood. A preview of the South China Morning Post, the Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey, cosmopolitanism of the readership, sports, news and even the global business indicates that urban redevelopment is a true scenario in Hong Kong. This is accompanied by the fact that urban renewal takes at least 71 times a year and demolitions happen 66 times in a year (Ley and Teo 2014). The historical demolition of Lee Tung Street is one of the celebrated examples putting an end to the small printers that grew a niche market linked to the wedding invitations as well as personal name cards. In the course of destruction, conflicts grew silent as displaced businesses and people were compensated for relocation. This is what defines gentrification, a term that has rarely been mentioned in the academic literature as far as Hong Kong is put into consideration. Perhaps, social changes could not be avoided either and the influx of the western cultural influences could not be avoided by any means. Ming Pao alluded to the fact that the status allusions and the English class never translated to the Chinese culture (He 2007). The investment in the global city served as an equal investment in communication as the social change prompted new designs, new lifestyle and the perceived better practices that tilted the framework of local culture. According to the case study developed by Wordie (2018), only a few of the old buildings are still standing in Hong Kong, which means a lesser reflection of the traditions that are rarely communicated to the growing generation. The picture book presented by Wordie (2018) only gives an extensive Victorian-Edwardian city, which remained intact in the 1960s. History has it that from 1900 to 1938, Hong Kong only had 1 million people and subsequent seasons of population growth have shaped the facet of the Modern Hong Kong. The country grew more industrious and less reproductive and the demolition of the heritage aficionados saw no one complain about it. The locals must have been trapped in the improved system and better living standards of the middle class that saw them sell their heritage cheaply through demolitions. Wordie (2018) agrees that there are some costs people will never compensate and that includes the loss of traditions. Hong Kong ignored the value of old buildings claiming a new change that would boost their lives. Instead, the country provided a platform for an improved life for other people who are never attached to the heritage conservation, traditions and even the entire culture at large.

1.5 Summary of the Chapter

The chapter presents an introduction that walked through the research. It features an introduction and the background where historical details of Hon Kong and the redevelopment process have been revealed. The chapter further went ahead to establish the research methodology where the qualitative method, with the help of the case studies, was adopted. Finally, the chapter conducted the literature review.

Chapter 2: Discussion

2.1 Comparison of the theoretical sources

The growing scores of gentrification seemingly pushed away the locals who still struggle with their produce in the market, thereby altering their course of life. In this context, the research takes the comparison of two significant sources. These include the case studies developed by Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018) and the theoretical background argued out by He (2007). The argument is based on the market transitions, change of habits, and the overwhelming course of redevelopment and the destruction of the local market among others. Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018) argue that the urban areas are flooded with the urban regime and growth of machine, which insists on a course of capital production. The authors denoted that the gentrification process across the housing market has been transmuted to urban strategies, which produce a framework for cultural circulation and global capital. The scale of neoliberalism saw the global east abandoning welfarism and inviting a competitive market as one way of promoting economic growth. Gentrification, therefore, has invited commercial interest in the urban areas where global firms and local ones compete for the same market in the region. The growing partnership between the private sector and the government seems to trigger urban politics. According to Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018), it can easily be interpreted that the country is leaving behind or ignoring the traditional products and embracing global investments that foster quality. Changes in market climate and the scale of consumption is equally an awakening call to researchers who should delve more into investigating the survival of the traditional products that embrace cultural heritage. Same to Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018), He (2007) equally focuses on the urban economics, which seem to reform the systems. The housing redevelopment seemingly attracted further investments that look at business in large scale, which cannot be afforded by the locals in Hong Kong. Gentrification is inevitable in the sense that evens the local state and the government takes part in city reimaging and growth of revenue. Adoption of the traditional system has been seen as an insignificant means of growing the economy (Ye et al. 2015). Therefore, the system embraces foreign investments, which need space and time to change the course of the market. Urban restructuring and the emergence of the private developers seem to sponsor gentrification as low income earners are forced out of the region. This means that the urban areas will be flooded with middle class population who can afford products from the big shops and supermarkets, expensive houses and the new lifestyle in town. The differences in the two theoretical frameworks revolve around the structure of the consumers in the market as far as gentrification is involved. First, Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018) focus on the urban politics that has seen government collaborating with the private sector. This means that foreign firms can easily move with people who can settle in the urban areas and consume the houses, products and the lifestyle that comes with reinvestments. However, He (2007) focuses on the urban economics where conditions would force out the local producers and local consumers due to an increase in the expenses.

2.2 Application of theoretical discussion to Case study 1

Urban economic and urban politics, as discussed in the above section, can be applied to a case study of the rice shops in Hong Kong. The latest episode of this case study entails a traditional rice shops that continue to decline as a result of the changing times. The dying rice shops has equally been blamed on the changing habits across the Hong Kong population and market dynamics that are influenced the force of demand and supply. First, Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018) and He (2007) indicated that the new version of urban economics and urban politics seemingly embraces modernism, which can be expensive to some of the locals, but still a section of the market would afford it. This means that the locals would desire to consume products from the big shops, introduced through gentrification, and ignore the traditional business terming it out-dated. The case study of rice shops in Hong Kong gives a glimpse of a changed local culture that is craving for modernism instead of cherishing local values, believes, traditions and even norms that described the kind of life prior generations led. In this case study, the owner of Shing Hing Tai Rice Shop argues that rice shops running in the Hong Kong market are struggling. Wong, the owner of the rice shop, admits that the prevalence of the competitive market has decline consumption of the traditional rice that is produced l0ocally (Chan and Bok 2013). He further indicates that women are changing to bread or noodles as a substitute to the rice offered by many traditional shops. Secondly, the constitution of the market has equally attracted the attention of Xingyu and Chengzhi (2018) and He (2007). The key part of the findings is whether migrants from China and the rest of the world are the ones that will constitute the new market or not. Arguments behind urban economics indicate that the new settlement in the urban centre is one motivating factor that will give room for the culture of consumerism. This means that a new market would replace the traditional market by feeding it with new habits, new lifestyle, beliefs, norms and values (Gvion 2017). The case study of rice shops in Hong Kong has indicate that a culture is nowadays convinced through perceptions, mind-set, comparisons and even behaviours, which can easily be transferred from one segment to another segment (Wordie 2018). The owners of rice shop in Hong Kong believe that selling rice requires an art as well. The rice master is expected to understand and determine whether the rice is old or new, mixed or original and maximize the taste as well as quality. Wong admits that old rice was used in the 1970s when people were poor (Chan and Bok 2013). However, with time, Wong indicates that things have changed and people want better rice that they believe can be found in the best supermarkets in the city. While the habit continues to be persistent, a serial check can quickly be done to see whether most people need the perception of quality and tasty life or not. Wong argues that being poor is not a tradition but understanding the richness of the heritage through diet is of essence to Hong Kong and even other countries around the world.

2.3 Comparison of theoretical sources

It is common among people that they will always embrace change regardless of how good or bad it can be. This is an argument that has been adopted by Ley and Teo (2014) and La Grange & Pretorius (2011), which are two theoretical sources that invested time in understanding changes within the Hong Kong context. Ley and Teo (2014) first argues that gentrification is a neo-colonial concept that has lasted for over 50 years, and it is still developing more meaning in other societies that were known to embrace communism. While gentrification only entailed renovation of the inner city neighbourhoods in some of the cities, the trend changed course and the concept is increasingly embracing the in-migrating wealth professionals, young professionals, mature persons with property equity and managers at the same time. According to Ley and Teo (2014), gentrification never walks without social class transition, which goes alongside the displacement of the households that belong to the less powerful people in the urban context. The displacement means the reconfiguration of the local land values and redefinition of the daily life linked to the neighbourhoods. The analysis of the theoretical understanding of gentrification is always tallied with the cultural region and the diversity of the regional contexts that are posited by the industrial economies, and urban redevelopment. Perhaps, the transfer of the British class from London to the rest of the world seems to have shaped the history of most societies around the globe (Gvion 2017). The socio-spatial architecture of the Georgian terraces as well as squares in London, the royal court and the leafy park promenades may sound convincing and attractive, and would therefore replace the local design in Hong Kong if the architecture is transferred. La Grange and Pretorius (2011) also adopts the same narrative that when residents feel their buildings are obsolete, they would constantly welcome any idea of inclusion especially in the public development projects. Hong Kong has embraced this idea because the compensation process for displacement has been quite generous. A focus on redevelopment has led to the rise of posh suburbs that make residents yearn for the new comfort. Redevelopment, according to La Grange and Pretorius (2011), equally led to new problems in town that were never noticed in their early stages. These include the consistent destruction of the industrious neighbourhoods, loss of social belonging and cohesion, elimination and blockage of the growth of cluster industries that call for proximity for survival and the emergence of the new desire for inward development. The thought of poor appearance of Hong Kong after the Second World War made the locals to embrace redevelopment (Ye et al. 2015). The redevelopment course came alongside construction of high-rise buildings that adopt the western art, which has a message it. Western lifestyle has been perceived to be full of comfort making it admirable and more appealing. This means that local industries are perceived as being out-dated. The only difference between La Grange and Pretorius (2011) and Ley and Teo (2014) is that the former embraces a change in the lifestyle among the locals while the later embraces migration as one way of introducing a new culture through gentrification.

2.4 Application of theoretical discussion to case study 2

The thought of gentrification has led to the perception and an attitude of change that has been argued from different theoretical sources. First, the sources have indicated that people would always have the perception of change as a platform that introduces better and more admirable things and outcomes. This equally implies that people would always get tired or get bored with what they have and would crave for newer and better lifestyle, goods and a considerable social system practiced by other people. It can be noted that Ley and Teo (2014) and La Grange and Pretorius (2011) believe that gentrification could not be avoided by any means because it meant a new life for the local residents of Hong Kong. The café culture case study indicates that in the Western district, university students would dine at Cha chaarn tengs and shop the local grocers, stationery shops and even bakeries. According to the case study, the old neighbourhood remained largely relevant with the retention of the traditional flavour and other characteristics. However, the development of the MTR stations, which include Kennedy Town, Sai Ying Pun and HKU, came along with high-end eateries and bars, which appealed more to the expats as well as crowds of millennials in Hong Kong (Lui 2017). The district in Hong Kong is all new with popular cafés that has Instagram influencers, a hip neighbourhood, young professionals and the co-working spaces. Even the cultural heritage resource centre went vacant as people in Hong Kong turned to the high street and young millennials would boast around for having classy contacts and the most desirable lifestyle (Shin et al. 2016). While some of the scholars would believe that the new way of life in town is convinced by rise of immigrants, the fact remains that millennials find good time in the new restaurants believing that such kind of life is trending elsewhere. Secondly, gentrification has introduced a new culture, which is now considered a tradition in Hong Kong. While the middle class people kept filling the cities, they introduced a new taste of life, which even made the locals to live by example. Ley and Teo (2014) and La Grange and Pretorius (2011) believed that what even bolstered the intensified gentrification include the immigrants who included young professionals, managers and even owners with equity that led what is perceived as good life. They would dine in the latest restaurants located 12th or 15th floor of the high-rise buildings, they would live in poshy suburbs that decent flats and this created a totally different world that people in Hong Kong desired to join. Gentrification of Sheung Wan gave Hong Kong Island district a completely new face (Tomlinson 2017). It has been regarded as the coolest neighbourhoods. Sheung Wan is hipster central with artisan cafes, galleries, street art, temples, hidden bars, and curio vendors breathing a new life to the locals. The district is not only affordable to immigrants but also the locals who are attracted to smaller apartments. By doing so, locals feel like they having a share in the way of life (Clark nand Wise 2018).

2.5 Summary of the chapter

This chapter has made use of key materials as the relevant sources that can justify the new way of life in Hong Kong due to gentrification. The first comparison captured the details of the rice shops case study where dietary habits and the scale of consumerism are said to have changed. Secondly, the comparison took on board the café culture case study where it has been justified that people would always embrace change.

Chapter 3: Reflection and Analysis

3.1 Critical Opinion and Direction

While gentrification is being blamed for introducing social classes, eroded communism and introduced changes that can be afforded by the locals, it still plays a significant role in redefining the new way of life and bridges the sense of modernism. This means that gentrification has a negative effect on the traditions and culture, but posits a positive impact on the new way of life and introduces competition in the market, which makes producers to focus on quality. It is of note that gentrification also has its own way of defining the new “traditions”, which are mainly regarded as a change of lifestyle and believing in the new course of modernism. However, gentrification has equally been blamed for being the bearer of the western culture where the western art and the western lifestyles are adopted in the urban redevelopment, urban politics and even urban economics (Charrieras et al. 2018). The notion of comfort has been perceived to be of western origin and therefore extension of westernization to new urban centres in such countries like Hong Kong among others. Therefore, gentrification has a bad effect on the local culture because it does not improve on it but erodes it completely.

3.2 Analysis and Reflection

The thought of gentrification has never been considered for good reasons. While compensations for displacement would make locals to throw away their parcels of land, they are always innocent of the gentrification and would never think of it if it were to come. The genesis of gentrification has been described around the urban development, urban politics and urban economics (Smart and Smart 2017). At some point, locals would feel good when promised to have a new face of their own home town that would be appealing to any visitor who passed by the town. However, locals would always be unsure of the awaiting repercussions that come along the entire process. It is worth noting that the art of the town or urban areas and the neighbourhoods is what is described through buildings. The design of an art would eventually communicate the culture of that place because art is a message (La Grange and Pretorius 2016). The case of Hong Kong is a missing art in action and has had its effects as seen in prior findings and discussions. The argument being that locals can still build new buildings using their own ideas without calling for help from the foreign countries as in the case of Hong Kong (Ng 2018). Perhaps, any culture would have as many ideas as triple the number of people who belong to the same culture. As with the case study of rice shops and the café culture in Hong Kong, the possible outcome of the process of gentrification is never less than cultural appropriation. This involves hollowing out and the theft of a culture, people and place and turning them into commodities (Tang 2017). This cannot be separated or taken apart from the historic abuse of sound cultures while labelling them as inferior, illegal, dangerous, and primitive at the same time. People who are commoditized would always be mad and may feel betrayed due to theft of their dignity, life, land, rights and even freedom among other virtues that are embraced by a society (Shin et al. 2016). Gentrification is simply production of fresh social identifies that are meant for the middle class people, who are always dubbed as the working class neighbourhoods. As seen in the case of Hong Kong, urban redevelopment would include demolition of local structures, which are known for being the definition of the local traditions. To make matters worse, even the local governments would help or introduce policies that support demolition and reconstruction of the city or renovation of the urban areas as stated before (Lui 2017). The case study of the rice shops gives an example of a frustrated traditional diet that has been in place for years. Local businesses would easily trade through the rice businesses, which is food that has a traditional basis (Wing-Sze 2001). However, gentrification welcomed new establishments that eroded the traditional diet thereby rendering the local rice business profitless. Gentrification has equally made people have the feeling of being foreigners in their own countries with visitors taking control of the lifestyle, the practices and the newly introduced plastic tradition. Gentrification is elusive in a way that dilutes the local culture without causing any discomfort among the locals. This has been supported by the fact that people would always want a new way of life without paying attention to the possible repercussions. Apart from just creating new social identities in town, gentrification is an amicable enemy to the cultural heritage, which might have been built for many years (Tang 2017). The process itself is quite convincing with arguments of replacing what is out-dated with the latest changes that are trending worldwide. Gentrification replaces the void left by the local culture with a plastic tradition whose meaning is better understood by the middle class. This is evident in the second case study of cafe culture which enables the transition through two key ways (Ye et al. 2015). First, gentrification introduces a new lifestyle, a new art in town and new practices that would create a certain perception of comfort among the people. This means that people would start avoiding their traditional cafes and running towards the newly established ones believing that the new ones are more comfortable than their own. In the course of embracing change, this is a common trend that does not only touch on Hong Kong but other developing countries around the world. Secondly, gentrification replaces the local culture with plastic traditions that are born from the increasing population of the middle class who bear the foreign origin. The social change has always been seen as unfair transition that has made the middle class the most dominating segment, which has lured the expats and millennials as well (Liang and Bao 2015). The change has gone beyond with the locals feeling the comfort of dining in the new restaurants while leaving the traditional ones to die. The worst would only manifest when the locals are completely displaced and move out of the city while forced to cater for the newly increased rent prices as well as economic changes. The notion of capitalism embraces individualism, a culture that has never existed in Hong Kong before. Individualism does not support social cohesion but embraces diversity (Lui 2017). Notably, diversity beyond limits dismisses the pillars of the cultural heritage and dilutes the traditions that must have been withheld for a long period. In Hong Kong, the few locals who can afford the new economy do not campaign for cultural heritage. Perhaps, the same locals would be the first ambassadors of the western culture. Therefore, gentrification sets the bar too high for the locals and makes life too hard to embrace the local art and practices (Ng 2018). In the light of demolished structures, Hong Kong bears no strength to rebuild an already destroyed history that was embedded in the buildings, the diet, practices, and even the language. Instead, gentrification puts the middle class as the key representation of the country’s heritage while ignoring the roots of the nation.

Is gentrification very bad? Some of the scholars seem to blame gentrification for the evils happening in the society. The injustice, unfairness, and lack of attention from even the authorities have prompted divisions in the society (Liang and Bao 2015). However, gentrification has been the new course of development in most countries by establishing classes and increasing employment opportunities in developing countries. This means that when economic development is placed above the cultural horizons, the country stand to benefit from gentrification (Ye et al. 2015). Secondly, gentrification would give a country a new face of modernism where cultures can freely interact. This is made possible through new settlements as it is with the case of Hong Kong. Expats and millennials in Hong Kong started preferring latest shops and restaurants as one way of embracing change.

3.3 New Case study

The cultural study of Hong Kong and the changes that have been witnessed from one generation to another seemingly attracts a fresh debate. Perhaps, most of the scholars would ask more about the extent of destruction gentrification has caused to the local cultures in Hong Kong and other countries around the world. A case study of the Kwun Tong Town Centre project provides a new dimension of reasoning (Xingyu and Chengzhi 2018). This leads to questions as whether a global city can retain the cultural framework while enjoying the urban vitality and economic dynamics as the outcomes of gentrification. Kwun Tong is among the poorest districts that ever existed in Hong Kong. It has largely been characterized by migrants and refugees that keep flocking the area for low paid jobs. However, due to gentrification, the district has witnessed the growth of small businesses because of the MTR Kwun Ting line. The economic reforms further attracted entrepreneurs and more factories that expanded to Pearl River Delta that is found in Guangdong province. Further developments have seen the district enjoy commercial premises, housing estates and even public facilities. However, across the development history, gentrification has manifested itself through redevelopment (Özcan 2015). The district began experiencing displacements and high housing price along Yuet Wah Street. This has equally prompted the efforts to reshape the neighbourhood morphology among other problems. Policymakers and authorities seem to have never predicted such challenges and paved way for the new course of development (Xingyu and Chengzhi 2018). Scholars have, however, taken upon themselves to review the bargaining position of the district before the worst hits the region.

3.4 Summary of the chapter

The chapter provided a significant part of analysis and reflection. While looking at gentrification and cultural framework, gentrification has been seen as a vice meant to eliminate the local culture through economic illusions. A new case study has further been developed on Kwun Tong District as scholars look for means of reclaiming the heritage of the town.

Conclusion

Gentrification is one area that has attracted significant research interests. This research takes strides in exploring the scope of local culture in the light of gentrification as it appears in some of the case studies in Hong Kong. The question pointed at the situation that indicated the dominant middle class people as a segment settling in the gentrified areas. Based on the background details, gentrification is said to have taken shape over 50 years ago as most of the urban, places seemed to take a new phase. Young professionals, property owners, and managers started flooding the global cities, such as in the case of Hong Kong. The trend has equally been observed in China and Asia Pacific, which gradually experienced redevelopment, renovation, and reinvestments. The trend, while modernizing the urban places, has been a threat to the local culture. With this observation in place, the research adopted the qualitative approach, which was used to collect explorative and descriptive data. The case study of rice shops and café culture in Hong Kong were adopted to bring in the understanding of why gentrification is a threat to the traditions and culture of Hong Kong. The second chapter went ahead comparing the theoretical sources before applying the findings to the case study of café culture and rice shops in Hong Kong. It was found out that, in the first comparison, urban economics and urban politics could explain the case study of the rice shops. The decline of the traditional rice shops in Hong Kong is an incident that has squarely been blamed on gentrification. The trend popped up when gentrification welcomed modernism, which saw the rise of big supermarkets that offered, what is perceived to be quality rice. The second comparison of theoretical sources included gentrification as neo-colonial concept that must have exploded communism, which is a traditional practice in Hong Kong. The renovation of the city and the comfort of the middle class have even seen the locals admiring modernism and what it brings. The desires and admirations of the people to embrace modernism, the backbone of gentrification, are well manifested in the case study of café culture in Hong Kong. The last chapter of the research is the reflection and analysis of the findings. Based on this chapter, it is evident that gentrification is possess significant downsides and it is a vice that is designed to eradicate the local culture by all means. Further research would substantially focus on means and ways through which locals can revive their culture as indicated in the case study of Kwun Tong Town Center Project.

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