2.     WHAT IS LANDSCAPE?

 

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

In Hong Kong we are fortunate to have great variety of landscape. In the urban areas, we have some of the most spectacular city landscape and architecture in the world, whilst only a few miles away, are areas of almost entirely natural countryside.

At the same time however, there are some areas in Hong Kong where landscape is threatened by inappropriate development or land use.

In a general sense, landscape can be defined as "the appearance of land".

Landscape is everywhere. It encompasses the whole of the natural and man-made environment, urban or rural.

The term 'landscape' also refers to the shapes and colours of the environment, and reflects the way in which these various elements combine to create specific patterns and pictures that are distinctive.

In cities, the visual patterns of streets, open spaces and trees, and their inter-relationships within the built environment are important parts of our wider urban landscape heritage.

Our landscape is an asset which:

• contributes to our well-being;

• helps to define the identity of a city;

• provides habitats for wildlife; and

• is part of our culture and heritage.

Attractive landscape can be a catalyst to our economy by attracting more tourists and overseas investors.