2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.1.1 Landscape is composed of, and given its character by combinations of natural and man-made features. The Study has classified Hong Kong's landscapes into six broad Landscape Character Types on the basis of different combinations of these features. The following is a description of the characteristics and distribution of these broad types of landscape. Their locations are shown in Figure 2.1. A set of more refined landscape character sub-types at district level are described and mapped in Appendix 1.
2.2 UPLAND COUNTRYSIDE LANDSCAPE - THE BACKBONE OF HONG KONG'S LANDSCAPE
Overview and Context
2.2.1 The majority of Hong Kong's landscape consists of steep, undeveloped mountains and hills, which fall steeply to the coast. Hong Kong's uplands form a pattern of ridges and valleys running for the most part, in a northeast to east/north-east direction. This Upland Countryside Landscape dominates the southern, central and eastern New Territories, as well as northern Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island and occupies around 60% of Hong Kong's land area.
 Upland Countryside Landscape (Sunset Peak, Lantau Island) |
Landscape Character and Components
2.2.2 The Upland Countryside Landscape is generally undeveloped, rugged and tranquil. Above around 300mPD, the uplands consist of craggy peak landscapes. In a small number of cases, flat, elevated upland plateaux landscapes can be found at altitudes above 300mPD.
2.2.3 Between altitudes of 40mPD and 300mPD lie uplands and hillsides landscapes which are steep undulating uplands usually covered by scrub and which are predominantly natural and tranquil.
2.2.4 Between these elevated landscapes lie the valley landscapes, often narrow and steep-sided. In some cases, these are unsettled valley landscapes with natural, tranquil, wooded landscapes which have never been developed or inhabited. More usually, they are settled valley landscapes, which take the form of enclosed landscapes of fields, woods, villages and narrow lanes among fields.
2.3 LOWLAND COUNTRYSIDE LANDSCAPE - THE SETTLED RURAL LANDSCAPE
Overview and Context
2.3.1 Because of its dramatic underlying geology, Hong Kong has few natural lowlands below around 40mPD. Even fewer of these retain their traditional rural land uses and landscape features. Such 'Lowland Countryside Landscapes' are found in small areas in the South East and North East New Territories and on Lantau Island, occupying in total, around 8% of Hong Kong's land area.
 Lowland Countryside Landscape (Shek Kong, Yuen Long) |
Landscape Character and Components
2.3.2 By far the most extensive area of Lowland Countryside Landscape is found in the North West New Territories in a belt between Lau Fau Shan and Sha Tau Kok. This area forms an extensive rural coastal plain landscape with a low-lying, open area of land, historically reclaimed from Deep Bay and forming a striking landscape of tightly packed fish ponds interspersed by occasional trees and buildings.
2.3.3 Further inland, lie scattered and smaller scale rural inland plain landscapes, consisting of a traditional landscape pattern of low-lying topography, arable fields, ponds, villages, blocks of woodland and winding lanes.
2.4 THE RURAL FRINGE LANDSCAPE - RURAL LANDSCAPES IN TRANSITION
Overview and Context
2.4.1 With the change of the rural economy over the last few decades, many formerly agricultural based rural landscapes have been undergoing gradual change. In such areas, the decline of agricultural activities has led to their replacement by non-rural land uses and features, such as open storage, vehicle parking, golf courses and infrastructure development.
 Rural Fringe Landscape (Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long) |
2.4.2 In these locations, the character of the landscape remains predominantly rural, but there is a perceptible increase of development in the landscape. The 'Rural Fringe Landscapes' are found across Hong Kong, but particularly in the lowlands of the North West and Northern New Territories. They occupy around 10% of Hong Kong's land area.
Landscape Character and Components
2.4.3 Typically, these landscapes make up a miscellaneous rural fringe landscape with relict agricultural fields, expanding villages and a diverse land use (e.g. filling of fish ponds, use of fields for open storage parking or horticulture). This results in a very diverse landscape which, though still essentially rural, has lost some of the qualities that contributed to its previous rural character.
2.4.4 Elsewhere, these 'Rural Fringe Landscapes' are created by the flooding of valleys to form reservoir landscapes, or through conversion of lowland areas to provide golf course landscapes.
2.5 THE URBAN FRINGE LANDSCAPE - THE EDGES OF THE CITY
Overview and Context
2.5.1 At the edges of Hong Kong's urban areas, are landscapes that contain many urban features and land uses. However, because of their relatively low density of development or by virtue of the presence of remnant rural features, they cannot be considered to be truly urban. These landscapes are found at the edges of the major urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and also around new towns in the New Territories and on Lantau Island. They occupy around 10% of Hong Kong's land area.
 Urban Fringe Landscape (Shouson Hill, Hong Kong Island South) |
Landscape Character and Components
2.5.2 'Urban Fringe Landscape' includes the landscapes associated with institutions (hospitals, colleges or prisons); transportation corridors (consisting of major highways, railways and their associated features); cemeteries; ongoing reclamations and development works as well as landfills and quarries.
2.5.3 Also at the edges of the urban areas, lie suburban residential urban fringe landscapes in the form of low density residential developments set amidst hillsides and green space.
2.6 THE URBAN LANDSCAPE - THE LANDSCAPES OF TOWN AND CITY
Overview and Context
2.6.1 The proportion of the land area of Hong Kong that is fully urbanised is actually very small and yet these city landscapes are some of the most diverse and memorable of any landscape in Hong Kong. They are found primarily in the major conurbations of Kowloon and northern Hong Kong Island but also across Hong Kong in the new towns of the New Territories and Lantau Island. They occupy around 8% of Hong Kong's land area.
 Urban Landscape (Tai Koo Shing, Hong Kong Island) |
Landscape Character and Components
2.6.2 On the north shore of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula lie the oldest urban landscapes of Hong Kong, characterised by a dense, irregular and organic urban form, building stock of mixed ages, occasional historic buildings and limited vegetation, forming organic mixed urban landscapes.
2.6.3 On the reclaimed shores of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon lie commercial urban landscapes, characterised by densely developed prestige architecture such as those in Central or Tsim Sha Tsui. Mid 20th-century urban landscapes such as those of Wanchai, Yau Ma Tei and Shamshuipo are characterised by their diverse land uses, medium rise development of varying ages, rectilinear street grid and relatively limited vegetation forming a city-grid mixed urban landscape.
2.6.4 At the edges of the urban areas, lie extensive residential urban landscapes, consisting of estates of medium and high-rise residential buildings set in communal landscapes or green space.
2.6.5 Other urban areas which possess their own distinctive landscapes include new towns, urban parks, industrial areas, and small townships (such as Stanley and Sai Kung).
2.7 THE COASTAL WATERS LANDSCAPE - THE 'SEASCAPE'
Overview and Context
2.7.1 Given its coastal location, the sea is a vital component of much of Hong Kong's landscape and these Coastal Waters Landscapes should not be overlooked. They are characterised predominantly by the presence of water, in combination with other landscape components such as islands and maritime features such as vessels or fish farms. Such landscapes are found along the coast of Hong Kong's land mass as well as around outlying islands and occupy around 5% of the total land area. The area of water within Hong Kong's 'Coastal Waters Landscapes' is about 1,636km2.
 Coastal Waters Landscape (Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong Island) |
Landscape Character and Components
2.7.2 Many of these landscapes take the form of enclosed, tranquil bay landscapes whose only features may be fish farms or occasional small vessels. Many such landscapes can be found around the coast of Hong Kong, particularly in the North East New Territories.
2.7.3 Between adjacent areas of land or islands, the Coastal Waters Landscapes take the form of straits landscapes, the most striking of which is Victoria Harbour. With its dramatic surrounding mountains, spectacular urban waterfront and bustling maritime activity, Victoria Harbour is one of the most singular coastal landscapes in the world.
2.7.4 The protection of vessels moored in areas of inshore waters by seawalls and breakwaters leads to the creation of typhoon shelter landscapes, such as those at Causeway Bay, Aberdeen or Cheung Chau.
2.7.5 Elsewhere, at various locations around the coast of Hong Kong but particularly on the coast of Deep Bay in the North West New Territories, the deposition of silts forms low lying inter-tidal coast landscapes of mangroves, reed bed or mud flats which are often habitats rich in flora and fauna.
2.7.6 Further offshore, the coastal waters are open and exposed, punctuated only by occasional vessels or by small island landscapes which, when in groups - such as the Sokos or Po Toi Islands - form striking remote watery landscapes.
