Where is Central?

Central is Hong Kong's central business district. It is located along the northern shore of Hong Kong, and the southernmost part of the Kowloon peninsula. Central is bordered by Admiralty and the west of Sheung Wan. It is also bordered by the mid-levels, although the boundary is not clearly defined. 

Surrounding environment

The main fact about what surrounds central is the sea. The sea is on one side of Central. This is useful for the central pier, as the open sea can enable for the boats to reach their destinations easily. A lot of Central is flat land, so there is not many land formations. The most prominent would be the sea, which is, as previously mentioned, used as a transport route.

Special feature(s)

The statue square located in central is divided into two parts, northern and southern part. There is only one statue remaining and it is located in the southern part. The southern part provides a place for people to rest at whereas the northern part is mainly for sightseeing only. This feature can be considered interesting as it divides Central into two different parts with two completely different purposes.

Land use

The city hall is situated in Central. Well, why is the city hall here? What makes Central so special? Well, as its name suggests, central is the central business district of Hong kong. Thus, people from around the city can gather at one of the most important places in the city, its heart, to discuss on the city's various current matters and affairs.

There are also a multitude of banks located in Central. he most noticeable few are HSBC, Standard Chartered, Hang Seng bank and bank of china. These 4 banks are the only accepted banks that can print currency for Hong Kong. Again, as Central is at the centre of Hong Kong and the fact that it is the cbd, it is easy for people to come here and access the banks. It is also easy for the printed money to be distributed to the rest of the city from the central business district.

Functions

Central may be best known for ifc, one of the biggest shopping malls in hong kong. ifc contains dozens of different shops, with a slew of different kinds of items to choose from. This makes one of ifc’s main functions trade and business.

Most stores make their money by selling branded goods. Brands such as some of the above attract a lot of tourists from overseas to come to ifc in order to obtain them, as they may be cheaper here than where they are from. The fact that they are all located under one roof makes it easier for the shoppers, so they don’t have to travel around the whole of hong kong just to buy certain goods. Since most of these goods are expensive, shopkeepers can earn a substantial amount of money to support themselves by selling them.

However, business is not limited to just ifc. There is also a maritime museum. Museums like these can attract a lot of tourists to visit the area and tour the museum itself. Ticket sales can be a job for people who work here.

ifc does also has its sources of entertainment

Entertainment business like the movie industries may be another source of livelihood for the people working here. With the sale of movie tickets and ifc cinemas being on of the most popular cinemas to go to in Hong Kong, ticket sellers or people who run the cinema will be able to make a living for themselves and their families.

Another function is that ifc provides various transportation services.

There is the mtr station in central. Central provides access to the Tsuen Wan and Island lines. The mtr is a convenient way for people residing in Central to go out using this mode of transport or for people who work in central to use the mtr to go to Central itself. Tourists or just Hong kong residents can also use this station to transition to other lines and go to other areas.

Central is also home to the central pier. This is where people can take ferries to places like Lantau island. People usually take this ferry if they live on one of the islands, or if they are tourists and are going to sightsee. Sometimes people living on Hong Kong island take the ferry to one of the islands to carry out some activities such as hiking or sightseeing.

Central also has multiple bus stops, the most noticeable being the bus terminal right outside of ifc itself. This is useful for people commuting to ifc to buy some goods or meet friends, and for people leaving ifc and going home. It is also convenient for tourists, as they do not have to find a bus terminal, rather, it is beside one of the biggest malls.

Problems due to urbanisation + solutions

PROBLEMS

Traffic congestion is a big problem in Central. Since Central is a big tourist spot, there will always be a lot of vehicles on the road to Central. This is further worsened during Hong Kong's rush hours. As a result, the roads leading into and out of Central are often jammed, causing traffic congestion. Traffic congestion can result in people being late for jobs or school etc.

Another problem of Central is air pollution. As you can see from the picture above, it is rather foggy across the sea. This air pollution is usually caused from the smoke emitted from vehicles, a side effect of the previously mentioned traffic congestion. At some times, when there is no wind and during rush hours, where there is a lot of cars, it is almost impossible to see across the sea, as the pollutants are not able to be blown away. Problems that can originate from air pollution include respiratory diseases.


SOLUTIONS

A possible solution that has been implemented already is the mtr, as it is unaffected by surface traffic. Overhead passes are also being built in central currently, so vehicles will have more alternate routes to travel and not block a single route.

This could also inadvertently solve the rampant problem of air pollution. With less cars on the road, less harmful gases will be emitted. Thus, air pollution will die down and will not be as big as before.

Provided goods

In ifc, the goods provided are mostly high-order goods. Many brands choose to set up shops here as this area is a famous spot for tourists to visit. Hence, they the amount of income will be maximized.  As these are high order goods, a high threshold population is present.

However, low order goods such as food are sold. Big supermarket chains like citysuper, as shown above, have various stores set up across central. These places are most used by people who reside near Central, or can be used by people who live far away, as a specific item might be sold in theses shops. As these are low order goods, a low threshold population is present.

However, in conclusion, I think that overall Central has a high threshold population. Being a very popular tourist destination and one of the most well known, many people will visit this area. As a result, it is vital for a multitude of big name companies to set up one of their stores here to further their profit. As a result of so many big name stores as compared to the the fact that low order good shops are not really as common, there is a high threshold population.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have learnt quite a bit from this project. Usually, when we ourselves visit this area, we are here for entertainment. However, through this project, we got to observe many people who work and live in this area, and we got to go and see many places within Central that we did not even know existed. This project has been quite an eye-opener.