Interviewed by Charlotte Yu (The Urban Collective, 2021)
Enoch Lam — found joy in urban planning ever since discovering the discipline in his senior year of secondary school. Taking on the opportunities to work and study in London, he has recently returned back to Hong Kong working actively as an urban planner in projects like urban renewal and environmental impact assessments.
We interviewed Enoch about his journey learning about planning and working across cities like London and Hong Kong.
What made you choose to study urban planning and urban regeneration?
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I have always wanted to study something related to the built environment since I was young, but back then I didn’t know ‘urban planning’ was a subject. I thought I would do something like interior design or architecture. Until later during my senior year in secondary school, I found out you could specialize in urban planning and have loved it since! As for urban regeneration, after my bachelor’s, I knew I had to study something more niche and UCL offers urban regeneration as a MSc (Master of Science), so I pursued it.
What was the most thought provoking thing you learnt about urban planning/ regeneration during your studies?
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I think many see urban planning / regeneration as similar to playing SimCity. But there’s certainly a lot more than that. I still remember in my first year of university, I had lectures covering informal housing and how different groups of people (gender, race, age, and religion etc.) understand cities differently. It’s so mind-blowing to understand the different aspects of cities. One thing I find most interesting, for example, is the word “home” can have so many different interpretations.
How did you start your career in London as a planner? Were there any challenges when you first started?
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As I was soon approaching the end of my studies in London, I knew I wanted to stay in the UK. The city has so much to offer and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to explore more. Working in London was so fascinating and I had the privilege to see places that are so different from where I grew up. But for sure, there were challenges when I first started. For example, I wasn’t familiar with the local knowledge in certain boroughs yet, so I had to ‘beef up’ my knowledge of the area and represent the local authority as a Town Planner to attend meetings or committees.
Having moved back to Hong Kong to work in the public sector, what differences do you notice between working in the two cities? How did you find the transition as a young planner from one city to another?
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I think working in Hong Kong is definitely easier since it’s my home after all. One thing I do miss about working in the UK is for sure the flexible working hours and all the classic British ‘small-talks’! To be honest, I did struggle for a while when I first moved back to Hong Kong because neither had I studied in Hong Kong nor worked as an intern here. My knowledge about the planning system in Hong Kong was very minimal. It took me a long time to study the whole system and understand relevant planning issues from scratch.
What does your day look like working in the Planning Department of Hong Kong?
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My day in the Planning Department is interesting. I get to follow a number of Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) studies and s.16 (application on Outline Zoning Plan or Development Permission Area Plan), s.12A (plan amendment) applications. I do have to liaise with different professionals, consultants and applicants too.
Can you share with us a project you’ve currently worked on?
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One of the bigger projects that I am currently on is the Tung Chung New Town Extension. The extension consists of two areas in Tung Chung East and West. The extension will include two new railway stations, residential areas, commercial shops and a new promenade etc. It’s always fascinating to be involved in projects like this and get to see the design schemes and guidelines before everyone else!
What are some opportunities and challenges for urban planning/ regeneration in Hong Kong?
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The opportunities in Hong Kong are far beyond imaginable, and there is so much to offer, such as Kai Tak, Tung Chung, Siu Ho Wan, Yau Tong and MTR lines extension. However the more spoken planning challenges without a doubt are unaffordable housing and shortage of land. We have been battling this for years and it is still an occurring heated issue within the local regime.
Do you have any tips for students who may want to work in urban planning in Hong Kong in the future?
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Read the news and policies from time to time! Try to find some merits in other cities you think are successful and bring them back to Hong Kong!
Enoch Lam completed the Master of Science in Urban Regeneration at University College London. Recently finishing his role as Town Planning Graduate with the Planning Department of Hong Kong, he is now working as a Town Planner with Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation Limited.
Connect with Enoch on LinkedIn here.
The Urban Collective 