Lai Chi Wo, Hong Kong 

Problem statement

In its heyday, Lai Chi Wo fed more than a thousand villagers. Farmlands once extended up to the hilltop. However, much of these farmlands have lain abandoned since 1950s due to a wave of migration to foreign countries and to the urban areas and the severe competition from the agricultural market. Gradually, the natural and social capital of the place were disappearing, and the village was largely depopulated. As the village is located remotely from the urban cores and without any vehicular access, it has limited options in terms of social and economic development. A new and more sustainable revitalization pathway should be developed. The revitalization model will also provide important reference to other rural communities in Hong Kong and in the region facing similar challenges.    

Community-based and integrated approach to rural revitalization

• Interdisciplinarity (drawing upon different expertise and bodies of knowledge)
• Collaboration (engaging with different communities of interest in and beyond the rural area)
• Innovation (co-creating novel solutions to social and environmental challenges)
• Resilient development (continually nurturing social ventures and collective actions across scales and scopes to cope with the changing environment)

Insights and Implications

The revitalization focuses on mobilising actions of the local community by socio-economic models emphasising the role of rural community for the benefit of the wider Hong Kong society. Based upon a collaborative and solidarity approach, these models have strengthened a viable sustainability model that can be replicated by nearby villages and similar rural areas in the region. Some specific insights are listed below:

• Rural-urban interconnections
• Establishing a culture of collaboration
• Building networked institutions
• Bridging organization
• Scaling up