Evaluation of the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade in Hong Kong

Introduction

The West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade is a part of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) which is a integrated district of entertainment, art and culture developed by government. The major construction works of WKCD will be conducted in phases starting from 2013 (West Kowloon District Authority, 2012). The Promenade regarding as the phase 1 is opened for public daily mainly for leisure activities (Development Bureau, 2005). Different types of events were held in the Promenade including the Wine & Dine Festival, Hong Kong International Jazz Festival and the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.

The following paragraphs are going to evaluate the Promenade based on venue size and facilities, accessibility, supporting facilities and sustainability.

Venue size and facilities

The size of the Promenade is 20,000m2 along with a 400m long and 6m wide timber walkway which located at the southern tip of West Kowloon with the scenery of Victoria Harbou (Development Bureau, 2005). It provides spacious outdoor space for different kinds of events and activities. The facilities provided mainly for leisure activities plus some basic facilities, such as toilet and carpark (Development Bureau, 2005).

The crucial factors of a successful event is the right amount of usable space to accommodate the size of expected attendees and also the space occupied by structures, activities and the facilities provided (Irish Rugby Football Union, 2008). Event organizers have greater flexibility to design the venue with the sufficient space provided by Promenade which is according to the needs, form and style of the event. For instance, the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival 2011 was setup with total 280 booths of dishes and wine for taste demonstration, tasting pavilions, dining area and main stage for performance and activities (Hong Kong Economics and Trade Offices in the United States, 2012). Sufficient spaces were provided for each booths and others facilities within walking...