Kennedy Town

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Kennedy Town
堅尼地城
Neighbourhood
Kennedy Town 3.jpg
Kennedy Town, situated in between Mount Davis and Lung Fu Shan in July 2009
Nickname: 
K Town
Coordinates: 22°16′48″N114°07′30″E / 22.280°N 114.125°E / 22.280; 114.125
Special Administrative Region Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
District Central and Western
Area Sai Wan
District Central and Western District
Population
 (2016)
 • Total54,000 (together with Mount Davis)

Geography

Kennedy Town occupies the northwestern part of Hong Kong Island. It is bordered by the Belcher Bay of Victoria Harbour to the north, by Sulphur Channel to the west, Shek Tong Tsui to the east and Mount Davis and Lung Fu Shan to the south.

Historically, the district's western limit was legally defined as the western boundary of the City of Victoria. However, post-war development south of the boundary – Kennedy Town Service Reservoir Playground, Shun Hing College, Smithfield Garden, Mei Wah Mansion, Wah Fai House, and west of the boundary – Serene Court, The Sail at Victoria, and Island West Transfer Station, are all widely considered part of Kennedy Town. Kennedy Town Service Reservoir Playground, Lap Chee College of Shun Hing College, Block A of Smithfield Garden, Wah Fai House, and Serene Court straddle the boundary of Victoria. Since the borders of Kennedy Town have not officially been redefined, the above properties are technically either partly or entirely outside of Kennedy Town. The eastern boundary was not de jure defined but nevertheless de facto formerly defined as the alley between Belcher Court and Nam Hung Mansion. The border is also evidenced by the bend in the street grid, of which the alley is the axis. Due to the lack of space to relocate the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool for the Kennedy Town station, it had to be moved to Shek Tong Tsui. As a result, the border was de facto redefined as Collinson Street. Phase I of the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool is in Kennedy Town while Phase II is in Shek Tong Tsui. The elderly home in front of The Belcher's, Jockey Club Student Village I, and the Centennial Campus are in Kennedy Town, while The Belcher's itself and the part of The University of Hong Kong from the Chow Yei Ching Building to The Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building are in Shek Tong Tsui.

In 1886, when Arthur Edward Kennedy was governor, land was reclaimed along the coast of Kennedy Town. It formed a narrow coastal strip of land that included the Kennedy Praya and the coastal area from Beach Street via Collinson Street to Shek Tong Tsui. Additional land was reclaimed along the coast of Kennedy Town between 1933 and 1939, but works were suspended before the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. Further reclamation was conducted at the end of the 20th century. [3] [4]

For district council elections purposes, the area roughly corresponds to the "Kennedy Town and Mount Davis", "Kwun Lung" and "Sai Wan" constituencies. [5] The boundaries of such constituencies may be subject to modification. [6]

History

Kennedy Town is the western section of the historical Victoria City. In 1903, the Hong Kong Government erected seven boundary stones for the city, inscribed "City Boundary 1903". One of them is located next to the Kennedy Town Temporary Recreation Ground at Sai Ning Street (西寧街).

Features

Catchick Street in December 2014 Catchick Street 201412.jpg
Catchick Street in December 2014
Davis Street has more bars and western restaurants after the MTR expanded to Kennedy Town in 2014. Taken in July 2016. Davis Street Restaurants 201607.jpg
Davis Street has more bars and western restaurants after the MTR expanded to Kennedy Town in 2014. Taken in July 2016.

Streets

Streets in Kennedy Town include:

Housing

Private housing and Kwun Lung Lau in March 2018 Kennedy Town buildings 201803.jpg
Private housing and Kwun Lung Lau in March 2018

Two of the earliest public housing estates of Hong Kong are located in Kennedy Town: Sai Wan Estate, completed in 1958, and Kwun Lung Lau, built in 1967. More recent luxury residential developments include, The Merton, completed in 2005, which is a high-rise private housing development in the area, as well as Manhattan Heights completed in the year 2000. There are approximately 138 developments [8] in the area.

Following the new MTR extension, new land for potential property developments in the district is in high demand. In a District Council meeting concerning the development of west Kennedy Town in March 2015, the proposed rezoning plan gained general support despite some expressing their worries about the community's carrying capacity. Outlined areas to be rezoned and redeveloped include the ex-Mount Davis cottage area on Victoria Road, the Hong Kong Academy temporary campus and former Police Married Officers Quarters on Ka Wai Man Road, as well as the ex-Kennedy Town Incinerator and Abattoir site on Cadogan Street. The project is expected to provide about 3,000 public and private residential units. For the long-discussed redevelopment project regarding the district's half-century-old buildings, the Housing Authority admitted they have no plans to implement it after considering the costs and effects to rebuild and relocate, which will foreseeably increase the public housing burden. [9]

Historic buildings

Lo Pan Temple in May 2008 Lo Pan Temple 1.jpg
Lo Pan Temple in May 2008

Historic buildings and places in Kennedy Town include:

Facilities

Kennedy Town Swimming Pool in October 2018 Kennedy Town Swimming Pool 2018.jpg
Kennedy Town Swimming Pool in October 2018
Cadogan Street Temporary Garden in March 2018 Cadogan Street Temporary Garden 2018.jpg
Cadogan Street Temporary Garden in March 2018
  • Smithfield Municipal Services Building (士美菲路市政大廈), located at 12K Smithfield, at the corner with Rock Hill Street.
  • Kennedy Town Community Complex, located at 12 Rock Hill Street, adjacent to Smithfield Municipal Services Building. The 16-storey building was completed in May 2006 [12] and won a Certificate of Merit in the 2006 Design Award Scheme. [13]
  • Kennedy Town Swimming Pool, located at 2 Sai Cheung Street North, [14] next to Belcher Bay Park. It opened on 11 May 2011, replacing the swimming pool at Smithfield, demolished to facilitate the construction of Kennedy Town station. [15]
  • Cadogan Street Temporary Garden.
  • Kennedy Town Fire Station, located at the northern end of Smithfield, at the corner with New Praya.
  • Victoria Public Mortuary, located at 34 Victoria Road.

Parks

  • Belcher Bay Park
  • Cadogan Street Temporary Park
  • Forbes Street Temporary Playground
  • Instagram Pier
  • Kennedy Town Temporary Recreation Ground at Sai Ning Street

Demographics

The neighbourhood is primarily Chinese, but a growing number of expats are moving into a number of luxury buildings built along the waterfront.

Transport

Western head of the Hong Kong Tramways line, next to The Merton in Catchick Street in March 2018. Kennedy Town Terminus view 2018.jpg
Western head of the Hong Kong Tramways line, next to The Merton in Catchick Street in March 2018.
MTR Kennedy Town station in December 2014 Kennedy Town Station Exit A 201412.jpg
MTR Kennedy Town station in December 2014

The western terminus of the Hong Kong Tramways is located in Kennedy Town next to The Merton in Catchick Street.

Kennedy Town is also served by Kennedy Town station, opened in 2014 as part of an extension of the Island line of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR).

Education

Kennedy Town is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 11. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and the following government schools: Bonham Road Government Primary School and Li Sing Primary School  [ zh ] (李陞小學). [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Tramways</span> Tram system

Hong Kong Tramways (HKT) is a 3 ft 6 in narrow-gauge tram system in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by RATP Dev, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, with a branch circulating through Happy Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria, Hong Kong</span> Historical city in Hong Kong

The City of Victoria, often called Victoria City or simply Victoria, was the de facto capital of Hong Kong during its time as a British dependent territory. It was initially named Queenstown but was soon known as Victoria. It was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong and its boundaries are recorded in the Laws of Hong Kong. All government bureaux and many key departments still have their head offices located within its limit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shek Tong Tsui</span> Place in Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China

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Connaught Road is a major thoroughfare on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It links Shing Sai Road in Kennedy Town to the west and Harcourt Road in Admiralty to the east.

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Sai Wan, also known as Western district, or simply Western, is an area in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that corresponds to Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Belcher Bay and Kennedy Town. However, Some Hong Kong people consider Kennedy Town as the only part of Sai Wan. It formed part of the City of Victoria. West Point, a former cape where major government structures in Sai Wan are close to, also used to refer to Sai Wan.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Town station</span> MTR station on Hong Kong Island

Kennedy Town is the western terminus of the Island line. The station serves the Kennedy Town area on the northwestern end of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's Road, Hong Kong</span> Series of roads in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praya</span> Promenade by the waterfront in Hong Kong

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield, Hong Kong</span> Street in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong

Smithfield is a street with a length of approximately 1,300 m in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Its northern section is a commercial and residential area, while its southern section is a road connecting it to Pok Fu Lam Road. Smithfield was historically the site of a cattle quarantine depot and a slaughterhouse, and was probably named after its London namesake.

Articles related to Hong Kong include:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Merton</span> Housing estate in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong

The Merton is a high-rise development located in Kennedy Town supplying 1,182 units in total, Hong Kong. The complex consists of three towers. The Merton 1 rises 59 floors and 197 metres (646 ft), and stands as the 60th-tallest building in territory. The Merton 2 and The Merton 3 rise 51 floors and 180 metres (591 ft), and stand as the 100th-tallest buildings in the territory; the two structures are tied in rank with the Sham Wan Towers and Liberté 5 and 6. The complex, composed entirely of residential units, was designed by architectural firm Ronald Lu & Partners and developed by New World Development. Construction began in 1998 and completed in 2005.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Town Swimming Pool</span> Swimming pool in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong

The Kennedy Town Swimming Pool is a public swimming complex in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. There have been two pools of this name. The first iteration opened in 1974 while the current iteration opened in 2011.

References

  1. ↑ "Go West" Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Time Out Hong Kong, 29 March 2011
  2. ↑ In Hong Kong's increasingly gentrified Western District, residents beg bars for a good night's sleep, HKFP,
  3. ↑ Consultancy Agreement No. NEX/1023. West Island Line Environmental Impact Assessment. Final Environmental Impact Assessment Report. Appendix 6.1: "Reclamation History", May 2008
  4. ↑ Kwok, Ka-chun, Peter, "Remodelling U.C. Complex in Kennedy Town", University of Hong Kong, 1995
  5. ↑ District Council electoral boundaries – Central and Western District
  6. ↑ "Public consultation on proposed constituency boundaries for 2011 District Council Election (with photos)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  7. ↑ The Hong Kong Government Gazette, March 19, 1909
  8. ↑ "Kennedy Town Building Index 堅尼地城大廈目錄 | KtownProp". Kennedy Town (堅尼地城) Exclusive Properties & Residents' Network. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. ↑ "Rezoned land in Western District to provide 3,000 new residential units - OKAY.com". www.okay.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Antiquities and Monuments Office: Staff Quarters of the Elliot Treatment Works". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Antiquities and Monuments Office: Former Western Fire Station". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "ArchSD projects", pp. 10–11
  13. ↑ "5454a永利集团网址_主頁". hkfso.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Leisure and Cultural Services Department: Kennedy Town Swimming Pool". Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "Kennedy Town Swimming Pool to open for public use (with photos)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "POA School Net 11" (PDF). Education Bureau . Retrieved 12 September 2022.
Kennedy Town
Traditional Chinese 堅尼地城
Simplified Chinese 坚尼地城
Jyutping Gin1 nei4 dei6 seng4
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Jiānnídìchéng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization Gīn nèih deih sèhng
Jyutping Gin1 nei4 dei6 seng4
Urban areas of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories
Hong Kong 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9a,10,11,12
Flag of Hong Kong.svg
Kowloon KL,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9a,10,11,12
New Kowloon NKL,2,3,4,5,6,7,9a,10,11,12
New Territories
Kwai Tsing District 6,7,9b,10,11
Tsuen Wan District 6,7,9b,10,11
(Except Tsing Chau Tsai Peninsula
on Lantau Island)
Sha Tin District 9b,10
Sai Kung District
(Tseung Kwan O New Town)9b,11,12
Official place names are summarized from "Geoinfo Map" of Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, "Hong Kong Guide" of Lands Department, "Hong Kong Guide Book" of Universal Publications Ltd. and "Areas and Districts" of Rating and Valuation Department.
KL: Kowloon Peninsula at the south of Boundary Street
NKL: Former New Territories area at the north of Boundary Street and at the south of Lion Rock
1: Common definition (1)
2: Common definition (2)
3: Common definition (3)
4: Areas not adopting small house concessionary right of indigenous inhabitants
5: Jurisdiction area of former Urban Council
6: Definition of "Metropolitan Area" of Planning Department
7: Jurisdiction area of Urban Renewal Authority
8: Unique operating area of urban taxis
9: "Urban" (9a) and "Extended Urban" (9b) areas defined by Hong Kong Housing Authority
10: Definition of Urban rates
11: Hospital cluster belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon
12: Police region belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon
13: Regions having 999-year land lease
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