The Institute of Community Making made our first appearance in ReThink HK 2023 as our Convenor Francis Ngai and Executive Director Florence Cheng each moderated a panel discussion on how we can uplift communities with design and community making initiatives.
The first panel, titled “Community Making: Creating a culture for social and economic value creation”, brought together stakeholders across the profit-making- nonprofit spectrum as we had representatives from Hong Kong property developers/conglomerates, academia and consultants, echoing our founding ethos that views community development as a spectrum. One key learning point from the four case studies discussed is partnership being the key to ensure place-based knowledge transfer and long-term investment in the neighbourhood. In particular, partnership between the leading organisations and local residents/existing community organisers was highlighted as this trust cannot be gained overnight. It requires regular communication between the parties and time definitely sows the seeds - sometimes it even takes a decade to reach the milestone!
To build trust, process is what matters. The second panel, titled "Fireside Chat: What’s Next to Reset Places for Prosperity", picked up from this thread to focus on how design is about how the process is reiterated rather than solely putting the limelight on the product/result. Reflecting on the journey to enhance wellbeing in public housing estates, the panellists shared that they have adopted a start-up mentality to really understand the residents’ needs and desires and develop different scenarios that invite public agencies, public, and nonprofit organisations to collaborate with one another in order to fill the societal gaps and enhance overall wellbeing of the neighbourhood.
A common theme that runs through both panels is the need for practitioners and business leaders to let the “expert mentality” go as we engage in community making initiatives - instead, put our trust in local residents, practise active listening and leverage our professional expertise to convert living experiences into the guide to devise the way forward for the neighbourhood that matches with residents’ needs and aspirations.
We must thank our fellow panellists who shared their invaluable experience and insights with us onstage, in particular, Ms Winnie Ho, Secretary for Housing of the Hong Kong SAR Government. This was a gratifying exchange, and we cannot be more excited to bring more of these to our partners and friends in the future! Do get in touch if you and your organisation would like to share your community making experience with us and disseminate your knowledge through our platform.
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