After an extended break, ASSET ARREST is back with EPISODE 15, recorded in Hong Kong in December, when the world was a very different place. I speak to architect and theorist Wallace P. Chang about the city’s aging population, how the unaffordability of housing is impacting the way that young people live, and Hong Kong as a battleground where a conflict between the two systems – the socialist and the capitalist; Chinese and American values – is played out.

Wallace P. Chang is both an architectural practitioner and theorist on urban design, cultural conservation and community participation. His award-winning designs range from urban washroom to university academic building. Also, he is a social activist to promote a civil consciousness on urban environment, community conservation and sustainable planning, including his recent advocacy on the redevelopment planning and architecture of Shek Tsai Leng [Dills Corner Garden] Elderly Caring District. He is a fellow of HKIA; Registered Architect in Hong Kong and China; Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, HKU; Chairman of 1a Space; Director of the Urban Place Research Unit; Visiting Scholar in Harvard-Yenching Institute, Harvard University; Advisory Committee Member on Revitalization of Historic Buildings.

Photo Creator: Vincent Thian