Please scroll down for English & the petition statement.
各位專業界、文化界與學界的朋友，
支持利東街爭取的網站已經完成。(專業界、文化界與學界就利東街的呼籲：請看文章下方)
因為閣下傳來有關願意作為簽名運動的發起人或發起團體以至參加簽名的通知，可能是我們不能親手更改東西之後，所以也請大家到網站查證，如果有錯漏的話，
請多多包涵，也請幫忙 自行重新簽署。如果閣下希望在名字後面加上名函或界別，也請在填寫名字的一欄，自己名字之後加上名函或界別。
懇請大家把這個簽名運動廣傳出去。網站連結如下：（在網上還可以選擇語言）
中文版
http://leetung.no-ip.org/zh-tw
English version
http://leetung.no-ip.org/en
謝謝大家。
司徒薇 上
Dear friends,
The Online Signature Campaign of the Appeal from Professionals,
Academics and Cultural Practitioners on the Lee Tung Street Project is
ready.
As some of you might have given me your consent and details (to be
initiator/initiating organization or signatory) after a point when we
no longer manually add or change things, please go online to check
your status.
We apologize if you do not see yourself there or your information
needs changing. Do please sign up again.
If you want to add your title, please write it in the name slot after
your name.
Also, please pass the message widely to your Professional, Academic
and Cultural Practitioner friends.
Once you get to the page, you can choose the preferred language . The
link is as follows:
中文版
http://leetung.no-ip.org/zh-tw
English version
http://leetung.no-ip.org/en
Million thanks.
Mirana Szeto
專業界、文化界與學界就利東街的呼籲
要對話、不要對抗
立即停止清拆利東街；
就「姻園」主題商場方案作公眾諮詢；
徹底檢討《市區重建策略》
「保存地方特色」、「保存區內居民的社區網絡」、「改善市區居民的生活質素」是市建局成立的理據，但到目前為止，還是停留在名不副實的口號層次，完全談
不上市建局新主席張震遠說的「協助舊區居民『脫苦海』」。實際上，市建局以《收回土地條例》強收物業、只談賠償的僵化作風，不單強奪居民的可留可走「選
擇權」，又拒絕任何溝通，絕對不是「以人為本」的做法。如果客氣的說，市建局是「好人做壞事」；不客氣的說，市建局是比地產商更冷酷無情的地皮炒
家。
市建局這種大型推土機的重建方式，西方國家在70代己經停用，因為它造成社會嚴重分化，窮居民被驅離到偏遠地區，原區則高級化變成豪宅區，變相「劫貧濟
富」。進步的做法是推動包括居民參與的小型重建，逐步更新舊區，這樣才能真正保留社區網絡，同時改善生活環境。
利東街的社區保存運動就是要停止這種拒絕溝通、沒有選擇的推土機式重建。街坊在四年裏竭盡全力爭取與市建局及其他政府部門合作、主動提出了獲規劃師學會
嘉許的替代方案﹝啞鈴方案﹞，希望「活化保存」結合了製造、零售及居住用途的中段唐樓。這些努力完全被拒絕。另一邊廂，不受街坊歡迎的市建局發展方案
﹝在公眾諮詢期間， 196份申述，當中 192份反對市建局方案﹞卻輕易獲城規會通過。更令人不解的是，街坊重新提出的「折衷方案」已排期於
2008年1月11日在城規會討論，市建局卻繼續漠視，並加速在聖誕期間拆毀利東街，試圖像去年天星碼頭事件一樣，以「既成事實」抹殺溝通的可能。這正
是為利東街東奔西跑足足十年的葉美容女士憤然絕食抗議的原因。
我們專業界、文化界與學界就利東街重建工作提出以下呼籲：
一、在城規會未討論新的「折衷方案」前，市建局應拿出誠意跟街坊對話，馬上停止清拆利東街唐樓。
二、市建局所提「姻園」主題商場的建議，概念不清，充滿爭議性，亦未能符合文化保育及活化社區的目標，必須先通過公眾諮詢程序才能定案。
三、市建局僵化過時、處處漏洞的《市區重建策略》，正不停地消滅有活力、有特色的街道文化，殘害扎根於地的本土創意產業及守望相助的社區網絡。為了避免
造成更大的社會分化，應馬上徹底檢討《市區重建策略》 。
An Appeal from Professionals, Academics and Cultural Practitioners
on the Lee Tung Street Project
Dialogue Instead of Confrontation
Stop the Demolition of Lee Tung Street
Consult the public on URA's new 'wedding city' proposal
Review the Urban Renewal Strategy
When the Urban Renewal Authority was established in 2001, its 'urban renewal strategy' promises to 'preserve as far as practicable the local characteristics,' 'preserve the social networks of the local community,' and 'improve the quality of life of residents in the urban area.' Unfortunately, all promises remain mere lip-service. The new URA chairman Barry Cheung boasted that the URA 'helps tenants to say goodbye to their miserable living environment.' However, in actuality, the treatment tenants received in previous renewal projects was far from satisfactory. The URA uses the 'Land Resumption Ordinance' to coercively resume properties and leaves tenants no choice but cash compensation. It deprives tenants of the right to choose whether to stay or to leave, and deprives them of the right to keep or develop their properties. Moreover, the URA often gives a deaf ear to tenants' complaints. Thus, ironically, all its practices violate the 'people- centred' approach enshrined in its 'urban renewal strategy.' The URA proves itself to be an even more ruthless real estate speculator than the private developers.
The 'bulldozer way' of urban renewal practiced by the Hong Kong URA has long been abandoned by western countries in the seventies due to its de facto consequence of gentrifying old districts and pushing underprivileged citizens away from the city centre. A better and more progressive mode is to let tenants participate in small scale renewal projects. In this way, the original economic and social networks can be kept intact, and the community living environment can be improved at the same time. The Lee Tung Street community movement was created to stop this 'bulldozer way' of urban renewal. In the past four years, the tenants did their utmost to successfully come up with the city's first participatory urban renewal plan as an alternative to the URA
proposal. Their plan calls for the preservation of about 30 tenement buildings in the middle of the street, their special character being the mixed residential, small industrial and retail land use.
Surprisingly, although their plan won the silver award of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners, it was still rejected by the government, while the unpopular master layout plan set out by the URA (which received 192 negative official written opinions out of 196) was passed by the Town Planning Board without hesitation. Even more
discouragingly, the URA violates all due process to continue the demolition of Lee Tung Street during the Christmas holidays, BEFORE the Town Planning Board can hear the second proposal to redevelop Wedding Card Street put forward by the Lee Tung Street (H15) concern group on 11th January, 2008. It was a repetition of the Star Ferry
demolition strategy. The government attempts to create a fait accompli to shut up further protests by accelerating the demolition. May Yip, a long time member of the H15 concern group, was so furious to witness the demolition she decided to start an unlimited hunger strike. This was after she has done all she could in the past ten years of struggle.
As members of the professional, academic and cultural circle, we urge:
1. the URA to stop the demolition immediately until the town planning board discusses the second application of the concern group. It should engage the tenants in the planning process during this time.
2. the URA to consult the public on its controversial 'wedding city' plan before implementation.
3. the government to review the Urban Renewal Strategy thoroughly. The URA is killing Hong Kong's vibrant street culture, precious old neighborhoods and local creative businesses.