URA Launches Urban Renewal TV Series to Raise Building Maintenance Awareness and Foster Owners’ Responsibilities
The pace of urban renewal has consistently lagged behind the rate of building ageing. Therefore, relying solely on redevelopment to address building ageing is not feasible. Thorough building rehabilitation and decelerating the ageing process of buildings are key to the success of urban renewal.
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) takes redevelopment and building rehabilitation as its core businesses. These efforts must run in parallel. On one hand, the URA promotes the redevelopment of aged and dilapidated buildings. On the other hand, it encourages and supports owners in maintaining and repairing their buildings to extend their lifespan.
Over the past years, the URA has taken various initiatives to raise owners' awareness and fulfill their responsibilities for building rehabilitation. It also emphasised the concept of “prevention is better than cure”, and promoted a gradual shift from “corrective maintenance” to “preventive maintenance”. In addition to providing various building rehabilitation subsidy schemes, the URA acts as a “pioneer” and “facilitator” in preventive maintenance. It trails pilot preventive maintenance programmes in self-developed projects, facilitates owners and property management companies in formulating maintenance plans, and launched the “Preventive Maintenance Subsidy Scheme” to assist owners in undertaking preventive maintenance and establishing financial reserves in advance.
To deepen owners' awareness and understanding of building maintenance, the URA has stepped up its promotional efforts to make information more accessible. To this end, the team has collaborated with a media organisation to launch a 15-episode TV series aimed at educating citizens about the importance of maintaining building conditions, raising owners’ awareness of building rehabilitation and their responsibilities.
The TV series begins airing on Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) from 6 January, for three consecutive weeks from Monday to Friday. Each episode features a two-minute short drama providing insights from the owner’s perspective related to building maintenance, repair and management at different stages of property ownership, both before and after purchasing a property. It will also deliver other key messages including legal liabilities of property owners, the relationship between building conditions and property values, planning for maintenance and establishing financial reserves in advance.
Delivering the Message of "Act Early, Better Quality" in an Engaging Way
The URA team recognises the importance of instilling the concept of “Act Early, Better Quality” concept in the broader public and engaging young and first-time property owners when promoting building rehabilitation and preventive maintenance. Taking into consideration that maintenance information can be overwhelming and that the idea of preventive maintenance is relatively new, the URA has opted to use television as the promotional medium and short drama as the genre. Through a light-hearted TV series, we aim to deliver rich and practical information in an engaging manner, making it more accessible for the audience to understand.
This TV series, titled “Urban Renewal: Act Early, Better Quality – Owners’ Cooperation Promotes Good Building Condition” presents the experience of a newlywed couple puchasing their first property and their involvement in building management as new homeowners from a first-person perspective. It highlights the roles and responsibilities of property owners in building maintenance, explores the stipulations of the Deed of Mutual Covenant, examines the connection between building quality and property value, discusses the advantages of preventive maintenance, and outlines the URA's support.
The URA has been trialling preventive maintenance in its self-developed residential projects, including Kai Tak Development and eResidence (Tower 1 & 2). Since occupancy, 2 to 3% of monthly management fees of these two projects have been set aside as reserves for future large-scale maintenance. These residential buildings have also devised 10-year maintenance plans and proposed contribution schemes, which are presented to the owners committee for approval and subsequent implementation.
To make the stories convincing, the team chose eResidence, which has been completed for a few years only, as the story’s backdrop to illustrate the "Act Early, Better Quality" concept. The series also features the Building Rehabilitation Resource Centre (BRRC) located at the mall of eResidence, introducing its services and support for property owners, where relevant URA colleagues explain the principles of building maintenance and the owners' repair responsibilities. Special thanks to the owners' committees and management office for their cooperation in completing the filming process smoothly.
Providing Information to Young Property Owners via Social Media
In addition to television broadcast, all 15 episodes will be uploaded to the URA’s YouTube channel to provide the younger generation with relevant information on the internet. The URA has also designed an online quiz game, set to launch on 14, 21 and 27 January on the URA’s social media page, URAmity. The aim is to deepen the audience’s understanding of building maintenance and preventive maintenance knowledge. We encourage everyone to watch the series, whether on television or YouTube, and actively participate in the online game.
Unity is What We Need for Proper Building Maintenance
In addressing the challenges of urban decay and building ageing, the URA emphasises the necessity of collaborative efforts across all sectors of society. With appropriate support, promotional activities, and legal frameworks in place, these challenges can be effectively tackled. The URA will continue to provide technical support and education, encouraging owners to undertake building maintenance and repairs while advocating for preventive maintenance to ensure buildings remain in good condition. Through these, and the collective efforts of property owners, I believe the society can collaboratively address the issue of building ageing and revitalise our urban areas.