Enriching the General Public's Participation with and Cognition of Cultural Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong

Public participation in a range of efforts which have community impact has been used successfully and has been extensively investigated. This study sought to use the case of the heritage conservation of the State Theater in North Point, Hong Kong, a building of cultural interest and architectural merit, employing the Theory of Communicative Action, to investigate how public participation may influence cultural heritage conservation here in Hong Kong. Four informed members of the general public, four heritage activists and four heritage professionals were interviewed, and the progress of the State Theater project was monitored and reported. The study was conducted during a period of social unrest and anti-Government protests in Hong Kong, which were really only quelled by stringent anti-epidemic public health measures, such as the prohibition of public gatherings, introduced following the spread of COVID-19. The study found that public participation in heritage conservation in Hong Kong is not prominent and principally influences whether heritage structures are destroyed or conserved. Public participation was noted to have little influence on the adaptive reuse to which conserved heritage buildings are put, and it is this adaptive reuse which is of potential benefit to the community as a cultural asset. Further, the adaptive reuse often fails to facilitate learning about the past or to promote social development and community enhancement. The Theory of Communicative Action was found to be too ideal to impact current heritage conservation practices in Hong Kong. The State Theater Building is being conserved, after public and heritage activist input agitating for its preservation, but it will be subsumed into a mixed commercial and residential new development, and the use to which the preserved State Theater Building itself is to be put remains unclear. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]