It is well-known that Waikiki must "re-design" itself in order to sustain its economic viability...and its economic health is directly linked with that of the state. Recent changes in Waikiki's zoning regulations will aid in these necessary changes, but bring with them an accompanying concern about too many buildings and not enough open space. The challenge is to change what doesn't work about the design of Waikiki in the context of what does.
The Ala Wai Canal is another area poised for change, as its bank will soon be altered to accommodate pedestrians headed for the new convention center. Our thoughts need to be expansive - what other new developments should there be? - and they need to be inclusive - how else can this urban waterway contribute to a positive sense of place for Honolulu?
The Honolulu International Airport needs substantial updating in order to maintain its status as a major international destination airport. The incorporation of current technology necessitates physical design changes and, at the same time, also offers an opportunity to shape the experience from a feeling level of travelers and residents as they pass through.
Similarly, the new First Hawaiian Bank building has added interest to Honolulu's skyline, but its most personal contribution can be found in the small plaza at the base of the tallest downtown high-rise, which people use and experience every day.
Carrying off any urban design solution is likely to be complex and involves participation from all levels within the private and public sectors. Because the challenges we face in shaping public places in Honolulu are not unique to our city, we can benefit by looking toward booming Asian-Pacific cities for insights on successful development of public places.
A few blocks from the recently completed, world's tallest Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, is the Linear City Project, the center of which is a megastructure called the Giga World. When completed, it will be the longest mix-use building in the world, spanning 1.4 miles over a polluted river.
Giga World is connected by a monorail system and features a man-made stream inside a climate-controlled environment. The Linear City is a 10-mile-long in-city urban redevelopment project. The goal of the development is to make Kuala Lumpur the major tourist and business center in Asia.
This ambitious project encompasses nearly all the issues of any contemporary urban development project in Honolulu, except that the controversies and debates are perhaps much greater in magnitude due to the immense scale of the project.
The master-mind and the developer of the Linear City Project, David Chew, an MIT-trained planner-engineer, will be in Honolulu next week to discuss his linear city concept at the Second International Symposium on Asia Pacific Architecture: The Making of Public Places, sponsored by the University of Hawaii School of Architecture.
Along with Chew the symposium will feature a distinguished list of speakers, including architect-planner Gary Hack, who will present his master planning work on Bangkok and other major Asian cities; urban designer Weiming Lu, who is the planning consultant for Beijing and Tai-pei; landscape architect Peter Walker, former principal of the internationally known firm of Sasaki, Walker of Boston; Washington D.C. architect Raj Barr Kumar, national president of the American Institute of Architects; national president of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Professor Donald Leslie of Penn State University; and more than 30 other presenters.
The Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, under the leadership of president Dan Chun and Benjamin Lee, deputy director, Mayor's Office, will present several Honolulu projects as case studies. These projects include the Waikiki Redevelopment area, State Capitol District, Ala Wai Canal, Honolulu Waterfront, and other public spaces, in an effort to showcase our beautiful city while tapping into the expertise and knowledge base of this professional group.
The public is invited to attend this four-day event scheduled for April 9-12. Information can be obtained by calling UH Architecture Symposium coordinators at 956-7084 or 956-3469, or though e-mail: archsymp@hawaii.edu.