Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
In the midst of Hong Kong’s bustling cityscape, a group of urban designers hopes to draw attention to the plants blossoming quietly in this concrete jungle. These plants are more than just decorations; they are a way to build a sense of community.
In 2021, One Bite Social launched the Community Plant Library to share stories of the city’s plants. The idea for this project came from a job invitation to promote sustainability in San Po Kong.
“We initially thought the place was just an industrial area, but after a visit, we found it to be diverse. Many shops have plants. Each plant held a captivating story, like a book waiting to be read,” recalled Sarah Mui, the co-founder of One Bite Social, the charity branch of One Bite, an architecture company that aims to create positive impact through design.
The plant library collected stories from the shops and designed installations about their plants. The team encouraged residents to build connections by donating and adopting plants. They also hosted workshops on topics such as plant dyes and upcycling coffee grounds.
With funding from Partnerships for Community Development, the project expanded to Sheung Wan and Sham Shui Po and ended last October. Mui added that they want to help people see their neighbourhood in a new way through plants.
Blossoming community
Although the project in Sheung Wan has ended, its impact remains. The team trained volunteers to become plant librarians for their neighbourhoods.
They also put together a community map for the residential area with more than 20 spots where people can find plants, learn about their stories and get involved with interactive installations.
Catherine Chao, the urban designer at One Bite Social leading the project, recounted a story from a Japanese cafe, Mixo, where some customers used a nearby Dracaena fragrans to dispose of cigarette butts.
“To address this issue, we placed an ashtray next to the plant with a sign that read ‘Save our plant’. It was helpful as people did place their cigarette butts in the ashtray,” Chao said. “The situation has improved a lot.”
Chloe Ting, another urban researcher, added: “Beautifying [a place] doesn’t require too much work or expertise. Sometimes, you just need to water the plants or pick up cigarette butts to help them contribute and thrive in the community.”
Use the puzzle below to test your knowledge of the vocabulary words in the story.
Suggested answers
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Stop and think: They encouraged shops to buy plants and hosted fun, interactive workshops that educated people about sustainability.
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Think about it: One Bite Social was asked to promote sustainability in San Po Kong and took advantage of the fact that many shops in the area had plants.
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Read and answer: They put an ashtray next to the plant and a sign that said “save our plant”, which improved the issue.