MTR : Smart City Ideas at “Art in MTR” Exhibition

PR059/18 5 July 2018

Smart City Ideas at "Art in MTR" Exhibition

Public space with greening and art not only offers members of the community some much-needed breathing space, but also provides a sense of tranquillity amidst the hustle and bustle in Hong Kong. These were among some of the creative concepts to make better use of public space that were explored by a group of students from secondary schools and tertiary institutions who participated in the "Social Innovation Inventor - Smart City Design Competition". Their suggestions included adding elderly- and environmentally friendly features to enhance walkability as well as using art and history to make the pedestrian experience more enjoyable. Winning designs from the competition, organised and sponsored by the World Green Organisation and MTR Corporation respectively, are on display in an "Art in MTR" exhibition at MTR Sheung Wan and Sai Wan Ho stations starting from today (5 July 2018) until 2 October 2018.

"Apart from the issue of land scarcity, Hong Kong also faces challenges from having an aging population. This competition has guided students to use their creativity to help tackle these social issues while raising their awareness about environmental protection and encouraging them to adopt a healthy and low-carbon lifestyle," said Dr William Yu, Chief Executive Officer of World Green Organisation.

"As a company committed to contributing to environmental protection by providing low carbon transport and creating a more vibrant and vivid travelling experience for everyone to enjoy, MTR Corporation is happy to share the students' interesting and thoughtful urban design concepts with the wider community," said Ms Linda So, Corporate Affairs Director of MTR Corporation.

MTR Corporation offers space at different MTR stations for art exhibitions under the "Art in MTR" programme to promote artistic talent and the public's appreciation for art. Interested artists and organisations may call the MTR Hotline at 2881 8888 for enquiry or submit their proposals to the MTR Corporation.

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About MTR Corporation

MTR Corporation is regarded as one of the world's leading railway operators for safety, reliability, customer service and cost efficiency. In its home base of Hong Kong, the Corporation operates ten commuter railway lines, a Light Rail network and a high-speed Airport Express link on which about 5.8 million passenger trips are made on a normal week day. Another 6.5 million passenger trips are made on the rail services it operates outside Hong Kong in the Mainland of China, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. In addition, the Corporation is involved in a range of railway construction projects as well as railway consultancy and contracting services around the world. Leveraging on its railway expertise, the Corporation is involved in the development of transit-related residential and commercial property projects, property management, shopping malls leasing and management, advertising media and telecommunication services.

For more information about MTR Corporation, please visitwww.mtr.com.hk.

About "Community Connect"

"Community Connect" is the Corporation's platform for initiatives that aims to support everyone from the young to the old while enhancing the liveability of our city. What all the programmes have in common is that they've been carefully developed to nurture the communities we serve, so that together we can grow and thrive in a sustainable Hong Kong. Specifically,

•  We invest in young people as they are our customers, future leaders, innovators, and game changers - supporting their development is an investment in our communities' futures.

•  We contribute to making cities more connected and vibrant through staff volunteering, and collaborating with NGOs and social enterprises to address evolving community needs.

•  We enhance the travelling experience through integrating art into our station architecture and facilitating artists to stage their art-related activities or displays in our stations and malls.

Photo Captions:

1. Winning designs of students on smart city designs are being shown at the "Art in MTR"

exhibition entitled "Social Innovation Inventor - Smart City Design Competition Exhibition". The exhibition will be on display at MTR Sheung Wan and Sai Wan Ho stations starting from today (5 July 2018) until 2 October 2018.

2. Model of the tertiary institution group's champion"www.tree".

3. Model of the secondary school group's champion "Yau Tong Promenade".