Abstract

Existing urban development is expected to complement the nation’s economy, benefit people’s daily lives, and attract visitors. In urban areas, the quality of the design of the public environment and facilities has been of growing concern in recent years. On one hand, many policymakers, executives, and management parties focus their attention and effort on functional consideration. They consider art only as a kind of “decoration”. On the other hand, some designers and artists point out that the public environment and facilities should provide satisfactory aesthetic appeal to city users. However, many of these designers and artists do not consider the practical constraints of public design in that the design is required to serve the practical needs of city users with diverse needs and preferences. They only want to install some “art pieces” in cities to show their artistic talent yet these art pieces are unable to serve the daily needs of city users. Taking a case study of public design in Hong Kong, this paper advocates a balance between art and function in public design. Regarding the consideration of balance, this paper suggests the matters should be considered on three different levels: policy, implementation, and management.