The past, the present, and the future of acoustics in Hong Kong

Abstract

Accommodating over 7 million population in about 1100 km2 area, Hong Kong is truly a densely populated city. Also, with its almost 24-hour non-stop activities, Hong Kong is a vibrant and dynamic city. These two factors undoubtedly put environmental noise like traffic noise and neighborhood noise center of public concerns. Hence, combating environmental noise became the top priority in the development of acoustics in Hong Kong. With further developing into an international finance center in which luxurious hotels plus sophistically designed performance centers were planned and built, excellent knowledge and experience of indoor acoustics and architectural acoustics became mostly needed. These spectacular demands set path for collaborations for local and overseas acoustic researchers, academia and professionals in spearheading initiatives like a noise-heath study associated with over 10,000 household surveys; the world first ever three-dimensional traffic noise mapping; the largest theatre for Xiqu (the Chinese traditional opera) and currently the largest number of residential developments applying open-typed windows for noise amelioration. This paper gives a summary of the developments of acoustics in Hong Kong, reviews its current status and portrays its future including the discussion of how the acoustical professionals and academics in Hong Kong would benefit from international collaborations and educations in acoustics in the years to come.