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Supporting Material 2: Characteristics of the 10 urban outdoor public places selected for observation

Hong Kong, where is located at the south-eastern tip of China, is a world-class financial, trading and business centre in Asia-Pacific Region. It has about 6.9 million residents in 2006 and a high population density of 6,350/km2. Hong Kong is comprised of 18 districts and our 10 selected hotspots for the main study are located in 6 of them. The information below shows the characteristics of each hotspot and its respective district.

  1. Central & Western District (including Shun Tak Centre at Sheung Wan, Melbourne Plaza at Central and Admiralty Centre at Admiralty)

Central & Western District is a commercial, financial, legal and political centre. With an area of 1,240 hectares, the district has a residential population of about 267,000 plus a transient population of about 300,000. Over 90% of the population reside in private housing, with luxury homes on the Peak and in the Mid-levels and the old tenements in Sheung Wan and Sai Wan.

Shun Tak Centre at Sheung Wan is a commercial and transport complex. Apart from Hong Kong residents, foreigners are easy to be seen at this site. The hotspot was located at the main entrance of the Centre and is an outdoor public area.

Both MelbournePlaza at Central and Admiralty Centre at Admiralty are mainly office buildings. Crowds of people can especially be seen during lunch time and after working hours. The hotspots were outside the main entrance of both buildings.

  1. Eastern District (including Tai Koo Place at Tai Koo)

Eastern District lies in the north-eastern part of Hong Kong Island and has a total area of about 1,900 hectares, from Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter in the west to SiuSai Wan in the east. With a total population of about 590,000 residents, Eastern District is one of the most densely populated districts in Hong Kong.

Tai Koo Place is a commercial complex of nine office towers. A vast number of businessmen can be observed at this place. Tai Koo Place is managed by a private organization and outreach interventions could not be conducted within it. Thus, the hotspot was located near Tai Koo Place and Quarry Bay Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station.

  1. Kowloon City (including Festival Walk at Kowloon Tong)

Covering an area of approximately 1,000 hectares, Kowloon City District is chiefly a residential area with a population of about 362,501. The majority of its population dwell in private housing, including old tenement buildings, private residential developments and low-rise villas.

Festival Walk at Kowloon Tong is a shopping arcade which is next to the MTR Station and The City University of Hong Kong. The hotspot was outside one of the major entrances of the building with a shelter for pedestrians.

  1. YauTsimMong District (including MongKok East MTR Station, Star Ferry Pier at TsimSha Tsui and New Town Mall at MongKok)

YauTsimMong District is situated on the southern part of the Kowloon peninsula. It is bounded by the waterfront to the south and the west, the Kowloon-Canton Railway line to the east and Boundary Street to the north. The total gross land area is approximately 7 km2 andthere are about 278 400 residents.

MongKokEast MTR Station is next to a shopping arcade and a hotel. Thehotspot was outside the entrance of the station which has a shelter for pedestrians.

TsimSha Tsui is a tourist centre with many high street stores, museums and historical buildings. Star Ferry Pier provides services across VictoriaHarbour from Kowloon peninsula to Hong KongIsland. Under a shelter, the hotspot was next to the entrance of the pier.

As a centre for youngsters, New Town Mall at MongKok is a famous shopping mall and next to MongKok MTR station. Groups of teenagers gather outside the mall especially after school and at weekends. The hotspot was outside the main entrance of the mall.

  1. Tsuen Wan District (including Tsuen Wan MTR station)

Tsuen Wan covers an area of 6 000 hectares and has a population of 290 000.It has become the transportation centre for the western part of the New Territories as well as a gateway to the airport due to the rapid changes in recent years. Tsuen Wan MTR station which is located at the centre of the district is surrounded by shopping malls, residential buildings and public transport interchanges. The hotspot was near one of the two entrances of the station and under a shelter.

  1. KwaiTsing District (including Kwai Fong MRT station)

KwaiTsing is situated in southwest New Territories. It comprises KwaiChungDistrict (with an area of 1,023 hectares) and Tsing Yi Island (with an area of 960 hectares)with a population of around 516,600. Kwai Fong MTR station is next to several shopping malls which are mainly targeting youth customers. The hotspot was outside one of the five entrances of the station and closed to the shopping malls.

Note: The above information is from the website of The District Council of Hong Kong.