Civic Exchange

Civic Exchange
Formation September 2000
Type Public policy think tank
Headquarters 23/F, Chun Wo Commercial Centre, 23–29 Wing Wo Street, Central, Hong Kong
Chief Executive Officer
 Maura Wong
Key people
 Christine Loh
Affiliations Pro-democracy camp
Website www.civic-exchange.org
Civic Exchange
Traditional Chinese 思匯政策研究所
Simplified Chinese 思汇政策研究所

Civic Exchange is a Hong Kong-based, non-partisan public policy think tank and registered charity. It was founded by former Legislative Council of Hong Kong member Christine Loh (陸恭蕙), and environmental researcher Lisa Hopkinson (何麗莎).[1]

Civic Exchange positions itself as "Hong Kong’s independent think tank" [2] and applies the organisational concept of creating a think tank that can add intellectual capital to Hong Kong society using a cooperative structure. Much of the group’s work is to consider public policies and how to help the Hong Kong public make sense of complex issues and find better solutions to challenges and problems.[3] The organisation’s activity generally falls into one of three main fields focused on Hong Kong's overall well-being: sustainable urban planning, environment and conservation, and the improvement of regional air quality.

Mission

Civic Exchange is an independent Hong Kong-based public policy think tank that was established in September 2000. With the mission to advance civic education and engage society to shape public policy, Civic Exchange undertakes research in air quality, nature conservation and urban environment.

Partners

As a think tank, Civic Exchange cooperates with many different components of society to produce its publications and organise its events. This includes government departments, legislative bodies, educational institutions, local and international businesses and organisations, working professionals and ordinary members of the community.

In various ways, Civic Exchange works with each for research, public outreach, organisation of venues for events, and to improve dialogue between civil society and the government.

Main areas of focus

Air quality management[4]

Civic Exchange is dedicated to research and engagement, with the goal of influencing government policy on air quality. Over the years, it has conducted numerous local and regional research studies on topics such as roadside emissions, environmental governance, public health and Pearl River Delta (PRD). Their latest research PM2.5 Pollution along the Tramway argued that the Government should make it a policy priority to improve roadside air quality in major urban street canyons, such as the main traffic corridors along the tramway, to a level where people’s health can be protected.

To tackle emissions from shipping and port activities in Hong Kong and the PRD region, Civic Exchange has also been actively researching the extent and impact of ship emissions in the region and facilitating discussions for local and regional governments, shipping and container terminal industries, and air quality and logistics experts since 2006.

Nature conservation[5]

Civic Exchange has been addressing conservation and development in a balanced approach. Their research and engagement work applies the principles of the CBD to benchmark world-class practices for conserving nature in Hong Kong. They steer decision and policy makers towards actions based on sound ecological principles is applied beyond our work on nature conservation, but is adapted on a range of other policy priorities at Civic Exchange including research on air quality management, water resource management, transport and urban planning as well as social sustainability.

In 2014, the Environmental Investigation Agency’s report Routes of Extinction identified Hong Kong as a major smuggling hub for illegal timber and, like many other wildlife products coming through Hong Kong. Later the year Civic Exchange published Taking from the Wild: Moving Towards Sustainability in Hong Kong's Wildlife Trade[6], which provides an account of the current complex state of wildlife trade in Hong Kong, hoping this report can inform policymakers and the community about the steps and actions required to help Hong Kong and its trading partners develop a sustainable model of extracting precious resources.

Urban environment

Civic Exchange is committed to make Hong Kong a more liveable city through raising awareness and promoting fresh thinking among policy-makers and the public. We have conducted research on diverse issues including sustainable transport planning, land policy, waterfront design, urban renewal, the small house policy, walkability, and public open space. Civic Exchange has also organised conferences and other events on walkability and other transport and city planning issues.

Civic Exchange first published a policy review of the Small House Policy in 2003 in Rethinking the Small House Policy, followed by the publication of Small House Policy II: An Update in 2013, and in their latest report Small Houses, Big Effects: Public Opinion Survey on the Small House Policy[7] is published in 2015 help stakeholders consider the best approach to initiate an inclusive community dialogue on this topic.

Civic Exchange has developed a strong interest in Hong Kong’s walkability over the last few years. A research report Walkable City, Living Streets[8] was published in October 2012. Civic Exchange will be hosting the first Walk21 international conference in Asia and the 17th in the series, it is an international conference on walkability to champion the development of healthy and sustainable communities where people choose to walk. The conference will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 3–7 October 2016, to address the value on walking as human nature, the motto of this conference is "Walking puts people first".

Other programme areas

Aside from the main focuses addressed through Civic Exchange’s publications and events, the organisation also runs other programmes.

Internship programme[9]

Civic Exchange offers internship programme in research and communication field. Internship in research are open during summer months (May to August), the internship aims to challenge interns on an intellectual level while fostering curiosity and passion for public policy research. Internship in communications aims to receive a spectrum of opportunities to go into running a think tank, engaging the community through social media and web strategy, and experiencing the practices for securing corporate and foundation resources.

Talks and seminars

As a think tank, Civic Exchange has been holding talks, workshops and public discussion to generate engagement from government, academics, NGOs and a broader public, to search for actionable solution and drive change in public policy and behavior. Past speakers have been politicians, scholars and businessmen, including Prof Dan Bodansky, Matt Postles, Dave Ho, Silvia Ding, Sum Yin Kwong, Tze Wai Wong, Prof. Allen Zheng, Penelope McDaniel, Eddie Fish, Arthur Lui, Vinay Patwardhan, Prof. Peter Clift, Dr. Jean Philippe Lafore, Prof. Gabriel Lau, Prof. William Lau.

Funding

Civic Exchange is independently funded. Nearly all of the organisation's funding comes from donations on specific projects, rather than general donations. In its 2006–2007 Annual Report, the organisation received 43% of its funding from a broad spectrum of Hong Kong businesses, 29% from Hong Kong individuals, and the rest coming from a combination of local and international non-profits, charitable foundations, and the Hong Kong government.

Publications

Research Reports

Civic Exchange has published more than 190 research reports since 2001. The reports cover environmental, social and economic areas.

Latest research reports

This report studies the attitude of either people directly impacted by the SHP, or the general population, toward the SHP and land use issues in the New Territories. This report aims to fill the gap and help stakeholders consider how best to approach this topic in order to initiate an inclusive community dialogue on the way forward.[10]

This report has engaged Hong Kong Tramways to measure urban air quality on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island along the tramway. With the objectives of measuring PM2.5 concentrations along the tramway, it is to investigate the correlation between street-level air quality and urban morphology.[11]

A public opinion survey is conducted on Hong Kong residents' consumption habits and perceptions regarding bottled water and plastic waste in Hong Kong. The survey aims to help policy-makers develop targeted policies to reduce bottled water consumption and, thereby, reduce plastic waste in Hong Kong.[12]

This report provides an account of the current complex state of wildlife trade in Hong Kong. The selected four cases are used to highlight some common problems in the trade. It is hoped that this report can inform policy makers and the community about the steps and actions required to help Hong Kong and its trading partners develop a sustainable model of extracting precious resources.[13]

This report looks at the latest developments in emission inspection programmes for commercial diesel vehicles, in other parts of the world and identifies the lessons Hong Kong can learn.[14]

This report is published to propose revitalization of Central and convert Des Voeux Road Central, between Pedder Street and Morrison Street, into a green "tram and pedestrian precinct". The report is a practical proposal which would significantly change the image of Central and address the poor air quality in Hong Kong's Central Business District.[15]

This report looks into the paths and actions that Singapore has taken to address their water scarcity issues. By examining the case of Singapore, Hong Kong can reflect on its previous and current approaches to water dependency and consider the way forward.[16]

This report examines how effectively Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) have been employed in Hong Kong, whether the approaches are consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and provide recommendations to enhance the role of SEAs to incorporate the biodiversity aspirations of the Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan into decision making on major programmes, plans and policies.[17]

This research helped inform us that establishing an ECA will bring about the greatest emissions reduction and public health benefits to the whole PRD region. We hope that the current paper can build on the debate and stimulate discussion on establishing an ECA across the PRD, as well as the issues involved.[18]

This report looks into the French experience in handling spent fuel and nuclear waste. It also briefly introduces the relevant experience of a few other countries including Sweden, Switzerland and the US. The report can provide readers with insight on how this important aspect of the nuclear fuel lifecycle is handled and the key lessons we can learn.[19]

Books

Select published books

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://sdsymposium.susdev.gov.hk/txt_eng/speakers28.htm
  2. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/eng
  3. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/eng/about_what_we_do.aspx
  4. ↑ "Civic Exchange". civic-exchange.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  5. ↑ "Civic Exchange". civic-exchange.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  6. ↑ "Taking from the Wild: Moving Towards Sustainability in Hong Kong's Wildlife Trade". civic-exchange.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  7. ↑ "Small Houses, Big Effects: Public Opinion Survey on the Small House Policy (Summary Report)". civic-exchange.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  8. ↑ "Walkable City, Living Streets". civic-exchange.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  9. ↑ "About Us – Civic Exchange". civic-exchange.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  10. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/166723602
  11. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/166723594
  12. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/4816975
  13. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/4816937
  14. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/4816935
  15. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/166723584
  16. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/164987052
  17. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/164987049
  18. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/164987050
  19. ↑ http://civic-exchange.org/en/publications/164987059

External links

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