Walking Tour: Barbican on Foot - In Dialogue with Hong Kong's Walkway Culture
Community and Wider Programmes
26 Sept 2026 (Sat) • 14:00-16:00 • Barbican (full details will be shared upon successful registration)
Courtesy of Mike Hinder / Unsplash
The concept of ‘streets in the sky’ took root in post-war Britain, yet never quite flourished — today, traces of that vision survive only around the Barbican. Hong Kong, by contrast, was shaped by the same British planning ideology, and its network of elevated walkways has long become an indispensable part of urban life, from commercial centres to new towns. In recent years, a new wave of commercial development around the Barbican has brought fresh momentum to what was once an unfinished aerial network, extending it further than before. Walking through this system where old and new intersect each day, my feet instinctively recall the elevated walkways of Sha Tin New Town and Central's business district — and one cannot help but wonder: how did the elevated walkway cultures of Hong Kong and London come to take such different paths?
This walking tour invites you to explore the Barbican’s elevated walkway network, tracing its past and future, while reflecting on the similarities, differences, and shared origins of elevated walkway culture in both Hong Kong and London.
Conducted in Cantonese with English live interpretation.
Hosted by and presented in partnership with Urban House Hong Kong.
