Beyond the Margins

A research-driven design project in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong, focusing on elderly informal workers — street vendors, waste pickers, and fruit resellers — who remain largely invisible beneath the area's bustling surface. The design proposes a point-line-area system of inclusive spatial solutions: for those wishing to continue informal work, multi-functional modules and revitalized alleyways provide storage, rest, and basic facilities; for those seeking transition, an Integrated Circular Economy Hub offers skill training and pathways to formal employment. The project weaves dignity and circular value back into the urban fabric of Yau Ma Tei.