Dear Editor

The cover of Volume 48 (May 2020 issue) of your journal features a photo of an anchored man-made slope covered with an extensive system of grid beams and concrete surface, without any hint of slope greening. This photo is not representative of the conditions of upgraded man-made slopes in Hong Kong and may give a false impression that slope upgrading works turn man-made slopes into eyesores and cause adverse visual impact.

One of the HKSAR Government’s priorities in upgrading man-made slopes, as mentioned in the Cover Story of that issue, is to make the upgraded slopes look as natural as possible by state-of-the-art landscape treatment. According to the Technical Guidelines promulgated by the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, native flora should be planted on upgraded slopes to create a more visually pleasing and sustainable slope environment. Depending on the slope gradient, different types of native flora including trees, shrubs, grass and climbers should be planted as far as practicable to enhance the slope aesthetics, ecology and biodiversity. As highlighted in the Cover Story of that issue, government slopes upgraded under the GEO's Landslip Prevention and Mitigation Programme are in compliance with this guideline. There are plenty of successful cases of greening of upgraded slopes around Hong Kong. Notable examples include the greening and upgrading of an unsightly bare slope along Bowen Road overlooking urban Hong Kong, and the enhancement of a series of substandard slopes along South Lantau Road, both of which received positive media coverage.

Please refer to the links below showing the successful greening cases for the slopes in Hong Kong.

• https://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/geo/greener-slopes-better-cityscape/index.html
• https://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/geo/south-lantau/index.html

The cover photo of the concerned issue, which features an unsightly upgraded man-made slope covered with concrete without any greening, is not representative of the actual condition in Hong Kong. Where was this photo taken? We are interested to know. We suspect that the cover photo might have been selected from a professional creative perspective with a view to offering a better artistic expression and stimulating the interest of readers. However, this photo can also mislead readers to associate upgraded man-made slopes in Hong Kong with massive concrete structures without greening measures, which is far from the truth. While we would like to express our concern with respect to the above, as it is a Cover Story, we expect that the communication would be improved in the future.

Yours faithfully

Ir Maureen NG
Chairlady
The HKIE Geotechnical Division for Session 2020/2021

Thank you for sharing with us and readers the latest development on slope upgrading works in Hong Kong.

In response to your enquiry on the slope featured in the cover of the May 2020 issue, it is in fact a generic visual used to capture "landslip prevention" in a purely communication perspective as suggested by the cover design house, who also advised that no information regarding the location of where the stock photo was taken was available. The technical perspective will be taken into consideration in future designs to better deliver the essence of the Cover Story.

We value your feedback and look forward to the future article contribution from the GE Division to Hong Kong Engineer.

The Editorial Office