PLACEMAKING ACADEMY

Launched in 2019, the Swire Properties Placemaking Academy offers HK university students a rare opportunity to take the lead in designing, planning and executing the White Christmas Street Fair; the company’s annual year-end community celebration, and one of HK’s biggest and most popular seasonal events.

In addition to hands-on experiences, students will be mentored by the Company’s senior management, event-planning experts, and thought leaders from the design and community-planning industries.

Placemaking Academy 2024

JULY 2024 - DECEMBER 2024

Swire Properties Placemaking Academy 2024 is a competition that welcomes students from all Hong Kong universities. It will once again put the next generation of local youth in the spotlight, as they work together during a six-month apprenticeship to make the White Christmas Street Fair a greener, smarter and more engaging event for the greater Hong Kong community.

Students join as a team with four participants. They will pitch ideas to the organisers, with a maximum of two teams winning a paid six-month project apprenticeship at the Swire Properties Placemaking Academy, that will allow students to obtain credits considered in the course structure diagram of their degree.

During the apprenticeship they will learn from the Company’s senior management and event-planning experts, as well as from a host of thought leaders from the design and community-planning industries. Most importantly, they can further develop their innovation skills and broaden their horizons.

Urban Furniture

Functional & cutting-edge urban furniture for the community

“Hive”, “Infinity” and “Keep Stepping” were created with two main purposes: youth empowerment and creating something truly unique for the greater Taikoo community to enjoy.

Power by the talent of 50 Swire Properties Placemaking Academy (SPPA) alumni (design & prototypes) and brought to life by three young local designers (creation), the Urban Furniture Project seamlessly combines sustainability, design excellence, art and Swire Properties’ placemaking vision.

These pieces – made from upcycled and local materials – can be found in Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay at: Taikoo Square (Infinity and Keep Stepping), Plug & Play by Blueprint at Oxford House (Hive).

The ultimate goal is to add value to our communities, and create places where people can thrive.

2023 Project

2022 Project

2021 Project

2020 Project

2019 Project

2018 Project

PLACEMAKING ACADEMY 2023

JULY 2023 – DECEMBER 2023

The 2023 White Christmas Street Fair stretched over two weekends for the very first time, making it the largest-ever event of its kind organized by Swire Properties. Packed with brand-new features, including digital F&B coupons,

rentable tableware, and an original theme song, the fair aimed to raise funds once again for Operation Santa Claus.

The fair, named “CHOCOLAND!", was masterminded and executed by a talented team of ten local university students who were part of the Swire Properties Placemaking Academy (SPPA) 2023 cohort. Their objective was to evoke the blissful nostalgia of visitors’ first bite of chocolate and the sheer

delight it brought. Among the many captivating attractions and activities, the original theme song, digital map, and mini-game, created by seven secondary school students participating in the SPPA Junior Programme, were among the standout highlights.

PLACEMAKING ACADEMY 2022

JULY 2022 – DECEMBER 2022

2022 White Christmas Street Fair is more amazing than ever, with our popular signature community event celebrating Christmas and the Company’s 50th Anniversary!

Street Fair is fully designed and run by the SPPA participants. Eight local university students, shortlisted through an open competition, took part in a six-month apprenticeship to ideate and organise the Street Fair.

The eight person strong team took part in months of mentoring and on the job training, and partnered with colleagues across Swire Properties, external parties and community stakeholders, to bring their ideas to life.

PLACEMAKING ACADEMY 2021

JUNE 2021 – DECEMBER 2021

2021 White Christmas Street Fair is the first ever physical Street Fair that is fully designed and run by the SPPA participants. Seven local university students, shortlisted through an open competition, took part in a six month apprenticeship to ideate and organise the Street Fair.

The seven person strong team took part in months of mentoring and on the job training, and partnered with colleagues across Swire Properties, external parties and community stakeholders, to bring their ideas to life.

DREAM MAKER 2020

JUNE 2020 – DECEMBER 2020

DREAM MAKER 2020 once again put the next generation of HK youth in the spotlight, as they work together during a 6-month internship to make the White Christmas Street Fair a greener, smarter and more engaging event for the greater Hong Kong community. They were led by the original team of 14 university students from | AM A DREAM MAKER 2019, who created the 2020 theme “Freeze the Moment”. This year, three teams are selected by Swire Properties and professors from major HK universities.

With the challenges posed by COVID-19, the students were specifically tasked with finding creative ways to reconnect, re-engage and give back to the community during times of change and adversity. Following in the footsteps of Swire Properties’ annual signature year-end celebration took the form of a travelling performance truck, the “White Christmas Express”.

I AM A DREAM MAKER

I AM A COOKING ACE

I AM A FILMMAKER

I AM A DREAM MAKER

JUNE 2019 – DECEMBER 2019

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A DREAM MAKER is a youth empowerment project that offers students from Hong Kong universities a rare opportunity to take the lead in designing, planning and executing the White Christmas Street Fair 2019, Swire Properties' annual community celebration, and one of HK’s biggest and most popular seasonal events.

Participants will pitch ideas to organisers, with a maximum of two teams winning the HK$200,000 paid 6-month project internship at the Swire Properties Placemaking Academy. Here they will learn from the Company’s senior management and event-planning experts, as well as from a host of thought leaders from the design and community-planning industries. Most importantly, they can further develop their innovation skills and broaden their horizons.

I AM A COOKING ACE 2019

JUNE 2019 - NOVEMBER 2019

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A COOKING ACE (2019) is a community- innovative project that offers passionate young talent an opportunity to co-create the White Christmas Street Fair’s, Swire Properties' annual community celebration, festive food & drinks.

With youth empowerment at the heart of this initiative, the team will work closely with Swire Restaurants on all aspects of this seasonal celebration – from concept development, to execution.

I AM A FILMMAKER

MAY 2019 - OCTOBER 2019

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A FILMMAKER is a community-music video project that will showcase the lives of six Eastern and Wan Chai District residents. Young aspiring filmmakers will tell their stories by taking inspiration from the six original songs created last year during HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A SINGER-SONGWRITER.

A collaboration with <Every Life Is A Song>, the social enterprise – created by Hong Kong singer-songwriter Vicky Fung and lyricist Chow Yiu Fai – will host creative workshops to help young talent develop their narratives.

I AM A PLACEMAKER

I AM A SINGER-SONGWRITER

I AM A COOKING ACE

I AM A DRINKS MASTER

I AM A PLACEMAKER

I AM A SINGER-SONGWRITER

I AM A COOKING ACE

I AM A DRINKS MASTER

I AM A PLACEMAKER

JULY 8 2018

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A PLACEMAKER is a ‘community-art project’ that offers Quarry Bay community members a creative way to voice the types of food, art, entertainment and shopping experiences they want to see in their neighborhood, through a fun and interactive workshop.

The project is curated by Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation. All artwork will be showcased in an exhibition at Cityplaza mall.

I AM A SINGER-SONGWRITER

JULY 2 - DECEMBER 2 2018

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A SINGER-SONGWRITER is a community-wide songwriting project that invites enthusiastic performers to take inspiration from the stories of people living in the Eastern District and Wan Chai communities.

Through creative workshops co-hosted by <Every Life Is A Song>, a social enterprise created by Hong Kong singer-songwriter Vicky Fung and lyricist Chow Yiu Fai, aspiring performers will help to continue these narratives in the form of original songs.

I AM A COOKING ACE

AUGUST 13 - DECEMBER 25 2018

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A COOKING ACE is a Christmas-themed cook-off that gathers local talent and recipes in the Taikoo Shing communities, and showcases how each and every one of us can be a ‘master chef’.

The winning recipes will be featured on the Christmas menu at EAST, Hong Kong and at the White Christmas Street Fair, Swire Properties' annual community celebration, for charity sales.

I AM A DRINKS MASTER

AUGUST 27 - DECEMBER 24 2018

HOMETOWN HEROES: I AM A DRINKS MASTER is an opportunity for people in the Starstreet Precinct community to show their skills as mixologists, creating Christmas-themed cocktails and mocktails - at a Drinks Master workshop connected and collaborated with local cafes, restaurants, bars, lifestyle & fashion shops.

The drinks will be available in the month of December, premiered at the White Christmas Street Fair, Swire Properties' annual community celebration, for charity sales.