Believing that "Place" has the power to improve lives through design and collaboration, VeryHK embarked on a Placemaking journey to redefine underused spaces with the community in 2013. Through participatory planning and cross-sectoral collaboration, we worked with the public to activate under-utilized public space as a means to promote community well-being and sustainable urban development.

VeryHK started as a "pioneer" and "advocate" in our earlier days. We open-called for local partners to co-curate free-for-all activities that echo with community aspirations in the public realm. Utilizing the expertise of our team and the cross-sectoral network that we have built, VeryHK took lead in navigating all technical and legal procedures related to venue and license applications. We worked with government departments to smoothen site tenancy process, and the community members to energize ordinary spaces into ones with creativity and district character. Each annual event has attracted over 20,000 participants and received extensive media coverage.

Stepping up to promote longer term site activation initiatives, in 2018 VeryHK established CollaborateHK to assist NGOs in overcoming challenges they may face in delivering place activation projects. In four years, we have supported over 150 community groups to further their placemaking proposals across 18 districts, covering a diverse mix of social needs for environmental education, poverty alleviation, arts and culture, women empowerment, sports, animal rescue and more. Among which, 28 projects have secured government policy support for further implementation. Some of the sites have already been successfully renovated and open to public in various districts.

VeryHK is also dedicated to improving data transparency and transmission by launching publication and hosting capacity-building workshops, to foster wider civic participation in neighborhood improvement projects. For instance, "Vacant Site Activation 1001" workshop (2020), "Vacant Site Activation 1002" workshop (2021), “Feasibility Study of Activating Vacant Sites in North District” report release event (2021) and series of educational programme co-organized with different universities and professional institutes.

As VHK turned ninth in 2022, VeryHK brought years of experience into our new role of "incubator". Leveraging on the community's potential and to better equip NGOs to actualize their proposals, VeryHK has launched a 2-year capacity-building programme - "Space+" to sharpen their knowledge and practice skills with a from theory-to-practice curriculum. In two years, the team has completed our placemaking venture in Yuen Long, Yau Tsim Mong and Eastern District. 60 NGO representatives and social workers have been trained with practical skills on site audit, community mapping, engagement skills and etc.

Sustaining our work in various districts, VeryHK is gradually taking up the role of an enabler to embed placemaking efforts at the neighbourhood level. Sponsored by the Commission on Poverty and Oxfam Hong Kong, "Lau Haa" is a 2-year innovative placemaking programme that uplifts low-income families’ well-being in Tin Shui Wai public housing and Tsuen Wan sub-divided units. By transforming ubiquitous sites around neighbourhoods into a welcoming community hub for all, "Lau Haa" serves as an inclusive platform that connects families from all walks, encourages proactive sharing, stimulates co-learning, and empowers co-creation for change.