Policy Address | The key to widening the layout of the northern metropolitan area

The Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor released the latest "Policy Address", which mentioned the need to "build the northern part of Hong Kong into a livable, business-friendly metropolis and open up more land for residential and industrial development." It is expected that the entire "Northern Metropolis" After the completion of the development of the district, the total number of residential units will reach 905,000 to 926,000, which can accommodate a total of about 2.5 million people. The number of jobs in the district will also increase from the current 116,000 to about 650,000.

"Metropolitan area" is a concept that has existed in Hong Kong's urban planning before the reunification. In the past, it specifically referred to an area of ​​more than 200 square kilometers in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing District, covering an estimated 4.3 million residents. As for the northwest and northeast of the New Territories Other regions, such as, southeast and southwest, are called "non-urban areas."

With the proposal of the "Northern Metropolis" plan this time, the status of the "Metropolis" will no longer be used exclusively by Tsuen Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong and Kowloon.

It is advisable to get rid of the imbalance in planning the northern metropolitan area

We have always pointed out that the development of Hong Kong has only been concentrated on both sides of the Victoria Harbour for many years. It has failed to make good use of land, and has also caused a large number of people to commute to work every day, failing to effectively use resources.

This "Policy Address" also criticized Hong Kong's urban planning work in the past half-century for "failure to achieve the goal of job-living balance and self-sufficiency."

After years of excessive development of the old "metropolitan area" along the coast of Hong Kong and Kowloon, the government is willing to build a new development center in the name of the "Northern Metropolitan Area". In this area, this kind of "getting lost" change is definitely worthy of recognition.

The "work-housing imbalance" causes a large number of people to work across districts every day, which puts tremendous pressure on traffic.

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However, according to the “Hong Kong Population and Employment Data Matrix” of the Planning Department, the old “metropolitan area” in Tsuen Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong, and Kowloon will have a ratio of residents to employment of about 0.67 in 2016, 2021 and 2026. "Metropolitan area" is 0.3, but according to Carrie Lam’s interpretation of the development vision of the "Northern Metropolitan Area", the ratio of residents to employment opportunities in this new "metropolitan area" that occupies more land is only 0.26, which is higher than the current "Metropolitan area" plans even lower numbers.

The structure of employment opportunities must also be paid attention to

Taking a step back, even if the "Northern Metropolis" can provide sufficient employment opportunities, it does not mean that residents can guarantee employment in the original district or neighboring districts.

The "Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Development of the Northern New Territories" evaluated the share of major employment opportunities in various industries in the region. Among them, industries with high entry barriers such as finance, professional services, medical care, innovation, and testing and certification totaled as high as 36.2% to 47.7%. .

If the same judgment is applied to the "Northern Metropolis", it naturally means that it will be difficult for residents of that area to find employment in the original area in the future.

2021 Policy Address Northern Metropolitan Area (Map by 01 Research Institute)

Moreover, the current "Policy Address" has already claimed that the "Northern Metropolis" will build an international innovation and technology center. It also pointed out that the jobs in the region will include 150,000 jobs related to the innovation and technology industry, accounting for as much as 23% of the total number of job opportunities provided in the region. Especially in recent years, when the percentage of the total employment in Hong Kong's innovation and technology industry is only about 1%, these messages will inevitably further aggravate people's worries about the employment difficulties in the residential areas or neighboring areas of the "Northern Metropolis" in the future.

The "Northern Metropolis" undoubtedly assumes the heavy responsibility of Lasson Hong Kong's development layout and enabling the public to achieve a balance of work and housing, but it is precisely because of this that we hope that this plan will not end with "big thunder and little rain". , We must carefully examine whether the content of the relevant development strategy is feasible and considerate.

Policy Address｜Re-industrialization is in the right direction, but more specific blueprints are needed to develop the New Territories North to cooperate with the new railway