by Sebastien GOULARD
The recently unveiled Northern Metropolis project instigated by the Hong Kong authorities in 2021 is poised to reinvigorate the international appeal of the Special Administrative Zone (SAZ) while addressing local challenges. This initiative aims to enhance regional integration between Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and the entire Greater Bay Area, transcending mere urban planning to signify a new strategy for Hong Kong and thereby asserting its leadership within the Greater Bay Area.
A New City
Spanning a vast 30,000 hectares, the Northern Metropolis seeks to transform Hong Kong’s New Territories into a hub for advanced technologies and to be a major urban centre connecting the Hong Kong Peninsula to Shenzhen. Scheduled for completion by 2041, the Northern Metropolis is envisioned to emerge as a prominent Information Technology (IT) centre. Encompassing the current Yuen Long district and North district, bordering Shenzhen, this new metropolis is positioned to address Hong Kong’s housing issues, potentially accommodating up to 2.5 million residents, nearly one-third of the current SAZ population.
As noted by Eric Yu (RLB), the project is encountering challenges in the housing sector. Firstly, Hong Kong faces a shortage of skilled labour in construction, which could impede the new city’s development. However, the use of prefabricated modules and the adoption of innovative construction technologies could expedite the project. New programmes allowing qualified foreign workers to be employed on construction sites are also being considered. To facilitate the project, the Hong Kong authorities have opted to relax land exchange conditions, simplifying and expediting the acquisition of the necessary land for Northern Metropolis developers, while offering favourable conditions for current residents and businesses to relocate.
The Northern Metropolis has the potential to symbolize the city of tomorrow, producing high-value services and offering an unparalleled quality of life in the region.
A Hub for IT
Envisioned as a rapidly emerging hub for high technology, the Northern Metropolis is expected to host over 150,000 professionals working in the IT sector. The new San Tin Technopole, along with several scientific parks, including the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP), is set to materialize the hi-tech ambitions of the Northern Metropolis. The Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities aim to create a collaborative cluster where public and private research institutes in the Pearl River Delta can strengthen their exchanges. Indeed, convincing businesses to establish their research and development (R&D) centres in the Northern Metropolis will be a pivotal task.
Amplified Regional Integration
Positioned at the most northerly point of the Hong Kong SAZ, adjacent to Shenzhen, the Northern Metropolis is expected to boost regional integration between Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. The project was conceived with substantial cooperation with Guangdong province, the city of Shenzhen, and Qianhai. The project is structured around the collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, symbolized by two cities and three circles, involving the Shenzhen Bay Quality Development Circle (anticipated as a new business centre), the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Close Interaction Circle (forming an IT cluster), and the Mirs Bay/Yan Chau Tong Eco-recreation/tourism Circle (a new district primarily consisting of residential and natural areas). Each circle includes neighbourhoods in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen. This integration will be facilitated by new transportation lines between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, with five railway lines planned to facilitate travel from Hong Kong Island to Shenzhen.
The Hong Kong authorities cite inspiration from the “European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation” mechanism within the EU’s transborder regions when developing similar tools for the Northern Metropolis. Financial and fiscal integration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen is also anticipated, creating a new hub based on the excellence of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Environmental Considerations
Protected natural areas in the New Territories are expected to remain unaffected by the Northern Metropolis’s development. Specific attention has been given to environmental conservation and biodiversity, including the potential creation of a new park and the establishment of nature corridors. However, concerns have been raised by environmental groups in Hong Kong about the potential threat to the fragile biodiversity of the New Territories posed by new real estate programmes. Researchers have also expressed disappointment in the perceived lack of ambition, as of now, regarding environmental and carbon neutrality issues. Hong Kong aims to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, as outlined in Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 announced in 2021. However, this strategy does not appear explicitly in the initial documents discussing the Northern Metropolis. Despite this, the construction of this new city could provide a significant opportunity for Hong Kong to accelerate its energy transition, such as creating new carbon sinks through new forests or developing the “sponge city” concept already implemented in Shenzhen to address flood risks. Another challenge is in agriculture, as the development of the Northern Metropolis is expected to further reduce agricultural land in the New Territories, even though some will be preserved. Currently, Hong Kong’s farms only produce 1.7% of the fruit and vegetables consumed in the SAZ, making Hong Kong heavily reliant on food imports. The agricultural aspect of the Northern Metropolis programme seems, at this point, primarily addressed from a land-use perspective, leaving stakeholders in the sector questioning their future and desiring greater attention from the government to develop modern and high-quality agriculture. If these concerns are taken into account by the Hong Kong government, the Northern Metropolis programme could become an opportunity for local agriculture, attracting greater attention from potential investors who could fund the transformation of Hong Kong’s agriculture to make it even more energy, water, and fertilizer-efficient. Hong Kong could then serve as a pioneer for urban agriculture – a rapidly developing activity worldwide.
Launched in 2021, the Northern Metropolis project is taking shape, with initial construction set to commence this year. Many details still need clarification regarding its terms and what it can offer, however, the Northern Metropolis is a long-term project scheduled for realization in the next 20 years, designed to be sufficiently flexible to adapt to the economic context. Nonetheless, it remains a significant challenge for Hong Kong’s attractiveness and its capacity for innovation as it increasingly integrates into the Greater Bay Area while preserving its unique characteristics.
Author: Dr. Sebastien Goulard is the founder and editor-in-chief of Global Connectivities.
