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Opinion | Northern Metropolis could be Hong Kong’s last chance to not ‘miss the boat’
- The Northern Metropolis offers far more promise than the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, which smacks of a Hong Kong-centric, inward-looking mindset
- To seize this chance, the government needs a concrete plan and a new developmental approach to bypass complex planning regulations
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Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s policy address on October 6, which was by far her most ambitious and visionary, could be her last if she does not win a second term.
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Will the Northern Metropolis, the centrepiece of her address, help her get a second act? More importantly, will it give Hong Kong a chance to regain its mojo and reinvigorate its growth?
Lam’s political future aside, the Northern Metropolis is likely to have a major transformational impact on Hong Kong’s future if executed properly, much more so than the Lantau Tomorrow Vision that was unveiled in Lam’s 2018 address.
The Lantau project is marketed as adding 1,700 hectares of reclaimed land in central waters to land-hungry Hong Kong. It would provide a comprehensive air, road and rail network connecting New Territories West with Hong Kong Island and enable Hong Kong’s prime business districts in Central to expand onto nearby reclaimed areas.
Yet, as pundits have pointed out, large-scale reclamation raises serious environmental concerns. In terms of location, those central waters are far from ideal for the purpose of integrating with the Greater Bay Area.
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Why Carrie Lam’s Lantau land reclamation plan is so controversial
Why Carrie Lam’s Lantau land reclamation plan is so controversial
The circular design concept in the Lantau project, linking New Territories West with Hong Kong Island, suggests planners remain stuck in a Hong Kong-centric, inward-looking mindset. It envisages the city centre as the chief engine of the city’s growth and, as such, misses the key planning concept behind Greater Bay Area development.
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