Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivered his last policy address on 6th, proposing the "Northern Metropolitan Area Development Strategy" to build a "Northern Metropolitan Area".
What is the concept of this "northern metropolitan area"? Located in the northern part of the New Territories, covering an area of about 300 square kilometers, including the existing two local administrative regions of Yuen Long District and North District; There are seven cross-border land ports in this area, which is the most important area to promote the integration of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong. After the development of the entire northern metropolitan area is completed, the total number of residential units will exceed 900,000, and a * * * can accommodate about 2.5 million people; Building an international innovation and technology center will increase the number of jobs in the region to about 650,000, including 6,543,800+5,000 jobs related to the technology industry; It is planned to build five railway projects, including the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway connecting Shenzhen Qianhai.
In short, the northern metropolitan area will be the most active area for urban construction and population growth in Hong Kong in the next 20 years. More crucially, it represents the change of Hong Kong's development thinking under the general trend of integration with the mainland of China.
As we all know, when Hong Kong opened its port, it started from Hong Kong Island, then developed Kowloon and then the New Territories. From south to north, from Hong Kong and Kowloon to the surrounding New Territories, new towns were being built. But today, when Hong Kong people talk about "urban areas", they still refer to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Hong Kong people have always regarded North New Territories, which is connected with the Mainland, as the border. Under the new development idea, the North New Territories is no longer a border, but the center of Greater Bay Area, a golden zone and a land of geomantic omen. If the past development of Hong Kong was "concentrated to the south", then the focus of future development will be "docking to the north". When interviewed by Hong Kong analysts, they all called it "going north".
"To solve the housing problem in Hong Kong,' going north' is inevitable." Ke Chuangsheng, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Service that there are few large-scale town developments with tight land in Hong Kong. The strategic planning of New Territories North in the policy address not only helps to find land for development, but also helps to integrate into the development of Greater Bay Area.
Pang Yao, chief economist and chief strategist of Huaxing Securities (Hong Kong), pointed out that in the past, the focus of Hong Kong's construction was on Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, and "going northward" was a new thinking. Compared with reclamation, the development cost in the north is lower, and the environmental disputes caused by reclamation can be avoided, and the development cycle is faster and more secure, which also echoes the macro-governance framework of Hong Kong's integration into Greater Bay Area.
Chen Jingxiang, a senior media person, pointed out that on the eve of Lin Zheng's policy address, it was not senior officials of the Hong Kong SAR Government who tried their best to "go deep into the grassroots and listen to public opinion", but officials of the Liaison Office of Hong Kong: Director Luo Huining and several deputy directors "stayed in the district" for several days? Household (? Housing refers to dividing an ordinary residential unit into not less than two smaller independent units, and then selling or renting them to citizens and merchants in the North District.
Luo Huining visited on the eve of the 11th National Day? When renting a house, it is "the concern of the central government" to openly express that the housing problem in Hong Kong is not only a livelihood issue, but also a political issue. Lin Zheng's policy address devoted a lot of space to increasing land supply, which is the crux of Hong Kong's housing problem.
Similarly, Jing He, deputy director of the Liaison Office, made a speech when he visited the northern New Territories on September 30, which seemed to point to the development of the northern metropolitan area: "It is imperative for Hong Kong to integrate into Greater Bay Area, and the border area in the northern New Territories is rich in land and close to Shenzhen, which has very important economic and strategic value." "Shenzhen is developing rapidly, and Hong Kong also needs to speed up its development, race against time and give full play to Greater Bay Area's role as the core engine of construction."
New Territories North and Shenzhen Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone are separated by a bay, and "Qianhai Plan" is a major development plan of China's national policy.
Hong Kong's population, employment and infrastructure will all go northward, and so will its politics.