'70,000 homes in Northern Metropolis a good benchmark'

The government's target of building 70,000 housing units in the Northern Metropolis over five years offers a concrete picture of the infrastructure project's scale and progression, according to a local think tank.

Authorities had in 2023 published a Northern Metropolis action agenda, with the development of public housing among dozens of milestones to be completed by 2033 or before.

An ongoing public consultation for Hong Kong's first five-year plan stated the city must expedite the development of Northern Metropolis, with the aim of creating an ideal living, working and travelling community environment.

In an interview with RTHK, Jason Leung, assistant research director at the Our Hong Kong Foundation, said the project used to be "planning rhetoric" without key performance indicators.

But now that concrete figures have been announced, such as the goal of building 70,000 homes, he believes they can be used as a benchmark.

“You can really see a clear outline of what the Northern Metropolis would be in 2030, so offering more confidence for businesses, more visibility for Hong Kong residents, and also more clarity and certainty for the next five years," he said.

Apart from putting roofs over people's heads, Leung urged the government to improve their living conditions by expanding the size of homes in the Northern Metropolis.

"We want to entice residents to move into the community, and we also want to thin out the high density population in the existing urban areas," he said.

"A very clear incentive for them to move to the Northern Metropolis is a larger living space."

He also hoped government planners can be flexible when determining the public-to-private housing ratio, one that should be based on the demographics of the prevailing area.

The researcher also noted the Kwu Tong North and Fanling North new development areas have already welcomed the first batch of residents, so ancillary facilities such as hospitals and schools should follow suit as soon as possible.

The goal, he said, is to realise the concept of a 15-minute neighbourhood, or living circle.

"Creating these circles one by one, from west to east in the Northern Metropolis, when the first kind of these facilities or these communities takes shape, it will give these residents more confidence and raise the level of awareness and also raise the level of attractiveness for future residents to move into the Northern Metropolis."

Edited by Raymond Yeung ...