C15+ centres NM in policy address proposals

A group of cross-sector lawmakers has thrown its collective weight behind the Northern Metropolis, presenting a slate of proposals aimed at transforming the massive development into Hong Kong’s next great economic engine.

Following a meeting with Chief Executive John Lee, C15+ lawmakers urged the government to think beyond infrastructure, calling for sweeping reforms in university research, public housing policy and aviation technology to turn the mega-project into a living laboratory for the city's future.

At the heart of their recommendations is a fundamental shake-up of Hong Kong’s academic culture.

Lawmaker Lau Chi-pang, who also works as a university professor, took aim at the current Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), arguing that the system's rigid focus on publishing in elite journals has created a chasm between academia and real-world industry.

To bridge that gap, he proposed a radical overhaul of university work patterns, suggesting that professors spend four days in lecture halls and one day embedded within Northern Metropolis industries — and vice versa for senior industry executives and researchers.

"We should combine the university's extremely high-level think-tank capacity with the industry. That should be the direction for the future development of our Northern Metropolis," he said.

On the housing front, lawmaker Scott Leung called for a recalibration of the territory’s public housing mix specifically for the new development area.

He advocated for adjusting the current ratio of rental public housing to subsidised sale flats to an even 5:5, arguing that an abundance in public housing supply presents a golden opportunity to promote home ownership and social mobility.

Leung also floated the idea of enhanced mortgage support for young first-time buyers.

"I proposed whether we could offer eligible young people applying under the White Form a higher mortgage loan-to-value ratio when purchasing subsidised sale flats in the Northern Metropolis," he said.

"Currently, the White Form offers mortgage loans of up to an loan-to-value ratio of 90 percent. If young people want to buy subsidised housing in the Northern Metropolis, could we provide them with 95 percent mortgage loan?"

Meanwhile, lawmaker Chan Siu-hung shifted the focus to technology and regulatory innovation, urging the government to designate the Northern Metropolis as a pioneering "first-mover" zone for the low-altitude economy.

He proposed the implementation of designated sky corridors for drone and autonomous vehicle applications, stressing the administration must act with greater urgency to seize the economic potential of these emerging sectors.

Edited by Tony Sabine ...