Hong Kong is preparing to flatten homes and natural areas to make way for the Northern Metropolis, a $28 billion high-tech hub designed to integrate the city more closely with mainland China. This ambitious project, spanning roughly a third of Hong Kong, aims to accommodate 2.5 million residents and create 650,000 jobs. However, it comes at a significant cost to local communities, wildlife, and public finances.
Chan Yuk-tong, a 71-year-old resident, is among those affected. His village home, where he was born and raised, will be bulldozed. "I can't bear to leave... If not for the government developing this area, I would likely spend the rest of my life here. After all, I belong here," Chan told AFP as he packed his belongings.
The Northern Metropolis project, announced five years ago, will cover 30,000 hectares and is expected to link Hong Kong more closely with Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities in the Greater Bay Area. The government aims for it to become a "new economic engine," but environmental and social groups warn of the destructive impact on well-preserved areas.
Brian Wong of Liber Research Community, an NGO focused on land issues, criticized the project's scale. "If you build a new city in a place that was well preserved before, it would inevitably be very destructive, no matter how you mitigate it," he said. "Do we need to build it so big? Is it too ambitious?"
The project, estimated to cost at least HK$224 billion ($28.6 billion), aims to return on investment by contributing 13 percent to Hong Kong's GDP over a 20-year timeline. Despite concerns about Hong Kong's relevance in China's tech ambitions, the city offers international connections, university research, and deep capital markets that mainland powerhouses like Shenzhen cannot.
Last month, the first large-scale land sale in the Northern Metropolis was awarded to a consortium including Chinese state-owned enterprises and JD.com. Hannah Jeong of CBRE noted that policy support will attract mainland companies to build research centers, leveraging lower taxes and talent, data, and capital flows. Wilson Chan of the Pagoda Institute highlighted the challenge of maintaining efficient cross-border flow while preserving international confidence in Hong Kong's uniqueness.
Local residents like Niki So, who received a public housing flat in compensation, express mixed feelings. "I hope the development here will go well, that it will thrive," So said. "If it doesn't turn out as expected then I think the sacrifice of this village would be quite unfortunate."
