Urban renaissance

Two massive infrastructure projects will change the face of Kowloon forever. And that's not all, because there are ambitious regeneration plans for the old areas of the peninsula.

The story so far highlights the rebirth of West Kowloon, where a master-planned area - complete with office towers, city parks, museums, hotels and residential buildings - is half way to completion.

Chapter two shows East Kowloon taking centre stage with the Kai Tai development, which many believe will be the growth engine for Hong Kong's housing market in the next decade.

The big picture in this intriguing tale of Kowloon's remarkable rise to prominence shows that the private residential market is taking shape in several areas, such as West Kowloon, the coastal area served by Kowloon and Olympic stations, extending to Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok, including Mei Foo; East Kowloon, including Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon Bay and the Kai Tai development area; Central Kowloon, Ho Man Tin, including King's Park; Kowloon Tong; and southern Kowloon, such as Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom.

Fifteen years after the handover, the development of West Kowloon has substantially reshaped Hong Kong's skyline. Since 1997, the relocation of the old airport from Kai Tai to Chek Lap Kok in Lantau has spawned a number of infrastructure projects, such as the Western Harbour Tunnel, Route 3, the MTR's Tung Chung Line and Airport Express.

Benefiting from these multibillion-dollar government-funded projects was West Kowloon. The area is served by Tung Chung Line, Airport Express and West Rail Line, and will also be the terminus of the much-anticipated high-speed railway that will connect Hong Kong to other mainland cities. Soon, residents in West Kowloon will enjoy entertainment on a grand scale, thanks to the planned West Kowloon Cultural District - featuring a museum, theatres, concert halls, city parks and a waterfront promenade - costing the government more than HK$20 billion.