Hong Kong must focus on ‘liveability’ to improve its sustainability ranking
City is 16th out of 100 worldwide on new Sustainable Cities Index, and second only to Singapore for employment, economic development and ease of doing business
Hong Kong’s a great place to do business, but it will need to invest in projects like parks that make it more liveable if it’s going to maintain its global competitiveness, according to design and consultancy firm Arcadis.
The city ranks 16th out of 100 cities worldwide on Arcadis’ just-released Sustainable Cities Index, buoyed by its “profit” ranking which sees Hong Kong ranked second only to Singapore for employment, economic development and ease of doing business.
But when it comes to Hong Kong’s liveability and affordability, there’s still work to be done, says the firm’s newly-appointed chief executive for Asia, Matt Bennion.
“That isn’t just measured by long working hours, that’s measured by the ability to get out and do things at the weekend,” he told the Post.
Bennion says there’s an opportunity to include “social infrastructure” in urban developments, projects like public parks and Hong Kong’s Velodrome.
“Those are the sorts of things that create diversity for people in terms of their ability to live and work in a city.”
Hong Kong ranked 81st for the “people” measure, which assesses a city’s income inequality, work-life balance and affordability, among other measures.