Opinion | Lantau Tomorrow and Northern Metropolis are not what Hong Kong needs to rebuild social harmony

For many, home ownership is key to improving people’s quality of life. There is no lack of smaller-scale, feasible ideas to solve our housing woes. Big-budget, flashy mega projects, which take decades to complete, are not the answer

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People in Hong Kong visit the border with Shenzhen, with the mainland city’s skyline in the background, on February 13 last year. With its proximity to Shenzhen, the Northern Metropolis would integrate Hong Kong with the mainland’s overall development, but its announcement seems premature. Photo: AP

Published: 9:45am, 25 Feb 2022

As we patiently wait for the chief executive election, potential candidates now have more time to offer the Election Committee and the general public their vision of Hong Kong’s rebirth.

The most pressing issue on any policy platform is to rebuild social harmony, in particular by providing the opportunities and means to improve people’s quality of life and instilling a sense of belonging among our youth. Home ownership, being our city’s yardstick in defining the “haves” and “have-nots”, is perceived by the majority as being key to achieving such harmony.

Hong Kong’s housing challenges are daunting, but our social and political environments have changed. On one hand, local developers should no longer need a memo from Beijing to play a more significant role in achieving President Xi Jinping’s “common prosperity” vision, learning from the clampdowns last year on mainland property developers, technology giants, and education and gaming industries.

Some proactive developers took the cue and reacted by donating land, offering flat prizes for vaccination lotteries, or piloting affordable housing schemes. The social responsibility sentiment is shifting before our eyes.

On the other hand, with virtually all opposition eradicated from the Legislative Council, the chief executive may well be able to get initiatives passed, budgets approved, and policies executed with little resistance. In addition, the government can tap sensitive land areas, including ancestral sites, wetlands and country parks without worrying about violent protests or time-consuming judicial reviews.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has been aggressively pushing several development visions during her tenure. These projects will last well past her administration.

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