The Greater Bay Area on the Chain: A Tale of Two Cities: New District of “Northern Metropolis”
On October 6, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government officially released the 2021 policy address.
This heavyweight report not only once again perfected the implementation of laws and regulations such as one country, two systems but also announced a super event: the establishment of the “Northern Metropolis” new district.
Hong Kong will provide 30% of the land area close to the entire land area of Hong Kong, that is, all the land in the Yuen Long District and the North District near Shenzhen, a total of 300 square kilometres of land, to establish a “Northern Metropolis”.
The joint construction of an international innovation and technology center is the focus of the new area. This is the actual move of Hong Kong to further coordinate the development of Shenzhen from the integration of the Greater Bay Area. This is also the most critical step taken by Hong Kong since its return to the motherland for more than 20 years complete integration into the country Development of the overall situation.
In the Hong Kong policy address just announced, the positioning of twin cities was officially announced.
The twin cities are Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Two world-class first-tier cities. This is the first time since the founding of the People’s Republic of China that there have been two world-class first-tier cities, which are directly bordered and truly integrated. This fully embodies Hong Kong’s deployment of strategic thinking in the overall situation of national development.
The report pointed out that the “Northern Metropolis” was the first under the framework of “One Country, Two Systems” and was compiled by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to cross the administrative boundaries of Hong Kong and Shenzhen in terms of spatial concepts and strategic thinking. “
As a supergiant that is likely to surpass Beijing and Shanghai, what will China’s top metropolitan area rely on for its rapid development today?
The planning focus in the report includes two aspects, which are also the basic guarantee for integrating into the overall situation of national development.
1. Jointly build an international innovation and technology center
For 40 years, “Shenzhen Speed” has become a national business card for China’s development, and economy, technology, finance, etc. have all become synonymous with development. Just in Hong Kong, which borders Shenzhen, there has been no movement in the areas adjacent to Shenzhen. What people see more is the chaos of the urban-rural fringe. There is no way to talk about industries, and even funeral services have begun to move to the bordering area.
This is related to the development focus of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government over the past few decades, which has never been on the side close to Shenzhen.
Now, the 180-degree reversal, is this Hong Kong integrating Shenzhen or Hong Kong being integrated into Shenzhen?
According to the content of this report, Hong Kong will start from three circles, namely Shenzhen Nanshan, Futian, Luohu, Yantian, these areas next to Hong Kong, Hong Kong will directly build the foundation including subway, express rail, North Ring, etc. Facilities, directly connected to all major areas above Shenzhen.
Starting from the “Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway”, Hong Kong’s “North Loop Line” extends northward to connect to Shenzhen’s New Huanggang Port, and the East Rail Line extends to Shenzhen Luohu.
One of the key points of the report is to plan to relocate some government facilities and office buildings that “have no geographical restrictions and drive job opportunities” to the “Northern Metropolis”.
The core purpose is to better coordinate development with Shenzhen.
The report puts forward: Hong Kong Hung Shui Bridge/Xia Village is positioned as a “New Territories North Modern Service Center”, and “scale and landmark scientific and technological innovation facilities will be built in Qianhai and Lau Fau Shan, Shenzhen, to provide a large number of employment opportunities for the northern metropolis.”
According to this plan, the 87 hectares of the Hong Kong Park of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone will add 150 hectares for scientific and technological innovation to build a “Science and Technology City”.
2. Solve the housing problem and promote economic growth with population growth
According to the report’s plan, Hong Kong needs to rely on technological growth to achieve economic growth, and technological growth needs to rely on the future population growth of the new district to a greater extent. Only in this way can higher employment growth be guaranteed. After the report is issued, the new district will undertake it.
In the next few decades, how to closely unite Shenzhen and Hong Kong and completely bind them together, the population increase of the new district will be a big problem.
Housing is the key to population growth in the new district, whether Hong Kong’s more than 7 million citizens are motivated to develop into the new district.
As we all know, the housing problem in Hong Kong has always been the focus of social stability. The establishment of the new district this time will probably solve the problem fundamentally.
Article 82 of the document states: Many people know that housing prices in Hong Kong are very high, and many young people cannot afford to buy a house. They can only live in a narrow room of a few square meters with their families.
Therefore, focusing on solving the housing problem of citizens has become a top priority.
According to the plan in the report, more than 300,000 public housing units will be built in the new district in the next ten years. This is the basic guarantee that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government provides for population growth in the new district.
Government subsidies, rents, or super cheap houses. This is the super big benefit provided by the SAR government for the development of population growth in the new district with real money.
Of course, not long ago, Shenzhen also announced that it would build 1 million such public housing units in the next ten years to provide welfare to the citizens.
According to the overall design of the Hong Kong New District Planning, when this ten-year plan is completed, combining the existing collective housing in the new district and some commercial housing, it will be possible to help 2.5 million people solve the housing problem in the new district.
Compared with Hong Kong, which has a total population of more than 7 million, there is no doubt that this major welfare measure will not only directly solve the current housing contradictions in Hong Kong, but also provide a solid foundation for population growth, technological growth, and economic growth of the new district. The basis of protection.
Although the total land area of Hong Kong plus Shenzhen of 3000 square kilometers is only one-sixth of Beijing and less than half of Shanghai’s, the population is nearly 30 million, which is the same as the population of Beijing, according to the population density per square kilometre. , Tax density, economic GDP density, this is one of the world’s top metropolises.
The co-development of the two cities and the integration of the two cities. For the young people of the two cities, the two cities represent future job opportunities and employment opportunities for young people in Hong Kong.
Of course, what’s more, important is that this step taken by Hong Kong today will have extraordinary significance for Hong Kong’s complete integration into the mainland and our lives in the future.
40 years ago, Shenzhen grew slowly from the “small fishing village” in Baoan and attached to Hong Kong. Today, Shenzhen has become a towering tree. Now, the new district serves as a new starting point for the integration of two cities, with 300 square kilometres With land as the fulcrum and leveraging on technological innovation industries and population growth, the world can’t wait to see how much the Twin Cities will grow in ten years.
