Accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis is a focal point of the 2025 Policy Address. It goes without saying that the development must confront a critical challenge: How to govern a project of such scale, complexity, and strategic importance. The Northern Metropolis is not merely a spatial planning exercise — it is a systems-level transformation that touches on industry, housing, infrastructure, conservation, and cross-boundary integration. To manage this multidimensional undertaking, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must move beyond traditional urban planning models and adopt a new governance paradigm rooted in top-level design.

I have previously argued that smart planning is the key to unlocking the potential of the Northern Metropolis. In this article, I wish to go further and propose a series of institutional reforms that I believe are essential to ensuring the initiative’s long-term success and alignment with the SAR’s socioeconomic trajectory and national development goals.

‘Systems thinking’ needed

The Northern Metropolis is a strategic initiative that spans vision-setting, site selection, investment attraction, financing, statutory approvals, land allocation, and public-private partnerships. It integrates industrial transformation, residential development, ecological preservation, and infrastructure delivery into a unified framework. This is not a conventional urban expansion — it is a systems project that demands systems thinking.

Hong Kong’s current planning and administrative structures, while effective in managing incremental development, are not designed to handle a project of this magnitude. In the Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu sensibly moved to streamline administrative procedures and reduce costs with the proposed “Fast Track Processing System”. A “phased development” approach on a trial basis is a contingent but necessary approach to accelerate the process. The Northern Metropolis requires a governance model that is agile, empowered, and capable of coordinating across policy domains and jurisdictions.

Aligning with national planning cycles

This year marks the conclusion of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the drafting of the 15th (2026-30). As the nation charts its next phase of development, the Hong Kong SAR must consider how to align its own planning cycles with national priorities. I believe the SAR government is taking a five-year socioeconomic development plan into consideration, which reflects Hong Kong’s unique strengths while serving the broader needs of national development.

A vision of five or 10 years with a solid, workable plan would provide strategic clarity, policy continuity, and a framework for evaluating progress. It would also signal Hong Kong’s commitment to integrating with the national agenda, particularly in areas such as innovation, green development, and regional connectivity. The SAR government’s imaginative and long-term vision, as outlined in the Policy Address, is encouraging. However, maximizing visions under a strong leadership still takes time.

The Northern Metropolis is a generational opportunity. It offers Hong Kong a chance to reshape its urban landscape, diversify its economy, and deepen its integration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. But to realize this vision, we must be willing to innovate — not just in design and technology, but in governance

Building strong administrative backbone

That the chief executive will be chairing the new committee for the top-level design is promising, as this is likely to streamline administrative workflow and remove unnecessary barriers. Administratively speaking, the working team under the committee may draw personnel from relevant policy bureaus and recruit external experts to serve as deputies. This hybrid model — combining civil service experience with outside expertise — would enhance the office’s professional depth and commercial sensitivity.

Such an arrangement would allow the office to respond more effectively to the multifaceted demands of planning, infrastructure, and industrial development. It would also foster a culture of innovation and responsiveness, essential for navigating the fast-changing landscape of regional development.

Strategic financial planning and investment

To ensure fiscal discipline and strategic foresight, a 10-year financial plan for the Northern Metropolis is necessary, subject to review by the financial secretary. This would allow the government to calibrate infrastructure investment, explore bond issuance, and strike a balance between long-term economic interests and project-level financial viability.

I would also recommend the establishment of a Northern Metropolis Development Investment Fund, with an initial capital injection of HK$10 billion ($1.29 billion). The fund could operate through special purpose vehicles in partnership with private enterprises, leveraging land development rights or leasehold interests to support joint ventures in emerging industries.

This model would facilitate industrial transformation and help build a new economic ecosystem driven by government, industry, academia, research, and investment. It would also enable Hong Kong to attract leading enterprises and top-tier talent — key ingredients for sustainable growth.

Enhancing strategic steering

According to the Policy Address, the proposed Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis is to be chaired by the chief executive, and the Working Group on Devising Development and Operation Models chaired by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po. It can be expected that such structures would ensure that strategic decisions are made at the highest level, with clear accountability and alignment across departments. The committee, under the leadership of the chief executive, is also expected to provide a platform for resolving interdepartmental bottlenecks and accelerating project delivery.

The Northern Metropolis is a generational opportunity. It offers Hong Kong a chance to reshape its urban landscape, diversify its economy, and deepen its integration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. But to realize this vision, we must be willing to innovate — not just in design and technology, but in governance.

The author is chairman of Doctoral Exchange, a Hong Kong-based think tank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.