On October 6, 2021, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam read out the 2021 policy report. Hong Kong will take out all the land in the Yuen Long District and the North District near Shenzhen, a total of 300 square kilometers of land, establish a "Northern Metropolis", integrate into the overall development of the country, develop in coordination with Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area, and jointly build international innovation and technology. center. The "Northern Metropolis" includes the North District and Yuen Long, bordering Shenzhen's Futian, Luohu, and Yantian, and across Shenzhen Bay from Shenzhen's Nanshan District.

The integration and expansion of the northern metropolitan area will be driven by railways as the backbone of the transportation system. In order to realize the integration of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the "policy address" proposed a series of major railway projects: the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway connecting Hung Shui Bridge/Xia Village to Qianhai in Shenzhen; and extending the planned northern loop line to the north through the Lok Ma Chau Loop The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park) in the region (Loop area) is connected to the Xinhuanggang Port in Shenzhen; the extension of the East Rail Line to Shenzhen Luohu and the establishment of a two-site inspection port in Shenzhen will be discussed. A new railway station with non-transit railway services will be added between Lo Wu Station and Sheung Shui Station to release the development potential of Lo Wu/Man Kam To and Sheung Shui North; the northern loop line will be extended from Kwu Tung Station to the east to connect Lo Wu, Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai area, then south through Ta Kwu Ling, Queen's Hill to Fanling; explore the feasibility of constructing an automatic MRT system from Tsim Bei Tsui to Pak Nai to promote the development of the area and Lau Fau Shan.

Increase housing and land supply

Increasing land for innovation and technology, proposing to make good use of the land vacated after the Lok Ma Chau Control Point was moved to the Shenzhen New Huanggang Port and the adjacent part of the fish ponds and rural land, plus the original land use planning in the Xintian/Lok Ma Chau Development Hub. Add a total of about 150 hectares of land for innovation and technology purposes to build a Xintian Science and Technology City, and play a more scale-efficient technology industry cluster effect. In order to respond to the expansion and development of Qianhai, Shenzhen, the "policy address" proposes to upgrade Hong Kong's Hung Shui Bridge/Xia Village's positioning as a "New Territories North Modern Service Center", and to build a "furniture" in Lau Fau Mountain, which echoes the Bay of Qianhai. Large-scale and landmark scientific and technological innovation facilities provide a large number of employment opportunities for the northern metropolis." In order to introduce an increase in population to the "Northern Metropolis" and solve the housing problem in Hong Kong, the "Policy Address" stated that 350,000 residential units have been planned in the Northern Metropolis, and an additional 600 hectares of land will be used for housing in the future. And industrial use. After the completion of the entire northern metropolitan area, plus the existing 390,000 residential units in the Yuen Long and North Districts, the total number of residential units will reach 905,000 to 926,000. In total, it can accommodate 2.5 million people. Regarding the most eye-catching housing issue, the "policy address" proposes to build 330,000 sets of public housing and 100,000 sets of commercial housing (private housing) in the next 10 years. If this plan can be completed, it will greatly ease the housing contradiction in Hong Kong.

Regarding the supply of public housing, in the next ten years (that is, from 2022-23 to 2031-32), we have found about 350 hectares of land for the construction of about 330,000 public housing units, which is slightly higher than the figure announced last year and is sufficient The estimated demand for 301,000 public housing units during the ten-year period. In terms of private housing, including railway property development, we strive to prepare about 170 hectares of land in the next ten years, and provide the market with land for the construction of about 100,000 units through land sales or railway property tenders. To rebuild the western part of Tai Hang, the reconstructed Tai Hang West Project can provide more than 3,300 units, more than double the current one, including 1,300 units for replacement of existing tenants and 2,000 Hong Kong residents developed by the URA First time home buyers.

The expansion project of the Science Park is proceeding at full speed to provide more space for technology companies and start-ups. To plan ahead, I suggest that the government should immediately study the expansion of the Science Park. To this end, the government will restart the Ma Liushui reclamation plan, together with the relocation of the Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Plant to the caverns to vacate the site, providing a total of 88 hectares of new land. Different from the original proposed residential use, we suggest that the newly added land can be used mainly for innovation and technology development, and strengthen the eastern corridor area to use innovation and technology as the main economic function. Taking this opportunity, we agree that the public transport connection between Pak Shek Kok and Science Park should be improved. The government will invite the MTR Corporation Limited (MTR Corporation) to study the construction of a new East Rail Line Science Park/Pak Shek Kok Station based on the current site of the Education University of Hong Kong (Education University) Sports Center in Pak Shek Kok. Earlier in the morning, it was requested to reset the sports center to a location near the university headquarters for the convenience of students. The government will also make good use of the development potential of the station site and adjacent land to provide more housing and parking spaces, shops and public facilities needed by residents in the district. I have instructed the Development Bureau, the Transportation and Housing Bureau and the Education Bureau to work with the MTR Corporation and the University of Education to promote the relevant projects.

Another iconic community in Hong Kong's innovation and technology industry is Cyberport. In the long run, Hung Shui Kiu/Xia Village, which is proposed to be upgraded to a modern service center in the northern New Territories under the "Northern Metropolis Development Strategy", will expand its scope to Lau Fau Shan, and it may be considered to establish a scale in a place separated from Shenzhen Qianhai Bay A landmark innovation and technology facility comparable to the Cyberport. The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park and the Lok Ma Chau/Xintian area will be integrated into the Xintian Technology City, with an estimated 240 hectares of land related to innovation and technology. Xintian Science and Technology City and Shenzhen Science and Technology Park form a Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Cooperation Zone covering an area of about 540 hectares, which can gather the advantages of Hong Kong and Shenzhen to gather talents at home and abroad. It is bound to become an important engine to promote the construction of an international science and technology innovation center in the Greater Bay Area. .

Hong Kong's strong scientific research strength has always been recognized by the country and even the world. We have so far set up 16 national key laboratories, 6 national engineering technology research centers in Hong Kong, and 22 joint laboratories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. R & D personnel. As a city, Hong Kong has five top 100 universities in the world. Many scholars and experts have won top international and domestic scientific research awards, which shows that there is a large number of talents. In order to consolidate Hong Kong’s leading position in basic research, we have accepted in principle the recommendations of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to provide land for scientific research to the two universities and reserve 4 hectares of land for the University of Hong Kong in Pokfulam. The land belonging to the green belt is used to construct the Shenzhen Science and Technology Research and Development Building, and support CUHK to set up research facilities and expand the CUHK Hospital on 2.5 hectares of land near the CUHK Hospital, mainly for the government, institutions or communities, and at the same time improve the existing Dongtie University Station Public transport interchange and parking facilities. We will also support the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in researching and using it as a Hung Hom Bay campus for self-financing post-secondary education for academic and research development.

The government will continue to promote re-industrialization from the five major aspects of infrastructure, talent, capital, technology and scientific research, so that our production value chain will be more complete and our economy more diversified. The advanced manufacturing center in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate and the microelectronics center in Yuen Long Industrial Estate will be completed in mid next year and 2023 respectively. The industry’s response to these two facilities is satisfactory, reflecting that many companies agree that high-value-added and high-tech manufacturing processes and production lines can be established in Hong Kong. In view of this, I have invited the Science and Technology Park Corporation to start conceiving the construction of a second advanced manufacturing center. The construction of a three-runway system to increase passenger volume is a strategic investment to strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong International Airport. It is also an important infrastructure in our vision of an airport city from a city airport. The reclamation project of about 650 hectares has been roughly completed, and the 3,800-meter-long new runway has been paved earlier. The goal is to open the third runway next year, and the entire three-runway system project is expected to be completed in 2024. The Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AA) has also promoted a number of projects to improve airport efficiency and passenger experience, and a number of high-end logistics projects in response to the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce in the region are also proceeding at full speed.

Last year, with the support of the Central Government and Guangdong Province, I proposed in the "Policy Address" to make good use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to strengthen cooperation between the two airports of Hong Kong and Zhuhai, and the AA will buy shares in Zhuhai Airport under market-based rules. When the SAR government is actively following matters concerning the entry of shares, it also hopes to jointly build a high-end aviation industry cluster in Zhuhai with Guangdong Province, such as aircraft maintenance engineering, aircraft component production and distribution, and aircraft engineering professional research; Hong Kong International Aviation Institute ( Aviation Academy) can also cultivate technical professionals for the aviation industry in Hong Kong, Zhuhai and the Greater Bay Area.

Build a livable city

Promoting a number of minor works projects to improve pedestrian connections and waterfront areas to add vitality to the area, including the "Green Connection" linking MTR Wong Chuk Hang Station and Aberdeen Country Park, which will start next year. The government and the Ocean Park Company are actively implementing Ocean Park’s future strategies, including initiating a bidding process for the development of the park, and launching a technical study on the Deep Water Bay and Tai Shue Bay Wharf Projects next year. They are also exploring the provision of services before the completion of the Wharf Project. The feasibility of temporary landing facilities, good water bodies and water transportation will better connect the park with other places.

The government is conducting an open tender to invite private organizations to design, build and operate a water sports center for the public at the restored Shek O Quarry, including the exclusive windsurfing elite sport for the Hong Kong Institute of Sports (Sports Institute) It is expected that the contract will be awarded for the training facilities in the first quarter of next year, allowing the water sports center to be fully operational in about five years. On the other hand, we are studying the technical feasibility of rebuilding and integrating the existing sports ground, sports center, playground and swimming pool facilities in Wong Chuk Hang, so as to make good use of the existing land and provide better services to the public through a multi-use model. We will also start an investigation and design study for the expansion of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter next year to increase the berthing area for ships. The government has been committed to optimizing the waterfronts on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. Through joint efforts with the Waterfront Affairs Committee, from October last year to the end of this year, we will open a total of 15 waterfront venues and further extend the waterfront of Victoria Harbour to 25 kilometers; pilot waterfront shared space The management model is also well received by the public. We will continue to extend open management to more waterfront land, so that the public can enjoy the waterfront space freely in an inclusive environment. In addition, for the first time, we will introduce a completely rail-free stepped coastal design on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, allowing visitors to sit by the sea and enjoy the scenery of Victoria Harbour without any barriers. Continue to develop the remaining approximately 20 kilometers of cycle tracks from Tuen Mun to Tsuen Wan to connect the east-west cycle track network in the New Territories. In the urban area, the 13-kilometer pedestrian and bicycle inclusive corridor in the Kai Tak Development Area will be completed in phases starting in 2023. The government will promote the development of 5G in various ways, including launching more 5G spectrum for auction at the end of this month to meet the needs of various 5G services in terms of speed, capacity and coverage. We will encourage more industries to adopt 5G innovative applications, including telemedicine, remote maintenance support, real-time site safety monitoring, etc., to improve efficiency and productivity by encouraging early use of the 5G technology subsidy program.

In order to promote self-driving vehicles, the Transportation and Housing Bureau will submit a bill to the next Legislative Council to establish a new regulatory framework so that the industry can conduct tests and applications more extensively and flexibly. The "Smart Transportation Fund" launched in March this year funded projects that facilitate the travel of drivers, improve transportation efficiency, and improve driving safety. The government will continue to invest in infrastructure to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness. In response to the impact of the epidemic on the economy, infrastructure investment will also be taken as the main measure to stimulate the economy to counter-cycle. The funding for capital works approved by the Finance Committee this legislative year is as high as a record-breaking 220 billion yuan. It is estimated that the government will spend more than 100 billion yuan on capital works each year in the next few years. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

The Development Bureau will continue to implement the Construction Industry 2.0. Through innovation, specialization and youthization, it will lead industry innovations, enhance the productivity and technical level of the construction industry, and apply innovative technologies and assembly-composite construction methods more widely to shorten construction time and reduce Manpower and strengthen site safety. Hong Kong is actively preparing for the International Construction Leadership Summit to be held next year, sharing experience with industry stakeholders, and conspiring strategies to promote innovation in the construction industry and improve project performance. Editor/Xing Wentao