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Opinion | Hong Kong’s housing and economic development must be linked to the environment to create a liveable city
- The incoming chief executive should include the environment in his key performance indicators for measuring Hong Kong’s progress
- Preserving natural habitats will boost residents’ physical and mental well-being and make Hong Kong an example for the rest of the Greater Bay Area
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Chief executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu has said he will set priority tasks and goals, with key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress in Hong Kong’s development.
To ensure Hong Kong is sustainable and liveable, with a happy populace, Lee should set a goal for the city to be “nature positive by 2030”, and join world leaders who signed onto the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, committing to a sustainable development paradigm that includes conservation to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
Housing is a priority for Lee, and for Hong Kong. It is fundamental to people’s well-being and happiness. However, housing should not be to the detriment of the environment as the latter supports the physical well-being and happiness of the people who will occupy the new flats.
People deprived of an environment with green spaces, and clean air and water, can face mental stress and impaired cognitive development. Such happiness indices are also important KPIs alongside the numbers of housing units provided.
The proposed Northern Metropolis has tremendous potential to be a world-renowned model for sustainable development. Flanked by the globally important Inner Deep Bay Ramsar site, with its surrounding wetlands and an adjacent mountain range, nature has many ecosystem services to offer, such as food, clean air, clean water, natural flood control, carbon storage and more.
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Farming families ponder future under Hong Kong government’s Northern Metropolis plans
Farming families ponder future under Hong Kong government’s Northern Metropolis plans
Thus, wetland conservation should be integrated into the Northern Metropolis design for its economic and social benefits.
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