Northern Metropolis: A New Northern Horizon for Hong Kong

On September 16, 2026, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region witnessed something rather special — a milestone event in its modern history: the unveiling of its first five-year plan for economic and social development (2026-2030).

Scheduled for fulfillment by the end of the first year of the next decade, this far-sighted programme places especially strong emphasis on the development of the Northern Metropolis — a new cityscape that is anticipated to play a pivotal role in Hong Kong’s spatial and economic landscape in the years to come.

Many viewers may have already encountered the Northern Metropolis from a rather unique vantage point.

In 2022, this urban district made a cameo appearance in the CMG documentary Aerial China .

For many, that bird’s eye glimpse was sufficient to prompt a question: what exactly was taking shape in northern Hong Kong? Four years on, and the answer is here.

Put simply, the establishment of the Northern Metropolis is intended to address a fundamental issue constraining Hong Kong’s development: limited availability of land.

Put another way, growth can only take place if it is possible to accommodate people and industries — in other words, if there is something to grow into.

In this context, the scale of the Northern Metropolis is especially significant.

Covering about 30,000 hectares, or roughly one-third of Hong Kong’s total land area, this represents one of the largest ever augmentations to the “inner-space” available for Hong Kong development.

For that reason alone, the importance of this new zone is almost impossible to overstate.

But land alone does not create a new economic centre.

Infrastructure is what makes development possible.

And once again, in this respect, the Northern Metropolis has a distinctive advantage: its location.

Situated in Hong Kong’s northern New Territories and directly adjacent to Shenzhen, it sits at the intersection of Hong Kong, and the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.