Financial Secretary Paul Chan stated in his weekly blog that the Northern Metropolis development aims to make the border area suitable for living, working, studying and leisure while boosting economic growth.
In a post published on Sunday, Chan described the project as a potential new engine for Hong Kong's future economic development. He expressed hope that the initiative would gradually improve residents' living and spatial environment.
The government is optimising public housing layouts in the area and raising minimum size requirements for private housing units. Public open space standards are set to increase by about 30 per cent compared to the current citywide benchmark, reaching 3.5 square metres per capita.