Half of bosses believe Hong Kong lags global peers in urban planning

The massive waste problem must be resolved to realise its Smart City vision.

Half of business executives (51%) bemoan the fact that Hong Kong lags behind its global peers in environment and urban planning which can significantly dampen its Smart City efforts, according to a smart city report from KPMG China. 

Hong Kong grapples with a massive waste problem after it has produced a record-high of over 3 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2015 and filling over 13 landfill sites with analysts forecasting that the city would soon face overflowing land sites by 2020. 

It comes as no surprise that three quarters of executives (75%) singled out waste handling as a top priority against the background of Hong Kong’s growing waste problem. 

This is followed by a call for the regulation of pollution, reduction of carbon intensity, planning for land reclamation and higher availability of green space. 

The survey also indicated that three in 5 (63%) business executives believe that converting waste into energy and recycling are equally important steps to fast-track urban planning development.

Hong Kong must also move to strike a balance between land use for residential, commercial and recreational purposes amidst its limited land supply. 

“The results suggest a need for Hong Kong to focus on energy-efficient practices and environmental sustainability to further develop as a smart city. Achieving this would go a long way in improving the quality of life of its citizens, highlighted as their key expectation of what a smart city should deliver,” the report noted.