The Town Planning Board (TPB) visited Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen from December 16 to 18 to better understand the prevailing urban planning and development in the Greater Bay Area. The delegation was led by the Chairperson of the TPB, i.e. the Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands), with the representatives from the Planning Department and the Lands Department and other members of the TPB.
The delegation was briefed by the representatives of Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau on the latest land use and infrastructural development of Guangzhou Design Capital, Pazhou and Yongxingfang. The delegation members learnt about the application of urban design, landscaping, public art as well as smart technology in construction and city management to create a pleasant commercial and residential community in the Design Capital. The collaborative role of Pazhou, Zhujiang New Town and International Financial City in developing the Guangzhou Central Business District through flexible investment methods, introduction of a large number of artificial intelligence and innovative industries. The city revitalisation model of Yongqingfang is a project in which the local government introduces private companies for construction and operation through public investment invitations. After the operation period, the winning bidder will hand over the project to the Government.
The representatives from the Dongguan Natural Resources Bureau introduced the nationwide demonstration of water pollution control, Huayang Lake National Wetland Park, to the delegation and shared about Dongguan's experience in tackling water pollution and carrying out a systematic wetland water management to transform the original polluted wetland area into a national wetland park. The delegation also visited Jianyuzhou Cultural and Creative Park which was revitalised from a former industrial site. The delegation members observed a mixture of cultural spaces and integration of different cultural industries. The delegation then visited Huawei Town in Songshan Lake, Dongguan, which is the headquarters of Huawei, a global information and communications technology infrastructure and smart equipment supplier. The delegation was briefed by Huawei representatives on the application of big data technology, the operation of Huawei Smart Park and its business in Hong Kong, and communicated with Huawei representatives.
The representatives from the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau led the delegation to visit Nantou Ancient City, which was the location of the former Baoan County Government before the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The delegation learnt about the diversified city revitalisation plan of Nantou Ancient City in recent years, which has brought together a variety of emerging industries. The delegation received a briefing from the representatives of the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen and exchanged views on the interconnection between Qianhai and the Northern Metropolis (NM). Later, the delegation visited Liuxiandong Headquarters Base and learnt about the master planning of the largest business cluster in Shenzhen for emerging innovative industries.
The delegation visited the new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD Automobile Base. The delegation was briefed by the representatives from BYD Company Limited with introduction on the electric fleets developed by their company with different functions and application ranges, as well as R&D projects such as rail transit and new energy, and further understanding the application of rail transit. The delegation also experienced first-hand the new energy rail transit system, SkyShuttle.
This tour allowed the delegation to better understand the latest urban planning and development in the Greater Bay Area, exchanged a lot of valuable experiences and views with relevant planning units and group organisations, from which the members gained insights on the planning of new developments, which will serve as references and facilitate the TPB in consideration of the projects related to the development of the NM, innovative industries, old district revitalisation and wetland conservation, etc..
The delegation returned to Hong Kong this evening (December 18).
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