Kowloon East (KE) witnessed the rapid growth of an important industrial base, creating some hundred thousands of jobs and propelling Hong Kong's prosperity. Following relocation of the Airport to Chek Lap Kok and our manufacturing base to the Mainland, this area’s function has become very different, and as a consequence, the uses of the original industrial buildings also changed. On the other hand, with the continuous growth in Hong Kong's financial and service sectors as well as large numbers of regional headquarters and regional offices of multi-national companies setting foot in Hong Kong, the demand for quality office space can no longer be met by our traditional Core Business District (CBD).
The National 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans have given support to Hong Kong's position as an international centre for financial services, trade and shipping, and international innovation and technology hub, adding on the positive factors rendered by the Greater Bay Area Plan, Hong Kong’s global influence as a financial centre is expected to strengthen. To capitalize on the fast-growing opportunities of the Mainland and to sustain Hong Kong's position and longer term development, a steady and adequate supply of quality office space is pivotal.
In the 2011-12 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced the adoption of a visionary, coordinated and integrated approach to transform Kowloon East (comprising the Kowloon Bay Business Area, the Kwun Tong Business Area and the former Kai Tak Airport) into an additional attractive CBD to sustain Hong Kong’s economic development. This initiative was reiterated in the subsequent Policy Addresses. Specifically, this involves land use reviews, enhanced urban design, and improvement to connectivity and the associated infrastructure.
As promulgated in the 2017 Policy Agenda, the Energizing Kowloon East initiative was extended to San Po Kong, with particular focus on enhancing connectivity, improving the environment, and promoting vibrancy and diversified development.
In the 2020 Policy Address, the Chief Executive stated the Energizing Kowloon East initiative has successfully transformed areas in Kwun Tong, Kowloon Bay and Kai Tak into the second core business district in Hong Kong.
Kwun Tong, Kowloon Bay and San Po Kong have always been full of vibrancy and liveliness since their days as an industrial hub. When economic transformation began to take place in the 1980s, the industrial buildings have taken up their new role in attracting many small and medium enterprises, artists and creative industries. The existing vibrancy of the area and the fact that urban transformation is largely market-driven buttress the adoption of a place-making strategy to maintain a close connection with the community and an incremental approach in the delivery of CBD2.
As old industrial districts, the area is not particularly pleasing visually in terms of greening, open space and pedestrian environment.
Kwun Tong, Kowloon Bay and San Po Kong were developed as traditional industrial districts with a priority for vehicular traffic. During the urban transformation process into a CBD, both the pedestrian and traffic environments have to be enhanced.