Northern Metropolis Focus Shifts from San Tin Technopole to Three University Towns

Hong Kong Free Press reports that the focus of Northern Metropolis development has shifted from the original San Tin Technopole to building three university towns in San Tin, Hung Shui Kiu and Ta Kwu Ling, covering more than 1,000 hectares in total. Chief Executive John Lee said at a summit in October 2026 that the three university towns will combine education, technology, industry, talent and urban development. Chan Kim-ching of Liber Research Community said the shift towards education is a more realistic approach, but questioned how synergy can be created among the three university towns.