The government’s push for improved urban design is strategic and timely. Now it must turn ideas into action
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenKitty TamandCalvin AuPublished: 9:30am, 15 Mar 2026When people picture Hong Kong, they often imagine a relentless concrete jungle – a vertical city where glass and steel dominate the skyline. Yet a quiet revolution is beginning to reshape how our city develops.
The presence of Charles Karangwa, global head of the Nature-based Solutions Centre at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), underscored an important message: with the right ambition and collaboration, Hong Kong has the potential to become an international leader in integrating nature into urban development.
The new guidelines adapt the IUCN’s global framework to Hong Kong’s uniquely dense urban environment. They establish three core principles: enhancing biodiversity across ecological structures and scales; fostering a harmonious coexistence between people and nature; and strengthening climate and ecological resilience alongside social and economic sustainability. The guidelines also introduce an evaluation framework that measures five forms of natural capital, supported by digital monitoring tools to ensure nature-based initiatives deliver measurable and scientifically robust outcomes.
The guidelines carry strategic implications for Hong Kong’s future competitiveness. First, it offers a pragmatic way to ease the tension between urban expansion and natural habitats.
