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Application of Innovation and Technology in

Smart Planning

Introduction

The wider use of innovation and technology is an emerging global trend, which is essential

to unlocking the development potential of all disciplines, driving business transformations
and enhancing work efficiency. To capitalise on this megatrend, Planning Department (the
Department), as a government department responsible for formulating, monitoring and
reviewing land use at the territorial and district/local level, as well as carrying out topical studies

and undertaking actions against unauthorised land uses, has been putting forward different
smart initiatives to support the planning and decision-making process. These smart initiatives
include the setting up of platforms/systems for dissemination of statutory and non-statutory
geospatial planning information for shared use among government bureaux/departments; the

use of innovative and evolving technology such as remote sensing techniques, unmanned aircraft
vehicles (UAV) and ‘3D Planning and Design System’ (3DPDS) to facilitate undertaking of
various planning tasks, as well as the release of planning-related open data to the public.

Policy Context of Smart Planning

Given the government’s drive to transform Hong Kong into a world-class smart city,
government bureaux/departments, academia, businesses and different sectors of the community
are all working hand in hand to attain this common goal through the application of innovation

and technology. ‘Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong’ (the Blueprint) announced by the
government in December 2017 has proposed measures to accelerate developing Hong Kong
into a smart city. The vision of the Blueprint is to ‘embrace innovation and technology to
build a world-famed Smart Hong Kong characterised by a strong economy and high quality of

living’. Recommendations in six major areas, namely ‘Smart Mobility’, ‘Smart Living’, ‘Smart
Environment’, ‘Smart People’, ‘Smart Government’ and ‘Smart Economy’ have been made to
map out the smart city development plan. The Blueprint has come up with the development
direction that the government can initiate digital transformation work to create the foundational

capability for smart services.

From strategic planning perspective, ‘Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and
Strategy Transcending 2030’ (Hong Kong 2030+), which is an updating exercise of the

territorial development strategy, serves to explore and formulate feasible options for Hong
Kong’s overall spatial planning, land and infrastructure development, and the shaping of
its built and natural environment beyond 2030. It proposes to adopt a ‘Smart, Green and

Resilient (SGR) City Strategy’ that permeates all aspects of land use, transport and infrastructure
planning for building a future-proofing smart city, supported by a Common Spatial Data
Infrastructure (CSDI) and information and communications technology infrastructure. In

17 Focus