Bid to make Hong Kong a ‘future-proof’ resilient city launched at RICS Annual Conference 2019

Around 400 professionals gathered at leading built environment summit to address urgent climate change challenges

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 24 May 2019 - The region's growing vulnerability to climate-related catastrophes was chief among the urgent issues addressed at today's RICS Hong Kong Annual Conference.

Around 400 professionals assembled at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong on May 24 for the region's leading built environment summit, which was organised around the theme "Resilient and sustainable: Putting the green revolution at the forefront of our future".

Kicking off the day-long programme was Guest of Honour The Honourable Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, GBM, GBS, JP, the Government of Hong Kong SAR's Chief Secretary for Administration.

The conference featured a packed programme of more than 20 keynote speakers and panellists drawn from the worlds of academic, property, government and finance. Structured around four key themed sections, the day began by considering the global picture, before outlining the role the built environment sector has to play in "future-proofing" cities.

In recognition of Hong Kong's role as a global financial hub, the afternoon sessions explored the part green finance can play in driving sustainability and innovation, as well as examining ESG reporting and considering the progress made by regional neighbours Singapore.

Mr Cheung said Climate change is a global challenge which demands immediate, decisive and robust action that requires cross-sector and cross-domain collaborations, the HKSAR government accords top priority to formulating comprehensive and coordinated climate actions to meet the commitments formalized under the Paris Agreement. Initiatives includes development of renewable energy by introducing Feed in Tariff (FiT) to provide incentives for the community to invest in RE, promoting energy saving and Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the construction industry. Hong Kong can also ride on its strength as an international financial centre and the global business hub to develop the city into a leading regional hub for green finance.   

Ms Clare Chiu, RICS Chief Operating Officer for Greater China, said: "Hong Kong has historically enjoyed a unique geographic position, but in the face of more severe and frequent extreme weather conditions, this prized coastal vantage now puts the city at the frontline of the struggles ahead. Professionals in the built environment sector have an integral role to play in ensuring Hong Kong is best prepared for whatever the future may hold.

"At the same time, the strategic advantages Hong Kong has developed over the preceding decades now means the city has both the ability, and the responsibility, to serve as a regional leader in the emerging green finance market -- pointing the way forward in sustainable practice for others to follow."

To download high resolution photos of the RICS Annual Conference 2019 Hong Kong, please click HERE.

About RICS

RICS promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent delivery of standards -- bringing confidence to the markets we serve.

We accredit 125,000 professionals and any individual or firm registered with RICS is subject to our quality assurance. Their expertise covers property, asset valuation, real estate management; the development of infrastructure; and the management of natural resources, such as mining, farms and woodland. From environmental assessments and building controls to negotiating land rights in an emerging economy; if our members are involved the same professional standards and ethics apply.

We believe that standards underpin effective markets. With up to seventy per cent of the world's wealth bound up in land and real estate, our sector is vital to economic development, helping to support stable, sustainable investment and growth around the globe.

With offices covering the major political and financial centres of the world, our market presence means we are ideally placed to influence policy and embed professional standards. We work at a cross-governmental level, delivering international standards that will support a safe and vibrant marketplace in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, for the benefit of all.

We are proud of our reputation and work hard to protect it, so clients who work with an RICS professional can have confidence in the quality and ethics of the services they receive.

source: RICS