Munich is the city that Hong Kong can be, with the right governance

A regional centre of business and finance, innovation and culture, with a great quality of living, Munich is everything that Hong Kong would want to be
To be that truly world-class city, Hong Kong needs a government that is representative and responsive to people’s needs

Peter Kammerer

Published: 6:00am, 24 Sep 2019

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I recently spent a week in the southern German city of Munich. It is the home of the carmaker BMW, electronics firm Siemens, financial services company Allianz, FC Bayern Munich, one of the most successful European soccer teams, and right now, Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival. The city ranks near the top of global surveys for standard and quality of living. In short, it is everything Hong Kong would want to be.

Hong Kong protesters still have four demands of the government, which are unlikely to be adequately met. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s administration has embarked on a series of public consultations to appease and cajole, contending that the aim is to find out the root of the discontent.

But officials are being disingenuous; they know very well why citizens are so unhappy. No matter where in the world they live, people simply want a reasonable standard of living, good jobs, a healthy environment and home that they can be proud to call their own.

I would wager they would be more than happy if the fundamentals of Munich could be laid over Hong Kong’s grid.

A city’s development should be organic. There is no model that can be copied and imposed on a society; geography, culture and history always dictate circumstances. But ideas can be considered and adapted and when suitable, adopted. Munich is awash with them, from vehicle-free streets and green belts to outdoor restaurants and beyond.

Broadly, Munich checks all the boxes that Hong Kong is or aspires to be; a regional centre of business, finance, education, science, technology, innovation, culture and tourism. Hong Kong’s population size and unemployment rate are not that far removed from those of Munich’s metropolitan area. But where the two diverge is in governance.

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That is reflected in the annual quality of living survey produced by the respected American consulting firm Mercer, which ranked Munich in joint third place with Auckland and Vancouver, and behind Vienna and Zurich. A similar study by British lifestyle magazine Monocle also placed it third after Zurich and down from first position last year.

Mercer places Hong Kong 71st and Monocle, 16th. I do not deny that there are problems with such data-driven appraisals, based on issues such as the cost of housing, crime, number of museums, public transport and the like. Too often, they are a product of the likes and tastes of those doing the research and have in mind an imaginary citizen who is usually well-educated and affluent.

I also have an inbuilt bias – my father was born and raised in Munich and I have relatives there. But such matters are incidental to the fundamentals of a city that functions well, has clean streets and air, high-quality food and housing, plenty of green space for exercise and relaxation, theatres, art galleries and museums packed with culture and achievements, and an obvious, all-round enjoyment of life by citizens. The city’s subway says much: It has no entry and exit gates, ticket buying being about trust and respect.

It also does not tear apart neighbourhoods in the name of development. I was able to visit the home my father was born in 90 years ago, enjoy an ice-cream from the same shop he used to go to as a child and see where he and his brother bought beer for their father.

In Hong Kong, where a 50-year-old building is a novelty, favourite restaurants rarely last longer than a few rental contracts and a shop that is here today is gone tomorrow, as landlords, developers and the government dictate what stays and goes.

Hong Kong’s officials believe they can solve the crisis with cash handouts and low-priced, poor-quality, housing. But the protests and the police response have highlighted too many long-festering problems and flaws for such simple fixes. Hongkongers want a better city, one that is truly world class. We will not have that until we have a government that is genuinely representative and responsive to the needs and desires of citizens.

Peter Kammerer is a senior writer at the Post

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