800 Guests and Staff Celebrate Silver Jubilee to Forge a Liveable City Together
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Honourable John Lee (Centre, front row), and the URA Chairman, Mr Chow Chung-Kong (4th from left, front row), officiating at the URA’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, are joined by other distinguished guests to propose a toast.
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (14 August 2026) hosted its 25th Anniversary Celebration, bringing together distinguished guests from diverse sectors to commemorate the occasion. The celebration presented an opportunity to showcase the URA’s fruitful achievements in driving urban renewal over the past quarter-century while envisioning its future strategic path.
Held under the theme “Years of Unity Building Together”, the celebration was officiated by the Honourable John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Mr Chow Chung-kong, Chairman of the URA. A total of around 800 participants attended the ceremony, including guests from the political, business, professional, and other sectors, alongside URA staff members. Distinguished guests included the Honourable Starry Lee, President of the Legislative Council; the Honourable Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council; Mr Zhou He, Principal Official of the Social Development Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Ms Bernadette Linn, Secretary for Development; Ms Winnie Ho, Secretary for Housing; Miss Alice Mak, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs; and members of the URA Board.
In his keynote address, the Chief Executive, the Honourable John Lee, remarked,
“I express my deep gratitude to all past Chairmen, Board members, Managing Directors, and the entire team of the URA for their dedicated efforts and outstanding contributions to driving urban renewal over the past 25 years. Keeping pace with the times and breaking through conventional constraints are essential mindsets for advancing urban renewal. In last year’s Policy Address, I announced three measures driven by innovative thinking, leveraging new development land to drive urban redevelopment, enhancing market incentives, and accelerating the pace of urban renewal. To address long-term challenges, the Government is currently reviewing the URA’s overall financial and operational models in close collaboration with the Authority. This review encompasses acquisition policies and strategic arrangements for driving urban renewal. I am confident that the URA will continue to advance its work with innovative thinking, working hand-in-hand with the HKSAR Government and stakeholders across various sectors to cultivate an exceptional quality of urban living and collectively build a better Hong Kong.”
Mr Chow Chung-kong, Chairman of the URA, expressed his profound gratitude to the Chief Executive and his governing team for their steadfast trust and institutional support. Reflecting on the URA’s fruitful achievements in driving urban renewal over the past 25 years, Mr Chow stated,
“Since its establishment in 2001, the URA has remained committed to its ‘people-first’ approach. To date, we have implemented 80 redevelopment and preservation projects, encompassing the redevelopment of over 1,700 dilapidated buildings and the provision of more than 37,000 new residential flats. We firmly believe that urban renewal goes far beyond demolishing old buildings and constructing new ones. More importantly, it is about preserving the cultural character and human touch of our local districts. We are committed to working hand in hand with residents and diverse stakeholders to build liveable, warm, and resilient communities.”
The Chief Executive, the Honourable John Lee, delivers a keynote address at the URA’S 25th Anniversary Celebration, highly commending its outstanding contributions to improving the built environment of old districts and driving urban renewal over the years. 
The URA Chairman, Mr Chow Chung-kong, expresses his aspiration to continue collaborating with all sectors of society to jointly drive urban renewal efforts, building Hong Kong into a more liveable and better city.
Financial Turnaround Supports Continued Urban Renewal
Mr Chow noted that, amid a volatile external environment and fluctuations in the property market, the URA has adopted agile strategies and made prudent and effective use of its resources to achieve its operational goals. Consequently, the Authority successfully turned a deficit into a profit in the 2025/26 financial year, recording an operating surplus of $338 million that will support its ongoing urban renewal initiatives. He added that, moving forward, one of the URA’s key priorities is to step up preparations for an enhanced “Smart Tender” service to strengthen support for property owners. The URA is currently finalising the relevant measures and implementation details with the Government.
Mr Chow stressed that the rapid “double ageing” of Hong Kong’s old districts and buildings is not a challenge that the URA can address on its own. He remarked, “Improve the living environments for residents in old districts while enhancing the financial sustainability of urban redevelopment requires the concerted efforts of the Government, the business and professional sectors, local community stakeholders and the wider community. Echoing the theme of our 25th Anniversary Celebration, ‘Years of Unity Building Together’, the URA looks forward to working closely with all sectors of society to accelerate urban renewal and build Hong Kong into a more liveable and better city.”
To mark the occasion, Managing Director of the URA, Ar Donald Choi, led the management team in a drum performance, striking an energetic rhythm that symbolised community transformation and the URA team’s commitment to continuing to work with different sectors of society to advance urban renewal. Ar Choi extended his most sincere appreciation to every colleague at the URA and to stakeholders across all sectors of society. He stated, “The professionalism, dedication, and innovative spirit of our colleagues are the cornerstones of our success in driving urban renewal. Today, we are not only celebrating the past achievements of the URA, but also reaffirming our collective and unwavering commitment to building a more liveable and better Hong Kong for future generations.”
The URA Managing Director, Ar Donald Choi (centre, front row), together with the management, sounds a new rhythm for community transformation with an energetic drumming performance during the celebration.
