The central part of the city of Hong Kong lies on both sides of Victoria Harbour, on Hong Kong Island in the south, and the peninsula of Kowloon in the north. Kowloon still has traditional neighborhoods with lots of street markets and high-density urban blocks. The area of Mong Kok, in the middle of Kowloon, has one of the highest urban densities in the world, over 40.000 inhabitants per square kilometer. Real estate pressure is bringing massive office development from saturated Hong Kong island to Kowloon and is beginning to transform its waterfront.

At the building sites on reclaimed land west of Kowloon, one can see the rise of the new Kowloon. The integration of Austin metro station, Kowloon station (Airport Express line) and the new West Kowloon Express Rail Link Terminus (High Speed rail to mainland China) will turn this area into an international hub. Around Kowloon station, residential towers and offices are almost completed, including the 118 storey (484 m) ICC building. A few kilometers to the east, an equally large site will be developed at the old Hong Kong airport Kai Tak.