Core Yangtze River Delta zone to become 'world-class water village'
Visitors watch the paintings on a countryside house in the demonstration zone for integrated ecological and green development in the Yangtze River Delta region.
A quadrangle dwelling, or siheyuan, will be built at the junction of Shanghai and neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, highlighting China's national strategy of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region.
The historical architectural style represents the unity of man and nature in traditional Chinese culture. The project, titled "Watertown Living Room" or the "Square Hall and Water Courtyard," on the Taipu River will become a core site for exchanges, business, culture as well as the union of man and nature.
The demonstration zone for integrated ecological and green development in the Yangtze River Delta region, launched in 2019, comprises Shanghai's suburban Qingpu District, Wujiang District of Suzhou in Jiangsu and Jiashan County in Zhejiang.
It was set up to better facilitate the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, which was elevated as a national strategy in November 2018.
According to its newly approved master plan, the zone will become a model of "world-class water village and human settlement" by 2035 with the strictest natural and ecological protection rules.
The master plan for the demonstration zone through 2035 was recently approved by the State Council, China's Cabinet.
A preserved water town in the demonstration zone for integrated ecological and green development in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Ecological protection and a strict ban on grand redevelopment are highlighted in the eye-catching blueprint, which is rare for involving three provincial-level governments.
"The demonstration zone must focus on the ecology and greenery, avoid large-scale development or land expansion for construction," Zhang Bing, a senior official of the Ministry of Natural Resources, told a press conference in Shanghai on Tuesday.
"It is forbidden to remove or combine villages, demolish or construct against the will of the farmers, or build governmental office buildings, halls or guesthouses," he said, quoting a reply from the State Council.
"We must protect the natural and ecological environment of the zone like our eyes," Zhang noted.
To achieve the goal, the blueprint stipulates that the agricultural acreage within the zone must remain at 510 square kilometers by 2035. Some 143 square kilometers of ecological land cannot be developed.
Land for new construction should not increase but shrink by 15.7 square kilometers by 2035.
Meanwhile, at least 66 percent of the zone will be covered by waterways or parks. Key attractions include the Dianshan and Yuandang lakes as well as the Taipu River and the Grand Canal along with their riverside areas.
Shanghai's Dianshan Lake lies in the core area of the demonstration zone.
Transport network
To improve the transport network, several railways and subways have been planned to connect the zone with Shanghai's Hongqiao transport hub.
The distance between the zone and Hongqiao airport will be shortened to half an hour by vehicle, while the distance with Pudong airport will be reduced to 90 minutes, according to the master plan.
Six national-level museums and three universities or campuses will be built in the zone along with quality medical resources and international sports venues.
A riverside park within the demonstration zone.
Shanghai will promote the economic development of the zone with good scenery and living environment, according to Zhang Yuxin, deputy director of the Shanghai Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau.
Top professionals will be attracted to the zone by the ideal environment and traditional Jiangnan (regions to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) flavors, he added.
The "Watertown Living Room" project, for instance, will be launched in the core area of the zone along with a scientific innovation center, the extension of Metro Line 17 and the Qingpu branch of the Children's Hospital of Shanghai, Zhang revealed.
