Shanghai land policies to boost economy

Shanghai is considering a series of policies to improve land use efficiency that will ensure both high-quality economic development, while providing attractive living environment for its residents, city officials said yesterday.

The policies, aimed at boosting real economy, will support the development of all kinds of enterprises, including private, foreign and state-owned companies, and ensure the development of the advanced manufacturing industry, said Xu Yisong, director of the Shanghai Planning, Land and Resources Administration.

Flexible terms will be available for use of land for industrial purposes. Enterprises may also be offered a lease option to use the land first. In case they decide to buy the land parcel later, the rent they have paid will be deducted from the sale price, an initiative that will greatly alleviate the capital burden of enterprises.

A land use efficiency assessment and exit mechanism will be implemented in land management with different policies for different companies.

To better allocate land resources, various approaches, including changing the purpose of land parcels, raising the plot ratios and taking back low-efficient land plots, will be adopted, the officials said.

By 2035, the land plots designated for ecological purpose should exceed 60 percent of the city’s overall land area, and the total land area allocated for construction will be limited to 3,200 square kilometers. Also by 2035, 100,000 hectares of farm land will be maintained in the city.

Officials said Shanghai will spare no effort to ensure that community-level public service facilities can be reached by residents within 15 minutes.

Urban renovation projects centered around various themes, such as public activities areas, historical preservation areas and areas around Metro stations will be launched. The renovation of old residential communities will also be accelerated.