Shanghai's 'global city' plan wins approval

The State Council yesterday approved, in principle, Shanghai’s master plan for 2035 to become an “excellent global city.”

A statement posted on the central government website says to achieve its purpose of transforming Shanghai into an innovative, humanistic and eco-friendly metropolis, it will have to optimize the city’s functions, develop its characteristics, improve its environment and upgrade its management and service levels.

Shanghai will have to take measures to control construction and population growth, protect the environment and create a safe and friendly metropolis for people to live in.

According to the plan, the city’s population will be limited to 25 million by 2035. Shanghai had 24.19 million residents at the end of 2016, data showed.

The total land area allocated for construction will be limited to 3,200 square kilometers. The city should stick to its policy of economizing land resources. Authorities should enforce strict control over allocation of new land pieces for construction and make better use of existing land resources. It should utilize underground spaces to raise the city’s overall land use efficiency. The construction land area was already 3,124 square kilometers in 2014, data showed.

To protect its ecological environment, the city should strictly control emission levels. Further efforts should be made to protect air, water and soil and water efficiency should be improved. A low-impact real estate development model should be promoted and more green buildings should be constructed.

The master plan also requires the city to intensify efforts to protect its historic sites, including the building where the Communist Party of China held its first national congress.

As per the master plan, the city will have a housing system in place to ensure supply from multiple sources, provide housing support through multiple channels, and encourage both house purchases and rental. Urban renewal programs should be conducted at a steady pace to improve the city’s livability.

The city government will deploy green and low-carbon concepts in infrastructure planning and construction, prioritize the development of public transport system and continue to expand its subway network. More innovative methods including the Internet and big data should be deployed to improve the city’s management level, it stressed in the plan.