National test of city planning reform underway

China is conducting a national pilot program on city planning reform that covers 15 cities in an effort to resolve “big city diseases” and improve the quality of city development, Huang Yan, vice-minister of housing and urban-rural development, said on Saturday.

Through the program, the cities' development plans and targets will be well integrated with national plans, she said.

More restrictive measures will be taken for development of the cities, so they will not just keep expanding while ignoring life quality for residents. Measures would include defining the boundary of urban development and mapping out non-development areas for ecological and environmental protection, Huang said.

Protecting traditional cultures also will get more emphasis in city planning in the pilot program, Huang said.

City residents are expected to be the focus of urban development so they can enjoy better living conditions, including better environment and shorter commuting distance, she said.

In the past four decades, China has undergone urbanization on an unprecedented scale in human history, which also brings many problems, Huang said.

About 60 percent of China’s population will live in urban areas by 2020, from the present level of 57 percent, she said.