China plans to create 20 city clusters: report   

中國將分三類打造20個城市群 規劃已進入編制階段

我國城市群規劃正在緊鑼密鼓地編制。《經濟參考報》記者近日獲悉，作為城市群規劃編制前期工作的城市群范圍和戰略定位專題研究報告將于本月完成。在此基礎上，國家發改委將編制跨省區城市群規劃，并于今年年底前報送國務院審定。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, will create a more coherent city cluster plan, with 20 such initiatives on the cards, Economic Information Daily reports.

The plan will be submitted to the State Council, China's cabinet, for approval by the end of 2015.

City clusters are comprised of at least one main city, considered the hub, and several surrounding conurbations, with integrated transportation links aiming to drive economic growth, strengthen urban integration, and influence migration patterns.

The government will focus on five national mega city clusters: the Yangtze River Delta centered around Shanghai, the Pearl River Delta based around Guangzhou, the Beijing-Tianjin-Heibei area, the city cluster in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze, and the Chengdu urban cluster. Other regional city clusters are also being developed.

According to official statistics, city clusters cover 25 percent of China's total land area, but hold 62 percent of the country's population and 98 percent of foreign capital investment, thus having a substantial impact on overall national development.

With rapid urbanization and industrialization, city clusters have become key elements in China's productivity and economic growth, said Fang Chuanglin, director of the Urban Planning Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The city cluster plan will overcome barriers caused by administrative fragmentation and enable the integration and efficient allocation of resources, according to Ren Wenhui, director of Department of Development and Planning, NDRC's Cities and Small Towns Development Center.

City clusters will also deliver development opportunities for small and medium-sized cities as well as promote human movement and economic activity at regional and national levels, he added.