NDRC aims to rein in sprawling mega-cities

Construction in China's urban centers in the past 10 years has expanded at a rate twice as fast as the growth of the population in those same cities, an official said during an ongoing forum held in Shanghai on the development of urbanization during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

The developed area of China's domestic cities has expanded by 50 percent since the start of the 21st century, while the urban population has only increased by 26 percent, said Yang Weimin, secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Yang said that urbanization development in the previous phase showed a tendency toward low-density and decentralization, which resulted in overdevelopment and rapid reduction of arable land. This had a profound impact on the ecological environment.

The NDRC has required related departments to reasonably determine the city development boundary to prevent the excessive expansion of the area of mega-cities and improve the population density of the built-up area to prevent and control urban expansion during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. The NDRC will also study and formulate a special plan to focus on the development of urbanization.

By People's Daily Online

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