High-level development Vs. small but integrated development

The public service facilities for communities in the central urban area of Guangzhou will be further improved. Today, it was learnt from Guangzhou’s government procurement website (www.gzg2b.gov.cn) that there is a bid invitation concerning the special planning for the construction of the community life circles and the optimization of the public center.

As the biggest highlight of the planning, it is proposed to put the call of the State Council, the CPC Guangzhou Committee and the People’s Government of Guangzhou for building community life circles into practice. Therefore, eight districts of Guangzhou are planning to establish 15-minute-walk community life circles. In the central urban area, it will take 10 minutes’ walk to arrive at the rail transit stations.

 

Special planning for the construction of the community life circles and the optimization of the public center

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III. Budget for the procurement project: RMB3.6 million

 

● Under the Several Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Further Enhancing Management of Urban Planning and Construction released in February 2016, it is clearly emphasized that great efforts should be made to “build convenient and efficient life circles to enable the people to have more sense of gain during the mutual construction and sharing processes.”

What does the “15-minute-walk community life circle” mean?

It means that, citizens’ demands for both basic necessities of life and life quality improvement and guarantee, such as leisure and entertainment and medical services, can be satisfied within 15 minutes’ walk.  

Follow closely the steps of the state government and improve existing public services that fail to meet the demands

The notice on the bid invitation mentioned the urban planning and the current communities and supporting service facilities of the old urban area of Guangzhou:

● On the one hand, the current planning and related researches of Guangzhou for urban residential clusters and community-oriented public service facilities are relatively lagged behind. There is not complete understanding of the current distribution and characteristics of the residents and the residential spaces, resulting that there is not sufficient scientific support for allocation and optimization of community-based services facilities.

● On the other hand, the current allocation of community-based public service facilities usually follows rigid unified standards so that it is hard to meet the actual needs of the urban development with increasing population aging and citizenization of migrant workers. This prevents the urban planning from playing a guiding role in the optimization of population structure, urban functions and spatial structure.

3,060 square kilometers of eight districts covered by research under the planning and scale of community life circles by 2020 specified

The notice said that, the research under the planning was made on eight districts of Guangzhou, including Liwan, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Tianhe, Huangpu, Baiyun, Panyu and Huadu, covering a total area of about 3,060 square kilometers. The planning mainly aims to:

● specify the levels and scales of the community life circles to be established by 2020 by category based on the objectives of urban space development;

● make a plan for division of residential clusters of Guangzhou in accordance with the levels and scales of the community life circles and based on a comprehensive consideration of current development foundation, urban development strategies, rail transit guidance and other related factors;

● provide suggestions on optimization of Guangzhou’s current planning and management systems based on the plan for division of residential clusters.

Promote renovation of old communities and construction of community parks

Make up the “short slab” of supporting service facilities and promote quality improvement of old urban area

Surveys on domestic and foreign cities indicated that, Japan and ROK have successively finished the planning for urban life circles based on walk distance and activity frequency long ago.

Shanghai, Beijing and some other cities have integrated the development concept of “15-minute-walk community life circle” into the new-round master urban development plans and the 13^th Five-Year Plans. Now, it is time for Guangzhou, which has kept silent for a long while, to make a substantial progress.

Tips

It was learnt that, the Opinions of the CPC Guangzhou Committee and the People’s Government of Guangzhou on Further Enhancing Urban Planning, Construction and Management released in August 2016 said that, Guangzhou should make people-centered overall environment upgrading and establish 15-minute-walk community life circles.

● The Opinions mentioned above proposes to promote orderly urban renewal. Specifically, differentiated urban renewal should be promoted in a systematic way by optimizing urban space, improving people’s living environment, carrying forward historical traditions and culture and developing social economy. To improve the living environment of communities, the old communities should be renovated and community parks should be built to make up the “short slab” of supporting service facilities, add vitality to the blocks, promote the quality control and improvement of the old urban area and establish 15-minute-walk community life circles.

Great change in basic necessities of life

Rebuilt Cantonese-style community circles

The vitality of the old urban area mainly comes from the ability to meet the basic necessities of life. Therefore, supporting facilities and quality should be improved to renew the old urban area.

1. Traffic: 10 minutes’ walk to rail transit stations

Guangzhou Land Resources & Urban Planning Committee said that Guangzhou will make great efforts to establish 15-minute-walk community life circles, including:

● accelerating the construction of the rail transit network so that it will take only 10 minutes’ walk from the central urban area to the rail transit stations and 30 minutes’ drive from Nansha, Zengcheng, Conghua and Huadu to the urban area, and 45 minutes’ travel between main passenger transportation hubs;

● totaling length of subways lines in service to more than 520 kilometers (including currently existing ones) by 2018, and building Subway Lines 11 (loop line), 18 and 22 to realize fast connections between main passenger transportation hubs;

● improving the walking environment by further improving the quality and functions of roads, build integrated corridors and extending public transportation services to communities.

The plan for new-round construction of urban rail transit traffic network of Guangzhou

2. Supporting facilities: providing more spaces and facilities for communication and exercises.

Guangzhou aims to provide more public supporting services and establish 15-minute-walk community life circles through “micro renovation” of spaces and facilities so that there will be more spaces for communication, recreation and exercises and the traditional Cantonese-style community circles will be established.

3. “Macro design” to improve historic districts

In addition, Guangzhou will improve the quality of public spaces and people’s living conditions through “micro design”. Currently, studies are being made to select some historic urban districts and architectures to form up a number of “city parlors” of proper size through higher-level design.

It is a plan full of happiness, isn’t it? Modern and fashionable convenient life circles will become part of the people’s life of Guangzhou and bring us dramatic changes.

It can be expected. Hope it will be realized as soon as possible.

 

Source: Translated from Invest Guangzhou, November 7, 2016