The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for Changsha city, the capital city of Central China's Hunan province, for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply issued on Dec 20.

As per the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Changsha should be no less than 2.9601 million mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland should be no less than 2.5402 million mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should be no less than 783.82 square kilometers.

Meanwhile, the urban development area should be controlled within 1,308.67 square kilometers, and the area of construction land per unit of GDP should be reduced by no less than 40 percent.

Changsha is urged to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, contribute to the high-quality development of the Yangtze Economic Belt, and participate in building urban clusters in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Efforts should be made to accelerate the building of the urban system featuring regional coordination and urban-rural integration. The Xiangjiang New Area is supported to build itself into an important platform for opening-up.

The overall quality and stability of river, lake, and wetland ecosystems, such as that of the Xiangjiang River, should be enhanced. The development and utilization of the Xiangjiang River and its islands will be strictly planned. Also, the ecological shelter zones of Dawei Mountain, Fenghuang Mountain and Lianhua Mountain will be further fortified.

Changsha should strengthen the development of logistics hubs and aviation hubs, optimize the layout of port functions, improve external and internal channels with multi-directional connectivity and multimodal transport, reserve space for major infrastructure, and build a safe, convenient, green and low-carbon comprehensive urban transport system.

The circular also stressed highlighting the natural and cultural characteristics of urban and rural areas in Changsha, improving the space protection mechanism of cultural and natural heritage sites, protecting the natural reserves such as the Yuelu Mountain and strengthening the protection of red cultural heritage.

Source: State Council of the People's Republic of China