Urban planning should be adaptable, says political advisor

Cities are shifting from extensive, rapid and large scale development to accurate, intensive and high quality development characterized with urban repairs.

“Urban planning used to refer to the materials, styles and colors of buildings, and focus on squares, symmetry, axis and fountains. Now it aims at making cities more livable for residents,” said Zheng Shi, a political advisor of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Beijing Committee. It puts urban planning in an awkward situation since it is not a statutory provision and cannot be enforced. “In implementation, good planning is not fulfilled at times,” Zheng added.

According to Zheng, a city keeps changing while planning is often once and for all. “There should be an adaptive system for urban planning to adapt to the constant changes of a city,” Zheng expressed.

In his opinion, a comprehensive district-level executive committee and a subdistrict-level executive center should be established to ensure the execution of urban planning. “At the same time, a public participation system should be adopted to listen to the opinions from local institutions, units and residents to make the planning more applicable,” Zheng said.