China Tightens Sprawling City GrowthThe Ministry of Land and Resources released a circular December 20 calling for tightened land control in building small cities in order to protect arable land.The circular stressed that scientific planning should be thoroughly carried out before construction of small cities. The ministry also asked to stop housing-building along residential and commercial roadsides, which has become common in some regions. The circular said that to save land, the traditional living patterns of farmers, usually one family per house, should be replaced with apartment buildings. The ministry also made it clear that the amount of land used for building small cities should be included in the county or township government's over-all development program. Building small cities was one way to improve local farmers' lives, but county or township governments should not take up more arable land for the purpose. Construction plans must meet the requirements of the local economic and social development program, and must be approved by the authorities concerned, the circular said. Because smaller cities are quicker and cheaper to develop than larger ones, China will concentrate on their growth in its vast countryside for the 10th five-year plan period (2001-2005). However, the ministry warned that because development is carried out by local governments themselves, it gets out of control in some regions with poor planning. |
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