Urban development activities in China are limited within the urban growth boundaries drawn in 2022, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources on Tuesday.

Urban growth boundaries are a planning tool that separates urban areas from the surrounding natural, agricultural lands and greenbelts, limiting urban expansion and encouraging concentrated growth. 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yang Jun, deputy director of the ministry's Territorial Spatial Planning Bureau, said that China has set the boundaries for urban development in cities, towns and development zones across the country in 2022 in order to better manage the land for different functions. 

Urban development activities, including developing urban residential buildings and other commercial venues such as industrial parks and development zones, are limited within the boundaries, according to the ministry.

Governments at local levels are urged to stick to the lines and enhance supervision. 

The ministry said the boundaries were drawn as the country has designated a redline on the total area for farmland cultivation and for ecological conservation, respectively, in order to coordinate the need to ensure food security and protect the environment. 

Urban development is also regulated to avoid natural disasters, historical and cultural sites and locations of important natural resources.

The ministry also said that the edges are outlined under the principle of building compact cities and achieving smart growth, which encourages planners to seek economic achievements from within the boundaries, instead of from occupying other land.

China has mapped out a "red line" on the size of arable land the country owns – 1.8 billion mu (about 120 million hectares) while over 30 percent of its land is protected by an ecological redline.

(Cover image via CFP)