Beijing unveils sub-center draft plan

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Beijing is soliciting public opinion on the draft plan for its Tongzhou sub-center. The plan positions the subsidiary administrative center, which is a roughly 40-minute drive to the east of the capital, as having the intention of becoming a model area free of "urban ills".

According to the plan, the sub-center's balanced development of work, life, medical services, commerce, education and other public facilities would also help take pressure off the capital, as the plan expects a population of some 400,000 to 500,000 from the city-center would relocate by 2035.

A planning map of the sub-center /Photo courtesy of Beijing Municipal Committee of Urban Planning and Land and Resource Management

According to Beijing Municipal Committee of Urban Planning and Land and Resource Management, the sub-center will develop according to the people’s needs. It will make sure residents find public facilities from playgrounds to nursing homes within a five minute walk. It also plans for one-stop service centers for all neighborhoods.

Sub-center rendering /Photo courtesy of Beijing Municipal Committee of Urban Planning and Land and Resource Management

Du Liqun, vice director of the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design, said by taking care of the area’s industrial shifts, paying attention to environmental protection, and further mapping Tongzhou's facilities, the blueprint could help the area become a sub-center free of "urban ills".

"Through the coordinated organization, the sub-center could become one that lasts 1,000 years," Du said.

Sub-center rendering /Photo courtesy of Beijing Municipal Committee of Urban Planning and Land and Resource Management

Exhibitions that detail the plan are going on display from June 26 to July 20.

(Cover: Sub-center plan on display in Beijing. /CGTN Photo)