Shanghai must put is an expansion to a screeching halt in the coming years, capping its population at 25 million by 2035, a figure that allows for just 1 million additional residents in the financial hub, shows a municipal development plan approved by the state cabinet on Monday.

In a bid to curb the size of the city and prevent some of the issues such as pollution and congestion plaguing oversize metropolitan from spiraling out of control, Shanghai aims to curb its population and area in the years leading up to 2035, remodeling the urban sprawl into a more efficient and habitable city.  

The plan puts rigid curbs on the size of the city, allowing only 3,200 square kilometers of land for construction by 2035, and even shrinking the amount of land for development. The coming decades will see the municipal government squeeze the burgeoning city to fit within the population and land caps, as overpopulation threatens the environment and safety of its residents.

Shanghai, one of the four municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the central government that are also the trade capital of China and the heart of the nation's vibrant culture, has been trying to years to contain its size within certain boundaries, as labor and capital from across the nation and beyond are drawn to the eastern port in droves. 

The same 25 million population cap was written into the city's thirteenth five year plan which ends in 2020, while even earlier, it aimed to keep its population at no more than 19 million by 2010 – a mission that proved too difficult to accomplish – figures showed the by 2010, the population had reached nearly 23 million. However, migration to the city has eased in recent years, with statics showing the number of migrants declining for the first time in 2015. 

Even so, the city must witness a significant reverse migration tide in the coming decades if it is too meet the goals it has drawn out for itself today. A population of 24.2 million as of the end of 2016 leaves room for less than 1 million new residents, which means more people must depart, taking into account the city's natural population growth rate. 

As it tries to restrict its own size, Shanghai's plan advises to further tap into existing land resources and even delve into underground space, to prevent urbanization from spilling into and consuming valuable farmland.