South Beijing Development Plan (2013-2015)

The ongoing and upcoming

Three years have passed, and here we embark on yet another three years of rapid development in southern Beijing, as the capital city recently released its South Beijing Three-Year Development Action Plan (2013-2015).



The plan, a continuation of the one set in motion between 2010 and 2012, vows to pour a total investment of nearly 396 billion yuan (US$62.9 billion) into the further development of its southern areas, according to the municipal commission for development and reform.

The investment will focus on 232 major projects in the fields of public services, infrastructure, eco-environmental and industrial growth, in a bid to narrow the development gap between the lagging-behind southern region and other areas of the city.

The new plan, which covers the five southern districts -- Fengtai, Fangshan, Daxing, former Xuanwu (now part of Xicheng) and former Chongwen (now part of Dongcheng) -- highlights the improvement of social welfare for the people, with 74 percent of the projects and 75 percent of investment closely related to the public's livelihood.

66 of these projects are related to public services, including education, medical treatment and social insurance, with an investment of 50.3 billion yuan(US$8 billion) -- about 13 percent of the overall investment total.

These projects, which include 94 continuing ones and 138 new ones, will continue to receive the government's support in the areas of finance, land and policies.

However, the government is putting more emphasis on the function of market, rather than on the role of government-led efforts as was seen in the first three-year development action plan between 2010 and 2012. The projects will open to woo more social capital.

In addition, the industrial zones' growth trend will shift from spatial expansion to function upgrading and the cultivating of high-end industries, whereas the urban construction will focus more on the coordinated development of population, resources and environment than simply on that of infrastructure.

The new plan also gives priority to the construction of rail transportation, trans-regional expressways, well-developed internal road network, supporting facilities for high-end manufacturing bases and newly-emerging industries with strategic importance, construction of a number of leisure forest parks and better urban environment.

Some of the well-known projects include the international garden expo, construction of the city's second international airport and the airport economic zone, further development of the Lize Financial Business District (FBD) and fostering of the Qianmen-Dashilan-Liulichang historical and cultural business district.

http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-03/29/content_28393048.htm