China’s urbanization plan for the next five years is primarily guided by the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (2021-2025) and a more specific five-year action plan on people-centered new urbanization released by the State Council in July 2024. While the 14th Five-Year Plan period concludes at the end of 2025, the principles and goals set out in these documents will continue to shape China’s urbanization strategy. The 15th Five-Year Plan will then outline the specific goals for 2026-2030, but details are not fully released yet.
Overall Goals and Philosophy:
– People-Centered New Urbanization: This is the overarching principle, focusing on improving the quality of life for urban residents, especially rural migrants. The goal is not just about increasing the urban population but ensuring all residents genuinely benefit from urbanization.
– Boosting Domestic Demand: Urbanization is seen as a crucial driver for expanding domestic consumption and promoting economic growth and industrial upgrades.
– High-Quality Development: Shifting focus from rapid growth to sustainable, inclusive, and green urbanization.
Key Specific Targets and Measures:
– Increasing Urbanization Rate:
The 14th Five-Year Plan sets a target urbanization rate of 65% by 2025 (measured by permanent population living in cities).
The five-year action plan (released July 2024) aims to raise the percentage of permanent urban residents to nearly 70% within five years (implying a goal around 2029).
Hukou System Reform (Household Registration):
– Lifting Restrictions: Restrictions on household registration (hukou) will be eliminated in cities with a permanent urban population of fewer than 3 million.
– Relaxing Restrictions: Requirements for hukou in cities with a permanent population of between 3 million and 5 million will be comprehensively relaxed.
– Encouraging Migrants in Megacities: Large cities (over 5 million people) are encouraged to abolish annual hukou caps and allow more migrants who meet certain requirements to acquire local residency permits.
Equal Access to Public Services: All urban residents, regardless of their hukou status (including migrant workers who have held stable jobs or lived in cities for at least six months), will gain full access to basic urban public services, including education, health care, and social welfare programs. This aims to reduce disparities between registered and non-registered residents.
Spatial Layout and Urban Development:
– City Clusters and Metropolitan Areas: Emphasis on strengthening the leading, demonstrating, and radiating role of central cities to promote the formation of modern metropolitan areas and urban clusters. This includes fostering distinctive and advantageous industrial clusters.
– Avoiding Urban Sprawl: The plan directs the development of more centralized cities and avoiding unchecked urban sprawl.
– Urban Renewal and Smart Cities: Accelerating urban renewal projects to develop “human-centric,” livable, resilient, and smart cities. This includes renovating old neighborhoods, improving urban drainage and flood control, and upgrading urban infrastructure like underground pipelines and road networks.
– “15-Minute Community Living Circles”: Promoting the development of communities where essential services (housing, education, healthcare, public transport, shops) are accessible within a 15-minute walk.
Rural-Urban Integration:
– Strengthening the systems and mechanisms of integrated urban-rural development.
– Protecting rural residents’ land rights and interests even if they switch to urban residency, to remove disincentives for migration.
– Promoting rural revitalization to balance development between urban and rural areas.
– Fiscal and Employment Support:
– Increased central fiscal support for affordable rental housing and urban infrastructure upgrading.
– Measures to enhance employment opportunities for rural migrant workers, including expanding employment channels, optimizing services, enhancing skills training, and safeguarding their rights.
This comprehensive plan reflects China’s ongoing shift towards a more balanced, high-quality urbanization model, addressing both economic growth needs and social equity concerns.
