Beijing unveils sub-center draft plan

Beijing is soliciting public opinion on the draft plan for its sub-center, Tongzhou. The plan positions the subsidiary administrative center, around 40-minute drive to the east of the capital, to become 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.

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 five minutes of walk. It also plans for one-stop service centers for all neighborhoods.

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 up 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.

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