Beijing to reserve land for long-term sustainable development

The capital plans to set up reserved land for the first time in district space planning to further optimize demographic structure and increase the proportion of residential land for long-term sustainable development.

Beijing's 14 districts each issued a district plan on Dec 12, further setting limits on population, land for development and ecological protection, according to the city's municipal planning and natural resources commission. The district plans for downtown Dongcheng and Xicheng district are expected by the end of the month. 

In Shunyi district, three ecological belts along mountains and rivers will be built between the capital's downtown area and the Beijing Capital International Airport for the region's future industrial development.

A Winter Olympics Forest Park and an international Olympic Academy are scheduled to be built soon in the capital's northwestern Yanqing district, according to the district plan.

The plan clarified the basic framework for the capital's urban development from 2017 to 2035.

The city aims to hold its population to 23 million by 2020 and the land used for construction will be reduced to 2,760 square kilometers by 2035.

Meanwhile, the plan also sets to preserve space for sustainable development in the city through designating certain areas as reserve space for the city's future development, which also promotes the efficient utilization of space resources.