User:Bo Wang(Edgar Wang)/Lanzhou New Area

Introduction

Lanzhou New Area(simplified Chinese:兰州新区;traditional Chinese: 蘭州新區;pinyin: Lánzhōuxīnqū)is the newly established special economic and political administration zone under the direct control of Lanzhou Municipal Government in August 3, 2010 by the 7th Session of the 11th convention of Lanzhou Municipal Council.

Slogan

Rebuild Lanzhou

Strong Industrial City, Ecological Green City, Multiple Lakes City, Modern New City

Background

The establishment of Lanzhou New Area (simplified as LNA) is the culmination of multiple strategies both from Chinese Central Government and Gansu Provincial Government. Since China has launched the Development of the West in 2000, several Western Provinces, such as Shanxi, Guangxi, etc. has accomplished profound achievements during the last decade, simply because the favorable policies those provinces received from China’s Central Government. With huge amount of capital investment issued from State’s Financial Department, those western provinces developed rapidly with a progressive GDP growth rate, a gradually mature industry structure and an efficient communication system. Though those provinces mentioned above developed quickly, an undeniable circumstance emerged: none of those fast developing provinces are actually located in the West of China, although Chinese Central Government classified them into the 12 Western provinces. For instance, Guangxi Province is a coastal region in southwestern China, bordering South China Sea and Vietnam, one of ASEAN country, which is a natural advantage for developing international trade. In the process of the common wealth that Chinese Central Government has outlined, northeastern old industry region and central China area has boomed for a decade along with certain western provinces, leaving alone the advanced coastal southeastern China. But there still exists some obstacles for achieving this ideal; the problem lies ahead can be called the development of the real West, and Lanzhou is the key point of the solution to this problem. The reason that Lanzhou is the key point of China’s common wealth is clear, since Lanzhou is the geographical hub of China(as followed by illustration 1), and it is the biggest city among two megacities (Urumqi and Xi’an) in this vast region, most important is that Lanzhou is adjacent to other two capital cities (Xining of Qinhai province and Yinchuan of Ningxia Hui minority autonomous administration region), these three capital cities are close enough to form a regional economic conglomeration, and Lanzhou is the center of this amalgamation, not only because its location superiority, but also for its long history industry capacity. Therefore, if Lanzhou develops rapidly enough, it could boost its adjacent areas as well, either other two capital cities or other smaller cities in these three provinces. Though Lanzhou is a very huge-populated city with more than three million people, the city’s main area is constrained by its geographical topography, since it is a typical valley which can be described as sandwiched by two mountains, with the Yellow River crossing by. The topography of Lanzhou hampers this city to become a megacity like Beijing or Xi’an, and this is the particular reason why Lanzhou lagged behind by other cities in China. As the reasons mentioned above, the General Office of the State Council issued the Several Advice about Supporting the Development of Economy and Society of Gansu Province in May 2010, especially stated that Lanzhou has to be the impetus of the development of Gansu Province, even the whole northwestern region; not long after, on August 3, 2010, Lanzhou Municipal Government announced the strategy of building a new city in Qinwang Flat Plain which now called Lanzhou New Area, then, Gansu Provincial Government issued the Consulting Advice about Promoting Constructions in Lanzhou New Area in order to support the development of LNA.

Blueprint

General Objectives

On June 22, 2011, the first press conference was held by Administration Council of Lanzhou New Area (following shorten as ACLNA). On this event, ACLNA issued the General Planning of Lanzhou New Area (2011-2030), confirmed the objectives of LNA: Strong Industrial City, Ecological Green City, Multiple Lakes City, Modern New City. More particularly on economic indices, the ACLNA aims that by year of 2015, 2020 and 2030, the GDP of LNA can be reached 50 billion RMB, 100 billion RMB and 270billion RMB respectively. This objective is equivalent to say that by ten or twenty years’ endeavor, there will be a new area (LNA) which its economic and geographical scale can be compared as the old main area of Lanzhou city.

Specific Objectives

Function Orientation

From the perspective of China: strategic platform for opening up to the West (both domestic and abroad); forerunning zone for nation’s economic upgrade and for taking up the eastern or central China’s equipment manufacturing industry

From the perspective of the whole West: crucial zone for developing strategic burgeoning industry, high-tech industry and cyclical economy; essential communication and logistics center for linking the whole West of China; key demonstration zone for “two type” society (resource economized and environment protected) and urbanization; developing experimental zone for ecological construction and comprehensive development of intact land area.

From the perspective of Gansu: the expanding zone for traditional advantageous industry and modern service industry; the predominant communication and logistics hub of the whole province; the Growth Pole for accomplishing leaping development of Gansu province.

Development Scale (Geographical and Demographical Scale)

The measure of the area: Controlled area by 2030 is 806 square kilometers.

Demography: 0.6 million by 2020 and 1 million by 2030.

Functional and Structural Zone (as followed by illustration 2)

There are four functional zones: the 246 square kilometers central development zone environs Zhongchuan International Airport (without airport controlled area) which includes industrial congregation zone, comprehensive service zone and airport tariff-free manufacturing and logistics zone; the 48 square kilometers ecological leisure and business housing zone; 248 square kilometers demonstration zone for developing barren wasteland and hills; 220 square kilometers ecological demonstration zone of modern agriculture.

Communication System

Communication system is the core of the development of LNA, since LNA is quite different from other new area of other Chinese city. The common model of Chinese city’s new area can be exemplified as a giant plain area which needs to be expanded, it is just the spontaneous urbanization of the old main city area, therefore, the distance of new area and its main city is quite short, and it is a perfect advantage for the new area’s development. Lanzhou is a special case, because of Lanzhou’s peculiar topography, the planned LNA is 30 kilometers away from its main city (as followed by illustration 3), and the linkage between the new and the old area becomes the deadly crucial factor for LNA’s development.

As outlined and proceeded, the communication system of the whole Lanzhou area, especially LNA is promising. The construction project of high-speed express railroad from newly designed Lanzhou Railway Station (about to be built this year) to Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport was carried out last December; the Lanzhou Subway Project will be commencing soon, along with the newly designed Lanzhou Rail Station, which links the main city’s rail station to LNA’s airport seamlessly; Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport is now being extended to a giant air hub in the whole West region, which makes it a potential center for international flight and logistics, especially toward the middle and western Asia; at last, three express high way is now building in order to communicate the old main city and LNA.