Urban work must be advanced together with work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers

The Central Urban Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 20 to 21. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission; Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council; Zhang Dejiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; Yu Zhengsheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Qishan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection; and Zhang Gaoli, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the meeting.

Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the meeting, analyzing the situation facing urban development and clarifying the guiding ideology, overall approach and key tasks for doing a good job in urban work. In his speech, Li Keqiang discussed the current priorities of urban work, put forward specific arrangements for doing a good job in urban work, and made a concluding speech.

The meeting pointed out that China's urban development has entered a new period of development. Since the launch of reform and opening up, China has undergone the largest and fastest urbanization process in world history. Urban development has been magnificent and has achieved achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. Urban development has driven the entire economic and social development, and urban construction has become an important engine of modernization. Cities are the centers of China's economic, political, cultural, social and other activities, and hold a pivotal position in the overall work of the Party and the state. We must deeply understand the important role of cities in China's economic and social development and in improving people's livelihood.

The meeting emphasized that at present and for some time to come, the guiding ideology for China's urban work is: fully implement the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Party and the third, fourth and fifth plenary sessions of the 18th Central Committee; take Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of “Three Represents” and the Scientific Outlook on Development as guidance; implement the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing; adhere to people-oriented development, scientific development, reform and innovation, and law-based urban governance; transform the mode of urban development; improve the urban governance system; enhance urban governance capacity; focus on solving prominent problems such as urban diseases; constantly improve the urban environmental quality, people's quality of life and urban competitiveness; build modern cities that are harmonious and livable, full of vitality and each with distinctive features; raise the level of new urbanization; and blaze a path of urban development with Chinese characteristics.

The meeting pointed out that urban work is a systematic project. To do a good job in urban work, it is necessary to conform to the new situation of urban work, the new requirements of reform and development, and the new expectations of the people, adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, and uphold the principle that people's cities are for the people. This is the starting point and foothold of our urban work. At the same time, we must adhere to intensive development, define the total amount, limit capacity, revitalize existing stock, optimize increments and improve quality, base ourselves on national conditions, respect nature, conform to nature and protect nature, improve the urban ecological environment, work hard on overall coordination, seek breakthroughs in key areas, and focus on improving the sustainability and livability of urban development.

First, respect the laws of urban development. Urban development is a natural historical process and has its own laws. Cities and economic development complement and promote each other. Urban development is the process of rural population gathering in cities and agricultural land being converted into urban construction land according to the corresponding scale. Population and land use must match, and urban scale must adapt to the carrying capacity of resources and the environment. We must understand, respect and conform to the laws of urban development, correct the guiding ideology of urban development, and truly do a good job in urban work.

Second, coordinate the three major structures of space, scale and industry, and improve the overall nature of urban work. On the basis of the National Main Functional Area Planning and the National New Urbanization Plan (2014-2020), and in conjunction with the implementation of strategies such as the “Belt and Road” initiative, the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the building of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, we must clarify the spatial layout and functional positioning of China's urban development. With urban agglomerations as the main form, we must scientifically plan the spatial layout of cities and achieve compact, intensive, efficient and green development. We must optimize and upgrade the urban agglomerations in the eastern region, cultivate and develop a number of urban agglomerations and regional central cities in the central and western regions, promote the linked development of border central cities and port cities, and enable the broad masses in the central and western regions to share the fruits of urbanization at their doorsteps. Each city must, in light of its resource endowments and locational advantages, clarify its leading industries and characteristic industries, strengthen industrial collaboration and coordination among large, medium and small cities and small towns, and gradually form a development pattern of horizontal differentiated development and vertical division of labor and cooperation. We must strengthen the building of innovation cooperation mechanisms, build an open and efficient network for sharing innovation resources, and use coordinated innovation to drive coordinated urban development. China's urbanization must develop in step with agricultural modernization, and urban work must be advanced together with work related to “agriculture, rural areas and farmers”, forming a new pattern of integrated urban and rural development.

Third, coordinate the three major links of planning, construction and management, and improve the systematic nature of urban work. Urban work must establish systematic thinking, proceed from the many elements, structures and functions that constitute a city, conduct in-depth research and careful deployment on major issues concerning urban development, and systematically advance work in all areas. Planning must be formulated by comprehensively considering multiple factors such as urban functional positioning, cultural characteristics, and construction and management. Planning formulation must be down-to-earth; the enterprises and institutions being planned, the construction parties and the management parties may be invited to participate, and citizens should also be invited to participate together. We must constantly innovate in planning concepts and methods and enhance the scientific nature and guiding role of planning. We must strengthen urban design, advocate urban repair, and strengthen the openness and mandatory nature of regulatory detailed planning. We must strengthen planning and control over the three-dimensional spatial nature, planar coordination, overall style and continuity of cultural context of cities, and retain the “genes” of a city's unique regional environment, cultural characteristics and architectural style. Once planning is approved, it must be strictly implemented, carried forward one term after another, and the phenomenon of changing the plan whenever leadership changes must be prevented. In urban work, we must grasp the key point of urban management and services, constantly improve urban management and services, thoroughly change extensive management methods, and make people's lives in cities more convenient, more comfortable and better. We must put safety first, hold the safety and quality thresholds, and implement safety work in every link and every field of urban work and urban development.

Fourth, coordinate the three major driving forces of reform, science and technology, and culture, and improve the sustainability of urban development. Urban development needs to rely on the three-wheel drive of reform, science and technology, and culture to enhance the capacity for sustainable urban development. We must advance reform in planning, construction, management, household registration and other areas, coordinate various types of spatial planning on the basis of main functional area planning, and promote the “integration of multiple plans”. We must deepen the reform of the urban management system, define the scope of management, the list of powers and the responsible entities. In advancing urbanization, we must take as the primary task the orderly granting of citizenship to permanent residents who are able to find stable employment and live in cities and towns. We must strengthen strategic research on granting citizenship to the agricultural transferred population, and coordinate supporting reforms in land, finance, education, employment, medical care, elderly care and housing security. We must advance reform in many fields such as urban science and technology and culture, optimize the ecological chain of innovation and entrepreneurship, make innovation the main driving force of urban development, and release new momentum for urban development. We must strengthen the building of digital platforms for urban management and the integration of their functions, build comprehensive urban management databases, and develop smart applications for livelihood services. We must protect and promote China's fine traditional culture, continue the historical context of cities, and protect the cultural heritage left by predecessors. We must, in light of our own historical inheritance, regional culture and the demands of the times, build our own urban spirit, establish an external image and unite people internally.

Fifth, coordinate the three major layouts of production, life and ecology, and improve the livability of urban development. Urban development must grasp the internal connections among production space, living space and ecological space, and achieve intensive and efficient production space, livable and moderate living space, and clear waters and green mountains in ecological space. Urban work must take creating an excellent living environment as its central goal, and strive to build cities into beautiful homes where people live in harmony with one another and with nature. We must enhance the rationality of the internal layout of cities and improve the permeability and micro-circulation capacity of cities. We must deepen the reform of the urban housing system, continue to improve the housing security system, accelerate the transformation of urban shantytowns and dilapidated houses, and accelerate the renovation of old residential communities. We must strengthen concepts such as respecting nature, carrying on history, and green and low-carbon development, and take environmental capacity and the comprehensive carrying capacity of cities as the basic basis for determining urban positioning and scale. Urban construction must take nature as beauty and integrate good mountains, good waters and good scenery into cities. We must vigorously carry out ecological restoration and let cities see green waters and green mountains again. We must control the intensity of urban development, delimit water body protection lines, green space system lines, infrastructure construction control lines, historical and cultural protection lines, permanent basic farmland and ecological protection red lines, prevent “spreading pancakes” style expansion, and promote the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyles and urban construction and operation models. We must adhere to intensive development, establish the concepts of “smart growth” and “compact cities”, scientifically delimit urban development boundaries, and promote the transformation of urban development from outward expansion to connotative improvement. Urban infrastructure such as transportation, energy, water supply and drainage, heating, sewage and garbage treatment must be planned and built according to the concepts of green, circular and low-carbon development.

Sixth, coordinate the three major actors of government, society and citizens, and improve the enthusiasm of all parties in promoting urban development. Urban development must be good at mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all sides and gathering positive energy to promote urban development. We must adhere to coordination and synergy, do our utmost to promote the government, society and citizens to act with one heart and in one direction, and make the visible hand of the government, the invisible hand of the market and the diligent hands of citizens work in the same direction. The government must innovate urban governance methods, and in particular must pay attention to strengthening refined urban management. We must improve the civilized quality of citizens, respect citizens' right to know, participate and supervise in urban development decisions, encourage enterprises and citizens to participate in urban construction and management through various means, and truly realize joint governance, joint management, joint construction and sharing of cities.

The meeting emphasized that doing a good job in urban work requires strengthening and improving Party leadership. Party committees at all levels must fully understand the important status and role of urban work, with principal leaders taking charge personally, and establish and improve an urban work pattern of unified leadership by Party committees and joint management by Party and government. We must advance the reform of urban management institutions and innovate the systems and mechanisms of urban work. We must accelerate the training of a group of cadres who understand cities and know how to manage them, and use a scientific attitude, advanced concepts and professional knowledge to plan, build and manage cities. We must fully implement the policy of law-based governance, plan, build and govern cities in accordance with the law, and promote the modernization of the urban governance system and governance capacity. We must improve the systems and mechanisms for law-based decision-making, and establish public participation, expert demonstration and risk assessment as statutory procedures for major urban decisions. We must deepen the reform of the urban management and law enforcement systems and ensure strict, standardized, fair and civilized law enforcement.

The meeting pointed out that cities are where China's various factor resources and economic and social activities are most concentrated. To build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and accelerate modernization, we must do a good job with the “locomotive” of cities, grasp the laws of development, promote new urbanization with people at the core, give play to this greatest potential for expanding domestic demand, and effectively resolve various “urban diseases”. We must raise the level of planning, enhance the scientific nature and authority of urban planning, promote the “integration of multiple plans”, comprehensively carry out urban design, improve the architectural guidelines for the new era, and scientifically chart the “growth coordinates” of cities. We must raise the level of construction, strengthen urban underground and above-ground infrastructure construction, build sponge cities, accelerate the transformation of shantytowns and dilapidated houses, orderly advance the comprehensive renovation of old residential communities, strive to basically complete by 2020 the transformation of existing urban shantytowns, urban villages and dilapidated houses, promote green urban development, improve building standards and project quality, and attach great importance to building energy efficiency. We must raise the level of management, focus on building smart cities, use the implementation of the residence permit system as a starting point to promote the equalization of basic public services for permanent urban residents, strengthen urban public management, and comprehensively improve the quality of citizens. We must advance reform and innovation and provide strong institutional and mechanism guarantees for urban development.

The meeting called for urban work, which has arduous tasks and bright prospects, to be carried out with pioneering innovation and solid work, constantly opening up new prospects for urban development, and making new and greater contributions to realizing the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, relevant leading comrades of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, State Councilors, the President of the Supreme People's Court, the Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, relevant leading comrades of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and members of the Central Military Commission attended the meeting.

Principal responsible comrades of the Party and government of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities with separate state planning, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as responsible comrades for urban work; principal responsible comrades of relevant departments of the central and state organs; responsible comrades of some enterprises and financial institutions managed by the central government; and relevant responsible comrades of the military and the armed police forces attended the meeting.