Advancing green urbanization requires a multi-pronged approach

Urbanization is a dynamic process, and moreover a multi-dimensional, non-linear process of dynamic change. Therefore, to study green urbanization, it is necessary to build a scientific and reasonable macro-layout for urbanization according to the carrying capacity of resources and the environment.

First, ease the human-land conflict and take a compact urbanization path. Urbanization without land is out of the question, but land must be conserved to safeguard the nation's food supply. International experience shows that there are mainly two types of urban scale expansion: one is “spreading the big pancake,” with London's urban expansion being the most typical; the other is advanced planning, which is roughly how later-developing countries build their cities. Both models exist in China. Therefore, starting from the current situation of acute human-land conflict, land conservation should be placed in an important position, forming urban scales, industrial characteristics and architectural styles that conform to the principle of “conservation first, protection first, natural restoration as the main approach” while each having distinctive features, retaining “nostalgia”; and holding the “red line for cultivated land” to ensure food security.

Second, promote industrial upgrading and improve environmental quality. Industrial upgrading must match the urbanization process, and one must not blindly pursue an innovation-driven economy. Giving play to comparative advantages, choosing distinctive industries and cultivating them into new growth points, is the primary task of sustainable urban development. Effort must be devoted to industrial layout, structural adjustment, whole-life-cycle resource and environmental management, technological innovation, and incentive and constraint mechanisms, with enterprises as the main body and intelligence, greening and marketization as the direction, while the government, through the formulation and implementation of industrial policies, advances green manufacturing step by step, promotes the development of producer services, implements innovation-driven, import-substitution and brand strategies, and drives the construction of smart cities, smart logistics and the like, so as to accomplish the historic task of China's industrialization and urbanization with as little resource and energy consumption and pollutant emission as possible.

At the same time, the important role of “Internet Plus” in urban development must be brought into play, with innovative thinking in urban planning, construction, operation and management, and old-city renovation. The energy-saving and emission-reduction effects of “Internet Plus” should be leveraged, the innovative application of information technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing and big data should be promoted, cross-departmental, cross-industry and cross-regional government information sharing and business collaboration should be advanced, smart cities, smart transportation and smart buildings should be built, smart information applications and new types of information services should be promoted, and the informatization of urban planning and management, the intelligentization of infrastructure, the convenience of public services, the modernization of industrial development and the refinement of social governance should be promoted, so as to improve the level and efficiency of urban management and make the living environment more beautiful.

Third, green and circular development is the fundamental measure for environmental protection. Land, water, energy, minerals, forests and the like are the foundation for urban site selection and planning and construction. Mineral resources are extracted from underground to produce daily necessities for residents, but the Earth's resources are limited and must be recycled, with management strengthened throughout the whole process of production, circulation and consumption, forming a spatial pattern, industrial structure, trade structure, mode of production and lifestyle that conserve resources and protect the environment, substantially reducing the intensity of resource consumption per unit of the economy, and laying the foundation for sustainable urban development. An important way to achieve circular development is to develop a circular economy. The circular economy should follow the principles of reduction, reuse and recycling, using everything to the last drop and making the best use of everything, turning waste into treasure and turning harm into benefit, changing the traditional linear growth model of “resource—product—waste” based on massive extraction, massive production and massive emissions, and, according to relationships such as “upstream waste becoming downstream raw material,” “process coupling” and “resource sharing,” extending the industrial chain, upgrading the value chain, shifting focus from exchange value to use value, and forming an intensive growth model of “resource—product—waste—renewable resource.”

Fourth, form a long-term mechanism for green urbanization and strengthen urban environmental management. The operation of existing urban functional zoning, transportation and the like should be optimized, the construction of underground comprehensive utility tunnels should be intensified to reduce the “zipper road” phenomenon; rainwater and sewage diversion and rainwater utilization systems should be built to create a “sponge city” capable of natural retention, natural infiltration and natural purification; in urban expansion and old-city renovation, there should be no massive demolition and construction, but rather as many hutongs and distinctive residential houses as possible should be retained, leaving space necessary for residents' lives such as strolling, shopping, entertainment and exercise; information technology should be fully utilized to build smart cities step by step and improve the level of urban management; the public should be encouraged to travel green and low-carbon, improving residents' welfare with as little greenhouse gas emission as possible without lowering their living standards. A governance structure involving the government, enterprises and the public should be established to modernize urban environmental governance capacity. The government should create a social atmosphere in which everyone abides by the law and consciously controls pollution and protects the environment. A livable urban environment requires residents' awakening and action, starting from the things around them, such as picking up the “market basket” and reusing packaging, and they should also actively participate in public welfare activities such as waste sorting, caring for public sanitation, and tree planting. In the historic process of moving toward the “Two Centenary Goals” and realizing the “Chinese Dream” of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we should achieve the environmental goals of blue skies, green land and clear waters, and step into a new era of ecological civilization at an early date.