Diagram of the plan of the Yichang area

　　On December 13, the Spatial Layout Plan of China(Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone Yichang Area(hereinafter referred to as the Plan) passed expert review.On December 17, the Municipal Planning Bureau informed the public of the text introduction of the plan, the main diagrams and the expert review opinions before the approval (period of public notice:from now until January 16, 2019), and solicited opinions and suggestions of people from all walks of life. This plan will help Yichang become the core city of the Three Gorges Urban Agglomeration and lead the development of the agglomeration.

　　Building a Free Trade Port for High-Quality Development

　　China(Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone Yichang Area(hereinafter referred to as Yichang Area)is planned to reach Xiazhou Avenue, Dalian Road, Three Gorges Special Highway, Heyi Road and Shuanghe Road on the north, Wuhan-Yichang High-Speed Railway, Juxiang Road, East City Sports Park on the south, Juxiang Road, No.1 Hanyi Road and Donglin Road on the east and Chengdong Avenue and No.2 Xiling Road on the west. Yichang Area covers 28 square kilometers, of which 20 square kilometers is urban construction land, accounting for about 70% of the total land and 5 square kilometers is unutilized construction land, accounting for about 25% of the urban construction land.

　　Located in the core area of the superimposition of the Riverside Town Belt and the central city, Yichang Area is the key linkage between the old town in the north and the new town in the south. It is also a new pillar of Yichang’s development.

　　As one of the three free trade areas in Hubei, Yichang Area is the main front for Yichang to strengthen its opening up and develop a new economic system. It will focus on the development of high-tech industries and the modern service industry, promote the common development of the export-oriented economy and radiates the Three Gorges areas and lead their development. It will link the “core area”and “peripheral area”and take the lead in creating a “free trade port”to help the high-quality development of Yichang.

　　Building the Three Gorges Urban Agglomeration

　　At the strategic planning level, the Plan has analyzed the current shortcomings of Yichang Area through analyzing the development background and regional characteristics. It clarifies the strategic development vision of Yichang Area as the “service hub of industries in the Three Gorges and an international eco-efficient city”based on successful experiences of typical cases at home and abroad and needs of urban transformation, functional compounding, industrial upgrading and space quality improvement, etc. The plan proposes five development strategies: regional coordination, traffic function, industrial dynamics, and city charm and talent attraction.

　　The key development points are to establish a regional coordinated development system, to define the 3+5 industrial system, in which the leading industries are biomedicine, international trade logistics and productive service industries and the surrounding coordinated industries are advanced equipment manufacturing, new materials, fine chemicals, electronic information and health tourism, to build an efficient three-dimensional transport network, to build a high-end industrial service hub, to help shape an international eco-efficient city and to enhance the attraction to innovative and entrepreneurial talents.

　　Promoting transformation and upgrading and the development of the new town

　　In terms of spatial planning, the Plan responds to the development strategy from perspectives of spatial structure, transportation system, industrial layout and ecological pattern. As to the spatial structure, the west part of the area should take up the overflow of function of the old town and gradually transform and upgrade and the east part should take advantage of the opportunity of free trade and promote the expansion of the new town.

　　In terms ofthe transport system, the Area relies on theimportantsea, land, and airtraffic pattern ofYichang,and identifiesXiazhou Avenue as the main cargo passage, Sanxia Expressway as the important cargo flow passage and Huaxi Road as the main passenger flow passage. Based on backbone roads, the Plan helps to form the road network of four horizontal roads and nine verticalroads.

　　In terms of industrial layout,a high-tech industrial cluster will come into being in the east of the area, and more space is reserved in the peripheral area. Some industries in the west will be cleanedto make way for the main industry of the modern service industry.

　　In terms of ecological pattern,an urban ecological green center, two waterfront landscape corridors, five landscape infiltration belts and multiple ecological landscape nodes will beformed.