The Yangtze River — “Golden Waterway” of economic development, based on which, Yangtze River Economic Zone is formed and served as a ligament, connecting Eastern, Central and Western China.
Between Wuhan Urban Circle and Chongqing Urban Circle lies a underdeveloped area, the center of which is Yichang.
As a general principle, the economic radiation radius is usually 300 kilometers. Situated at center and key area of Wuhan Urban Circle, Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone, Changsha-Zhuzhou- Xiangtan City Group and Central Henan Urban Agglomeration, Yichang is the best place to be developed as a urban circle.
The advantages of Yichang are very clear: the location of Three Gorges Water Control Project and Gezhouba Water Control Project; the center of water, land and air traffic network; the Sub-center City of Hubei Province, and the demand of Yichang’s development, all of which makes Yichang shoulder the responsibility to change China\'s regional economy.
In fact, Yichang did grasp this rare opportunity. It loses no time to accelerate the construction of the sub-center city in Hubei Provine, the center city in the middle and upper stream of the Yangtze River and the well-known hydropower & tourism city in the world, trying to become a prosperous center city in the middle and upper stream of the Yangtze River.
However, a series of problems need to be solved on the road to prosperity. How can we visualize blueprint in top-level design? How to prevent “megacity disease” ? How to determine realization path of the city\'s comprehensive service functions? Where can we get the fund for the megacity construction?
The solutions are as follows:
Planning: Space layout under the principle of post-modern urban development
Joseph Stiglitz, American Nobel Prize Winner and Economist, estimates that two key elements affect the human progress in 21st century, i.e. the new technological revolution represented by America on the one hand and China’s urbanization on the other hand.
Urbanization upgrades China’s economy. But many problems, such as irrational urban size, unsound urban function, etc. have stumbled us.
How to avoid lessons drawn from other’s mistakes ? Planning from top-level design is a good beginning. Yichang has its potential advantages.
If you read the development planning of Yichang New District, it is not hard for us to see it looks like a dancing butterfly shuttling between the landscapes and flowers, seeming to imply the Butterfly Change development of Yichang.
On the premise of adjusting measures to local conditions, the postmodern Conurbation City concept is used to make people easy to see that the future Yichang is surounded by water and mountains with the tourism in the West, industry in the East, cities gathered in the center, showing the perfect harmony of the city design.
How to avoid the irrational urban space layout? Xu Haitao, Member of Yichang Development and Reform Commission, introduces that in the future Yichang consists of thirteen city groups, which is separated by ecological protective screens and then connected by fast track and rail transit.
Dividing Urban Functional Area to Prevent “Megacity Disease”
Yichang people do have some doubts about Yichang in the future: Does the megacity has some “urban disease”, such as traffic jam, environment pollution and so on , and not livable any more?
Their doubts is resonable, for Yichang is a uncommon livable city in China mainland, it has not only beautiful environment but also rich culture, enjoying all kinds of favourable titles, such as Hydropower Capital of the World, National Excerllent Tourism City, National Garden City, etc.. So Yichang people are very proud of the city which is also envied by the outlanders.
How to develop the megacity without losing its livable characteristics ? The layout of various funtional zones and its radiational effects need to be considered.
At this point, all things are considered in the planning and designing of megacity construction. Urban city center, business district and industrial developent zone are distributed rationally. At the same time,the radiational functions of Yichang Center City are reflected in "One Main" (City Center), "Five Subsidiaries " (Maoping Town of Zigui, Longzhouping Town of Changyang, Dangyang City Proper, Zhijiang City Proper and Yidu City Proper), "One Belt" (Yangtze River Belt), and "Four Corridors " (development corridors along the Xiangxi River, Juzhang River, Qingjiang River and Yuyang River).
A city of taste must be inclusive and dynamic. In such a scattered, distinct urban agglomeration, infrastructure constructions, such as the power supply, gas supply, water supply, transportation, communications and internet, will extend to the surrounding towns and rural areas. In the range of public services, unified employment system for urban and rural areas will be established, the development of urban and rural education and health services will be balanced…
According to scientific analytic demonstration of the city bearing capacity and the energesis of endogenesis development, the construction of megacity is not a dream of the moment.
Route Selection: Developing on the Premise of Economic Development Laws
The rise of a region is always strengthened by many powers, but the power of "Amazing leap" is usually driven by epoch-making events.
On January 8, 2013, the construction of the first pile foundation of main pier of Yichang Miaozui Yangtze River Bridge opened the prelude of Yichang megacity construction towards the south of the Yangtze River.
On March 21, 2013, Yichang has a day to be remembered in the development annals of Yichang City. That morning, Huang Chuping, the Member of Standing Committee of Hubei Provincial Committee, Yichang Municipal Party Secretary, announced in Wujiagang District: "The first batch of construction projects of Yichang New District start! "At the same time, Yichang New District Propelling Office is established, which means Yichang people’s "Megacity Dream" construction officially started.
How to seek the path of Yichang megacity construction?
Many Yichang people were interviewed by reporters said that innovation will drive the economy, the co-prosperity of industry and city will perfect the urban functions, the urban and rural development balanced will benefit people, new mechanism will better city administration…
He Tao, an official from Yichang New District Propelling Office told the reporter that the infrastructure construction is the pioneer in megacity rising. Yichang has issued a document on Views on Actively Introducing Investors to Accelerate the Construction of Several Major Projects to make arrangements for several major projects of the New District in advance. 16.8 billion RMB has been invested for 51 key projects of the city construction. “Yichang New District” lying on both banks of the Yangtze River will be the major district for the modern megacity construction, including the area around the East Station in Wujiagang and the area of Dianjun District along the Yangtze River. And the Culture Center for Popularization Science, Olympic Sports Center and Three Gorges Medical Center will be soon settled in Dianjun District, turning the district into “New Pudong”of Yichang in five years.
Lately, 12 state-owned enterprises signed strategic cooperation agreements with Yichang and the aggregate investment reached 100 billion RMB.
Industrial Cluster: Upgrading City Core Competence
Based on the fifth generation of city development philosophy, the modern industrial system will be the key to improve the core competence of the modern city. Therefore, Yichang’s “megacity dream” depends on the success of industrial cluster.
Wu Guilin, an official from Yichang Municipal Party Committee Research Office, told the reporter that the GDP of Yichang has increased five times in ten years. The development of such industries as chemical, food and beverage, equipment manufacturing and biological medicine, which Yichang people take pride in, has stepped into a new stage.
He Tao told the reporter, to develop industry, Yichang should maximize the advantages of industrial cluster and build modern industrial system with its own characteristics and comprehensive competitive edge. By 2016, the world’s biggest hydroelectric energy base and the national biggest phosphorus chemicals industrial manufacturing base will be built in Yichang; the national important manufacturing bases of food and beverage, biological medicine, advanced equipment, new material and circular economy model base will also be built; Yichang will also be built into a international famous and first-rate tourist destination city, transportation and logistic center of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and regional center of modern service industry, such as financial and information industry.
Chen Xiaoqing, General Manager Assistant of Xingfa Group, told the reporter he was encouraged by the planing of Yichang megacity construction. For enterprises, the group can attract more talents because of the megacity construction, especially those who can play an important role in the development of the enterprise. As for employees, the development of Yichang can make those nonlocal outstanding talents settle in Yichang.
Chen also told the reporter, Yichang’s Fine Chemical Engineering Park is the state-level pilot enterprise of circular economy. Compared with similar enterprises, it has unique and complete product chains. In its seven industry clusters they utilize cycling complementary production to make the products. The Park plans to invest 15 billion RMB to make the park a leading enterprise covering chemical industry, new material and strategic emerging industry.
The similar parks and enterprises in the interview record are Three Gorges Logistics Park, Baiyang Industrial Park, Huaxiang Logistics Center, Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Changji Science and Technology Co., Ltd and Ousai Science and Technology Co., Ltd, etc.
The great potential of Yichang’s future development is powerfully attracting various factors of industry to gather in Yichang.
Focus: where does the capital come from?
Money is a key factor in present constructions and economic upgrade in China. Without exception, Yichang also faces such problems about capital.
It turns out that the philosophy to solve this problem adopted by Yichang is as follows: the structural problems, as well as fund raising and credit problems, exist forever in economy, but the scarcity of capital should not be taken as a invariable universal law. In fact, the capital flow in economy always flows to value depression and realizes increment when flowing. Therefore, the key to solve fund raising problem lies in the rationality of market value factors gathering.
Correspondently, the specific ways for Yichang to solve the fund problem are: utilizing the renovation of city management philosophy and methods, and adopting advanced measures such as BOT, BET and TOT to lever social capital to activate the market. Other effective measures are: scientifically managing city resources, and consolidating city construction project, further doing project planning and packaging and introducing them to the market.
The Road to Build the City: Creating the Classic of “the Cocoon Turning into the Butterfly”
Undoubtedly, urbanization is the certain way for China economy upgrading. As the construction of city is complicated and systematic, any regret caused by irritable and rash advancing behavior may not be made up with high cost. For example, the idea of “quick flowing” and “leaping forward” once caused great loss to the economy.
All famous cities with long-time construction at home and abroad are classic ones with the support of science and technology and culture. To some extent, city construction is the generating process of masterpiece that refuses any fickleness.
Therefore, it’s of especial importance to balance the speed and quality of city construction. The challenge that the constructors of Yichang face is to seize the rare chance and construct the city with great care and a long-range program in mind.
Yichang’s megacity construction is being done when the whole economy of China is upgrading and the urbanization is proceeding. It’s impossible for Yichang to avoid conflict and pressure in the transformation phase. Therefore, the megacity construction can’t be accomplished in an action.
The cocoon experiences the extremely painful process when turning into a butterfly. Similarly, in the rough process of changing China’s regional economic pattern, Yichang may surely accomplish upgrading and become prosperous. （Originally carried out on the front page of China Finance & Economic News on August 6, 2013）