Background
What is the crux of modern megacity construction? Yichang Municipal Committee and government hold that the crux lies in the construction of Yichang New District, one of the most important carriers of Yichang modern megacity construction and a solemn historical task given by the times and people. Over the past year, Yichang New District has endeavored to strengthen the top-level design for the future of city, to attract investments and highlight industry support, and to consolidate industrial foundation on the basis of the Four First Principles which further accelerates the development of the New District.
The construction of Yichang as a charming modern megacity is officially started in the last year. "Yichang New District construction, which contributes to city expansion and quality improvement, is the crux to promote the development of a modern megacity." said Huang Chuping, the provincial committee member and the municipal party secretary, in the first working meeting of Yichang New District construction Leading Group.
Today, when walking into Yichang New District, one will be overwhelmed by the lively constructing scene: Roads have "sketched" out the city framework; resettlement buildings are springing up; huge bridge piers have been erected on the river banks......
To strengthen the top-level design for the future of city
On December 28, 2012, a new-chapter-turning moment in Yichang history, the Third Plenary Session of Fifth Municipal Party Committee decided to accelerate the building up of a “big, strong, excellent and beautiful” modern megacity of Yichang on all sides, opening the prologue of New District construction.
At the Third Session of the Fifth Municipal People’s Congress on January 6th, 2013, it is made clear in the city government work report that we should promote Yichang New District construction in an all-round way, adopt trans-Yangtze River development strategy to flourish both sides and accelerate the development of Dianjun district, East Railway Station area and other key areas.
Then, at the People’s Congress of Hubei Province held in January 22, Yichang New District construction was written in the government report of Hubei Province and upgraded to a provincial strategy. ……
With the blueprint done and the dreams set sail, how to further strengthen the top-level design and lead the city for a better future? This is the question waiting to be solved by the 4000000 Yichang citizens.
The strengthening of the top-level design needs a good mechanism. Hereby there comes into being the New District Construction Leading Group in this year with Huang Chuping, the standing member of Provincial Party Committee and Party Secretary of Yichang Committee, and Ma Xuming, the mayor and deputy secretary of municipal party committee as the nucleus, and the founding of, on March 21st, the Promotion Office of Yichang New District Construction with the deputy mayor in charge of this affair as the leader, “professionals and competent personnel” in various sectors as key members, all of which give birth to an efficient propulsion mechanism in the mode of " New District construction leading group plus promotion committee of elites ".
Propelled by the efficient mechanism, since March, Yichang New District has held four New District Construction leading group meetings and 13 promotion office meetings to provide a strong institutional guarantee for the speed-up of Yichang New District construction.
To lead the city to a better future, a good plan is also indispensable. Unlike other new districts built without any connection with the old one, Yichang New District is gradually expanded and upgraded on the basis of the old city with sound plan, that’s, to build a future city of 220 square kilometers looming among rolling mountains and meandering Yangtze River.
On April 12, after listening to the report on Yichang New District planning and construction, Li Hongzhong, the provincial party secretary said: "The master plan of Yichang New District is of great magnificence and innovation, mirroring a broad international perspective and illuminating a brave entrepreneurship, which is quite inspiring."
To highlight industry support and project construction
A megacity cannot be established with instantly set-up frame jammed with messy filler, but should be supported with industries. Without industries, there’ll be no megacity.” Governor of Hubei Province, Wang Guosheng said.
To expand industries, it’s necessary to go out to attract bigger businesses and larger investment. Since March 2013, Yichang delegation, under the leadership of Huang Chuping, the Standing Committee member of CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and Secretary of CPC Yichang Municipal Committee, began to hasten their firm and steady pace of business attraction, travelling all around the country, from Hong Kong and Guangdong in the south to Beijing in north, and from Huhan to Hannan……more than 400 well-known enterprises at home and abroad have been attracted and over 300 billion RMB yuan investments have been brought in.
How to make these large enterprises and huge projects landed quickly in Yichang and become the industrial pillar of “large, strong, excellent and beautiful” Yichang New District？
Huang Chuping answered this question at the second working meeting of Yichang New District Construction Leading Group: “we must strengthen project service and assessment work, provide comprehensive, full-time services，and create the best service environment in China.”
To seize time, the most important factor in project services, the Promotion Office of Yichang New District Construction has established a project library and arranged the construction schedule scientifically. On March 21st, it has organized and started intensively 51 construction projects with the total investment of 16.8 billion RMB. On August 19th, it put the second batch of 29 major projects into construction simultaneously. On November 12th, Yichang has also witnessed the opening of the third batch of construction projects including 12 majors ones including WAOW PLAZA etc…… Projects constructing has been written continuously on each history node of Yichang New District development.
Many entrepreneurs were amazed at "Yichang speed". At the commencement ceremony of the third batch of major construction project, Mr. Zong Qinghou, who is the general manager and chairman of Wahaha Group Co., Ltd, said: "After signing the contract in August, it took only 3months for WAOW PLAZA in Yichang to formally start the construction.
It’s guided by the belief “Priorities given to project, environment and speed” that, by the end of November, 38 projects among the first batch have been propelled smoothly, and 10 preferentially introduced projects have been sign with a total investment of 11.466 billion RMB, including Yichang New District corporate headquarters, planned exhibition hall, museum, Yichang Dong Railway Station road network, Yichang Dong Railway Station Business Complex, Olympic Sports Center, Huaxi Road, Jiangnan No.1 Road, Moji Mountain Park, Riverside Business District and so on.
Adhere to Four First Principles and build a strong construction foundation
The rise of a big city cannot happen at once, but needs a solid foundation which is an especially important factor at the first year of Yichang New District Construction.
This year, the government has proposed Four First Principles for Yichang New District, namely the principle of backbone road network first, of great public construction first, of land expropriation and relocation first, and of ecological environment first, thus building a strong foundation for Yichang New District construction.
Land is essential to city development, so land expropriation and relocation is the most urgent factors among above-mentioned priorities. After the Wujiagang District first signed an agreement with Yichang City Investment Company who would be responsible for legal expropriating and collecting the land of Yichang District on August 15th, Xiling District, Dianjun District and Yiling District successively signed an agreement with the City Investment Company, thus formed an upbeat situation with all people’s efforts and wisdom to construction. Currently, Yichang City Investment Company has procured and relocated a land of 6550 mu, dismantled 1524 houses, torn down over 136,000 square meters illegal building, and paid 1.05 billion RMB yuan of relocation funds.
There is expropriation, there is relocation. In Yichang New District, there are a total of 60 Resettlement Housing Projects with 94,000 sets, and the total construction area is about 12,102,000 square meters. It is estimated that the total investment is about 31.83 billion RMB yuan. In this year, there are 26 Resettlement Housing Projects with 28,000 units and 3.15 million square meters which some of them have been completed and some of them are still under construction.
To ensure the expropriated farmers’ willing and smooth resettlement, Mao Chuanqiang, Member of the Standing Committee of Yichang Municipal Committee and vice Mayor said at Working Meeting of Resettlement Housing Selection, “We must establish the ‘Five Willings’ concept of resettlement housing construction, collect the variable dispersion and build the resettlement housing in a much larger scale than what has been designed so that the areas of every individual resettlement will not be less than 300,000 square meter, and all the resettlement housing should be basically completed within three years in Yichang New District.”
Roads are the backbones of cities. Looking at Wujiagang District, one can find the looming silhouette of roads. Looking beyond to Dianjunqu District, we can find the piers of the Miaozui Bridge have been established and the construction site is in its full swing etc. Urged by this kind of enthusiasm, the traffic network will be more sophisticated. By 2015, there will be 100 square kilometers infrastructure covering and 240 kilometers newly built main roads.
The public buildings are the symbol of the city. Fueled by this construction tide, all new landmarks in Yichang city---the New District Corporate Headquarter, the Planning Museum and the Olympic Sports Center---are moving towards to the planning objectives step by step. Currently, these public construction projects are perfecting their design, and speeding up surface cleaning and earth-rock construction.
Ecological environment is the characteristics of a city. In order to carry out the ideal of “green Yichang" and "ecological Yichang", initiatives have been taken to make a lake for getting soil in Yichang East Railway Station Area, and to plant trees on both sides of zig-zag Dianjun Avenue among hills, forming an eco-style scene. Meanwhile, Moji Mountain Park, Qiuyutai Park and some other core ecological project in new district is speeding up its relocation program, so the opening of the project is just around the corner.
Just as a Chinese poem reads like this, “From shore to shore it is wide at high tide, and before fair wind a sail is lifting.” With the firm foundation laid in 2013, Yichang New District, who is responsible for the rise of a big city, will sail for a new journey afar in a much swifter and smoother way. (Reporter Lei Pengcheng, Correspondent Xin Quxuan)