Focus on smart, eco-friendly growth

In addition, the new area will emphasize minimizing pollution by largely optimizing its energy structure, encouraging clean energy, reducing residential buildings’ energy consumption and advocating the use of public transportation.

Furthermore, Changchun’s new area will experiment with industrializing wooden structure architecture.

A relative industry union, a technology innovation center and a state-level lab will be set up in the near future.

To reduce air pollution, which is especially severe in Northeast China, the new area will optimize its gas and heating system to reduce emissions.

Also, the area will establish a thorough monitoring network for both noise pollution and the ecological environment, with improved regulation.

Changchun New Area sets its emphasis on both the environment and its residents.

By taking these needs into consideration, Changchun New Area has worked out its own approach to building an eco-friendly city and has established an example for other northeastern cities.

Shen Qingji, the doctoral supervisor at Tongji University’s architecture and city planning department, spoke highly of Changchun New Area’s plan: "Changchun New Area sets its emphasis on both the environment and residents. By taking these needs into consideration, the New Area has worked out its own approach to building an ecofriendly city and has established an example for other northern cities."

Protecting natural resources

Changchun New Area will spearhead a strategy to build a harmonious living space where human beings and the forest can co-exist.

The city’s designers view the area as a whole rather than as separate segments.

Therefore, the use of farmland, the mountains, the forest and water sources will be systematically administrated by one department rather than separate offices working individually.

Planners of Changchun New Area believe that by authorizing one single office, the area will benefit from a cohesive and integrated design in which all parts work efficiently with each other, to better protect the ecosystem.

"Changchun New Area will make good use of its abundant natural resources of mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and farmland," said Wu Shunze, deputy head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s reform office.

"It will concentrate on the improvement of the environment and human.

It will make use of its abundant mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and farmland.

It looks to concentrate on the improvement of the environment and human wellbeing, and build an eco-friendly city in this cold region.

The new area will be constructed on the base of three geographic features: a green belt from Dahei Mountain, four river corridors across the city and multiple lakes.

The mountain area will be strictly protected and strategies such as "grain for green" will be implemented to increase forest coverage.

The new area will also dredge river channels and build an improved river net for better maintenance.

In the inner city, the new area will construct functional parks to extend the green space.

In the city’s high-tech zone, residents will be able to spend leisure time in the forest park.

Along the riverside a number of parks will be preserved to provide habitats for wild birds.

Two more parks will be placed in the city to increase the capacity for retaining rainwater and to mitigate potential water logging.