The “roadmap” for the development of urban planning in our country is clear

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　　In future urban development, the trend of skyscrapers competing in height and landmarks striving for uniqueness will be effectively curbed. On the 21st, the State Council issued the \"Several Opinions on Further Strengthening Urban Planning, Construction, and Management,\" stating that violations of urban planning rules will be subject to strict accountability in the future; local authorities should reject impractical and unusual building designs. It was also clarified that China will, in principle, stop constructing enclosed residential complexes, and strict controls will be imposed on the establishment of development zones and new urban areas. This document outlines a \"timeline\" and \"roadmap\" for urban development in China over the coming period. This document is also a supporting document for the Central Urban Work Conference. 　　The Opinions point out that there are still some prominent issues in the planning, construction, and management of cities in China: urban planning lacks foresight, seriousness, enforceability, and transparency; there is an excess of large-scale buildings, a tendency to imitate foreign styles, and other irregularities, with a lack of distinct characteristics and a concerning state of cultural heritage preservation ； Urban construction blindly pursues scale expansion, with a low level of efficiency and conservation ； The effort to govern cities in accordance with the law is insufficient; illegal construction and excessive demolition and construction are prominent problems. There is a lack of provision of public goods and services, and urban problems such as environmental pollution and traffic congestion are becoming more severe. 　　The Guidelines state that urban planning plays a crucial role in providing strategic guidance and imposing strict controls on urban development; it is necessary to determine the city’s role and plan its development from the perspective of regional and overall urban-rural coordination. Strengthen regulations on spatial development, define boundaries for urban expansion, guide and regulate the scale of cities based on resource availability and environmental carrying capacity, optimize the spatial layout as well as the functional aspects of cities, and establish mandatory indicators for urban construction. Strengthen the integration of urban master planning and land use master planning, and explore the consolidation of urban planning and management functions with those of land and resources management departments in cities that meet the conditions. 　　The “Opinions” further strengthen the mandatory nature of the plan, stipulating that “any actions that violate the plan must be subject to strict accountability.” Any amendment to the urban master plan must be approved by the original approving authority and submitted to the people’s congress at the same level for review and approval, thereby preventing arbitrary changes to the plan through institutional mechanisms. Furthermore, the Guidelines state that strict controls will be imposed on the establishment of various development zones and new urban areas; any construction that does not comply with the urban system plan, the overall city plan, or the general land use plan will be treated as illegal. Within about 5 years, a comprehensive inspection and removal of illegal constructions in the built-up areas will be carried out, with a firm effort to prevent new illegal constructions from emerging. haoju.cn