Effects of urban planning on urban expansion control in Yinchuan City, Western China Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • © 2017 Elsevier LtdYinchuan, an inland city in Northwestern China, has been undergoing rapid urban growth in recent years that has imposed great challenges on urban planning. This study aims to examine the effects of urban planning on urban expansion control in light of the transition from a centrally planned economy towards a rapid growth of the market economy. The analysis is focused on the mutual influences between the planning concepts presented in Yinchuan's master plans, the implementation of the planning tool ¿ specific zoning, and the urbanization in the Central Urban Area of the city. The study has clarified that the focus of city's plans had significantly shifted from constraining expansion to development promotion, in line with the intentions of the city government. However, the planning still does not function well in leading the urban development, which can be seen in the frequent adjustments of the plans to incorporate the special zones promoted by local governments. Excessive zoning has been revealed in the repetitive industrial zones with low land use efficiency. Moreover, it has been assessed that the designated specific zones have not been effective in promoting or controlling market-based developments since sprawl has been observed outside the zones. The per population urban expansion has exceeded the planned quota with 122 km2 in 2015 and cultivated land saw a continued annual decrease as 3.01% over the last 8 years. Thus, the city faces significant sustainability challenges brought on by the present land-consumptive developments.

publication date

  • June 1, 2017