◆What kind of concept can make cities better?
◆How can cities make life better?
◆What kind of city can make the country better?
Who to dialogue with?
Zou Deci, born in Shanghai in 1934, graduated from Tongji University in 1955. He was once the president of the China Urban Planning and Design Institute, and is currently an academic consultant of the institute, a professor-level senior urban planner. He also serves as the honorary chairman of the Chinese Society for Urban Planning, a member of the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, a part-time professor at Tsinghua University and Tongji University, and an expert on the "two committees" of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. He was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2003.
Why dialogue?
Currently, many cities in our country are committed to walking on the path of modernization and internationalization. At the same time, the phenomenon of urban development breaking through the overall urban planning indicators is very common. Many urban master plans have not yet expired but have been comprehensively broken through by blind urban construction. We want to know whether the above phenomena are reasonable, where the crux lies, whether our urban planning is advanced or backward, and how environmental problems in urban planning can be solved.
What does Zou Deci say?
From the perspective of urban planning concepts, building international large cities is not a universal goal for urban development. The role of local governments in implementing urban planning is very important. Their understanding of the planning concept and their development philosophy all affect the specific implementation of the plan. Low-carbon cities, ecological cities, and livable cities should be combined and considered comprehensively, which is the ideal city. Environmental protection content should be given more attention in urban planning.
Key Focus One
Building International Large Cities
Critical Thinking: Large, medium, and small cities should develop in coordination. It's impossible for all of them to become international large cities.
Zou Deci: Recently, some cities in our country have proposed developing or are currently building international large cities, forming a wave of enthusiasm. In fact, there was also a wave of enthusiasm for building international large cities in the mid-1980s to late 1980s. At that time, I introduced a relatively famous British scholar, Peter Hall, who wrote a book called "World Megacities," which was translated and published in our country. His insightful remarks are worth referencing. Later, some other British and American scholars also focused on studying world megacities. Whether it's international large cities or world megacities, their meanings are basically the same; they refer to cities that hold a high position globally.
In our country, during the 1980s to early 1990s, there was a wave of enthusiasm where major cities proposed the goal of building international large cities when formulating their master plans. This wave of enthusiasm gradually faded later. This year marks the end of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan," and next year the national "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" will be released. Various places are currently researching and formulating the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" and its development strategy, combining the national urbanization development strategy. Some provincial large cities have again proposed the development goal of becoming international large cities.
However, no matter how high the goals are set in the plan, the reality is often different. Because becoming an international large city is not easy to achieve, and it cannot be reached in a short period of time.
Zou Deci: Foreign scholars have conducted certain studies on this issue, and indeed there are certain standards. Scholars have found that the internationally recognized large cities today are all cities that hold a certain height globally. Here, the term "height" does not refer to quantity but refers to the function and status of global politics and economy (especially finance). After World War II, the process of economic globalization has become increasingly intense, and the production, consumption, and services of various countries have developed highly. Indeed, some cities stand in commanding and controlling positions, transcending national boundaries, including production, consumer markets, finance, trade, and other aspects. Not all indicators of these cities are the highest, but at least they occupy a global position in the main aspects. There are very few true world-class large cities, and the commonly acknowledged ones are London, New York, and Tokyo. Of course, some scholars classify world-class large cities into several levels, with the first level being London, New York, and Tokyo. Apart from Hong Kong, none of the cities in mainland China are currently listed as world-class large cities. Of course, this is the judgment of foreign scholars and is not necessarily the final conclusion.
Since the beginning of this century, the situation has changed somewhat: China's economic growth has been rapid, and the status of several of the largest cities domestically has been continuously improving, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. These cities may become international large cities after further development and improvement in a few years. However, now it is probably difficult to reach the standard of world-class large cities. Even if world-class large cities are divided into several levels, it is unlikely that they will rank at the forefront.
I believe that China will not have many international large cities. Let alone having over 180 cities wanting to build international large cities, even having more than 40 would be unlikely. At least within this century, it will be impossible, and in the future, it will not be possible to have too many cities becoming international large cities.
Zou Deci: The phenomenon of domestic cities rushing to build international large cities has its driving factors, including cities' aspirations to upgrade and improve themselves, with the subjective desire to take the goal of building international large cities. Setting this as a goal in planning indeed plays a role in boosting morale, but to some extent, it is also a misguidance, assuming that this is the grand goal of urban development. From the perspective of urban planning concepts, building international large cities is not a universal goal for urban development. Large, medium, and small cities should develop in coordination. It is both impossible and unnecessary for all of them to become international large cities in the future. This is neither the most ideal model. We don't need to follow this trend blindly. Instead, we should solidly base ourselves on our current situation, address existing problems, formulate our own urban plans accordingly, and proceed with construction to build harmonious cities that promote coordinated development of the economy, society, and environment.
It cannot be denied that when doing urban planning, some places tend to get easily excited, suddenly setting rather high goals, like shouting slogans, while practical matters and problems are instead neglected and not properly addressed.
Key Focus Two
City Development Breaking Through Overall Urban Planning Indicators
Critical Thinking: Specific analysis of the reasons behind the breakthroughs is needed; one cannot generalize.
Zou Deci: The development of many cities often exceeds the expectations of urban planning. These phenomena do exist. Since urban planning is formulated 10 or 20 years in advance, the causes of exceeding expectations vary from city to city. For example, Beijing's current permanent population is 19 million, with about 10 million floating population, which is quite astonishing. Beijing's master plan, approved by the State Council, projected a population scale of 18 million by 2020. Clearly, the current scale of 30 million people far exceeds the planned projections. Population size is the most basic indicator, yet it is quite commonly exceeded. Nowadays, due to marketization and other reasons, there are many uncertainties in urban development. In some places, blind growth leads to the breaking of indicators.
Zou Deci: It is certainly not good for urban planning to be exceeded. However, in some cases, urban development exceeding original expectations does not necessarily lead to destructive consequences. For instance, Beijing's early master plan might not have anticipated hosting the Olympics, but once the bid was successful and approved, the master plan had to be adjusted accordingly. For unexpected events like this, one must first judge whether it is beneficial to Beijing or the country. If it is beneficial, then such adjustments should be accepted. On the other hand, some instances of exceeding the plan occur abruptly and blindly, without bringing positive outcomes to the city, and therefore should not be allowed. In recent years, many cities have developed large new districts often without proper scientific justification, exceeding the original planning, which is undesirable. Given the many uncertainties in the market economy, we need to conduct specific analyses and arguments. Planning cannot remain entirely unaltered, especially long-term and visionary plans spanning 20 years. Over this period, there are numerous unpredictable and sudden factors that we cannot fully foresee. Therefore, the reasons for exceeding the plan should be analyzed specifically, and generalizations should be avoided.
Nowadays, our control measures for urban planning are relatively weak, and we cannot absolutely control or steer urban development. Thus, we must have plans and foresight, allowing cities to develop according to expected steps. Simultaneously, we must be prepared and leave room for maneuver. When uncertain factors arise, we should study and argue, and if it is correct, the plan should adapt to these changes, making appropriate modifications and supplements. The purpose of doing so is to ensure that urban development is more scientific and reasonable.
Key Focus Three
Is China's Urban Planning Ahead or Behind?
Critical Thinking: Planning concepts are not outdated; deviations occur during implementation.
Zou Deci: Planning is not a technical science; unlike purely technical things, it cannot be measured as ahead or behind. But regarding the concept of planning, it is possible to distinguish between advanced and outdated ideas. Our current planning concept, guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development, is undoubtedly scientific and advanced. The Scientific Outlook on Development is undeniably an advanced concept. Now, we emphasize the importance of ecological environment issues, aiming to develop the economy while protecting the environment, which is undoubtedly more advanced and forward-looking compared to the past approach of focusing solely on economic development without regard for environmental conditions. Therefore, I believe that China's current urban planning concept is not outdated and is not behind globally either.
However, not being outdated does not mean that our urban construction is very advanced—these are two separate issues. Because planning concepts need to be implemented in the actual planning, which in turn needs to be realized in actual construction, this process is very complex. Our urban construction does not satisfy people entirely, and there are still many problems that are not easy to solve immediately. The biggest obstacle lies in the guiding ideology. Sometimes, the planning concept and the guiding ideology are inconsistent; what is said is one thing, and what is done is another, especially among some decision-makers in cities, to varying degrees, this problem exists.
Key Focus Four
Eco-cities and Livable Cities
Critical Thinking: Combining low-carbon cities, eco-cities, and livable cities for comprehensive consideration
Zou Deci: Eco-cities already exist in many places in China, and many cities consider it as a goal. Overall, this is a good phenomenon. However, eco-cities themselves require much research, practice, and experience summarization. Concepts like ecology, low carbon, resource conservation, and environmental friendliness are generally consistent in direction and interrelated. I believe that low-carbon cities, eco-cities, and livable cities should be combined and considered comprehensively; this is the ideal city. Focusing on only one aspect is not comprehensive.
Zou Deci: There is a lot of experience abroad in this area. For example, some research institutions abroad specialize in studying livable cities and almost every year select a batch of livable cities worldwide. However, one characteristic stands out: among these livable cities, there are hardly any megacities, let alone international megacities—they are mostly small and medium-sized cities.
Zou Deci: Yes, we should not just talk about the benefits of world-class megacities because there are also many disadvantages. First, living costs are high, and the cost of living is expensive. Second, environmental quality is not necessarily good, such as air quality possibly worse than in smaller cities. Moreover, cities awarded for human settlements and livable cities, though not completely the same, share similar basic aspects. Some Chinese cities have also won these awards, such as Shenzhen and Xiamen. These cities are worthy of learning from.
In recent years, we have emphasized creating livable cities in urban planning. What constitutes a livable city? Scholars have conducted extensive research, and some standards are inconsistent. In material terms, ensuring that everyone has housing is the first step. Additionally, culture, education, employment, and environmental protection are all important indicators. Particularly, severe pollution, traffic congestion, and non-energy-efficient buildings are prevalent in many cities, which are examples of high-carbon development, far from meeting the requirements of livable cities. To build livable cities, attention should be paid to solving atmospheric pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and climate issues.
Ultimately, planning is planning—it does not always align perfectly with reality. To build a better city, one must first have a good plan. Planning itself is not particularly difficult since it follows a set of methods—from concept to indicators, all can be achieved. However, implementing it well is challenging due to the many complex factors that need to be overcome during the process.
China’s urban planning has consistently drawn on foreign experiences. Modernization and industrialization started late in China, and concentrated efforts began only after the reform and opening-up era. Hence, many aspects of urban planning borrowed from foreign models, such as integrating humans with nature, while inheriting traditional practices and adopting others' good methods. However, some unfavorable elements were also adopted, like the extensive promotion of private cars, which turned out to be a significant lesson. We now focus on public transportation development, which is the right approach, but private car ownership continues to grow rapidly, especially in Beijing.
Key Focus Five
Urban Planning and Environmental Protection
Critical Thinking: Greater emphasis on environmental protection content in urban planning
Zou Deci: The slogan “Cities, making life better” is excellent. More than 2,000 years ago, Greek philosopher Aristotle expressed a similar idea: people come to cities to make life better. The slogan of the Expo is consistent with Aristotle's words. What makes the slogan of the Shanghai Expo remarkable? First, it conveys the message that cities should enhance life quality, and cities indeed have the potential to do so. The content displayed also reflects this theme. The Expo showcases many urban cases where new concepts and technological means are applied to residential, transportation, and environmental construction, aiming to improve residents' lives, save energy, reduce pollutant emissions, and increase greenery. China's urbanization rate is close to 47%, with an urban population of 630 million, bringing more problems and heavier tasks. Making life better for these people is a very arduous task. This slogan, like "Green Olympics, Technological Olympics, Cultural Olympics" of the Beijing Olympics, will undoubtedly have a positive impact.
The ultimate goal of urban planning is also to make urban life better. The essential purpose of urban planning is to create a good and pleasant living environment for people. Of course, implementing urban planning involves solving many issues.
Zou Deci: Many aspects of urban planning target environmental problems, such as air quality and water issues. Urban planning and environmental protection stand on the same front line, sharing the same goal. Urban planning has its own regulations and requirements, and includes many environmental protection-related tasks during compilation, such as planning urban water systems, water pollution treatment, wastewater and waste management, etc., all of which are key components of urban planning. From this perspective, both the goals and planning contents are consistent. Therefore, I believe that environmental protection content should be given more emphasis in urban planning, which is both necessary and achievable. Environmental protection content in urban planning should undergo certain evaluations, and if deemed feasible, should be incorporated into urban planning. This way, urban planning issues are resolved, and environmental protection content is reflected.
Zou Deci: Of course, it will influence urban planning. The national main functional zone planning is a macro-level plan that will play a guiding role in urban planning. From a macro perspective, the national main functional zone planning divides all national land areas into four types of zones, such as prohibiting development in certain areas and requiring specific studies for restricted development zones. From a regional perspective, it can also serve to control and guide urban development and construction. Under this plan's guidance, in the future, when we formulate the general plans for cities, we should fully consider factors such as city population size, density, and resource and environmental carrying capacity.