Shanghai plans to control the “big city disease” by limiting its population to 25 million and land available for construction to 3,200 sq km by 2035. The goals are part of the city’s master plan for 2017-2035, China’s State Council said on Monday.
Shanghai is one of four municipalities in China that are run directly by the central government, also called the State Council. Shanghai had a population of 24.15 million at the end of 2015.
“Big city disease” refers to the situation in which environmental pollution, traffic congestion and a shortage of public services begin to characterise a megacity, Reuters reported, citing local media.
The financial hub will also intensify efforts to protect the environment and historic sites as part of its master plan.
The government has set similar limits on population for Beijing, the Capital. In September, it had said the city’s population should not exceed 23 million by 2020 and construction land would be limited to 2,860 sq km. Beijing had a population of 21.5 million in 2014. Officials want to reduce the population of six core districts by 15% compared with 2014 levels, The Guardian reported.
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