Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

The city government has just released specific steps to develop the western ecological new area -- a green waterside open space, according to the Zhuhai Housing & Urban-Rural Planning & Construction Bureau.

Guided with the concept of ecological preservation and sustainable development, and relying upon water network spatial resources, the aim is to turn the western part of the city into mostly green and open space, integrating ecological conservation, leisure, sightseeing, cultural continuity, and regional development.

According to the plan, the 1,137-sq km area along the 337-km shoreline will be divided into seven functional zones.

Western Ecological New Area [Photo by Wang Rong/Nanfang daily]

The area south of Pingsha Town and north of Nanshui Town will become a central riverside pastoral zone featuring Eco-Farmland and Lingnan Water Village. 

The Western Central Town area will highlight "waterside relaxation and urban vitality" with city landscaping and an improved environment. 

Coastal areas around Sanzao Town will attract tourists with a leisure strip featuring ports, coastal mountains and forests, aviation expositions, and seaside parks. Combined will be the aviation industry, tourism and holidaymaking businesses, ecological preservation, estuary eco-restoration, and coast protection.

Doumen, Baijiao, Lianzhou, Sanzao, Nanshui, and other places will become traditional town life waterside zones characterized by cultural legacies and human-water relations. 

An overall layout of Two Centers, Four Corridors & Eight Cores has been worked out to form the green waterside open space in the West Wing.

Two Centers refers to the Doumen Three-River Six-Bank and Jinwan urban dynamic waterfront. Four Corridors means the Huangyang River-Jitimen, Damen, and Youyi River-Niwanmen watercourses. Eight Cores are the Doumen Central Wetland, Central Riverside Farmland, Baiteng Mt Park, West Lake, Dongju Wetland, North Lake, Munai Wetland, and Dalin Mt Park green waterfront open areas.

It is also stipulated that an eco-new area central town up to the standard of state-level eco-garden city will be built. Furthermore, green land will account for 34.15 percent of the central urban area. And an urban green land system featuring ecological preservation, flood prevention, and leisure and tourism will be created, along with a pilot eco-new area covered by green space every 200 m and gardens every 500 m.