Shenzhen's urban planning authority intends to provide no more than 90 square kilometers of land for urban construction in the next five years, a draft blueprint by the city's urban planning bureau revealed yesterday.

The bureau is seeking suggestions from the public for the plan, which is on display at the bureau's Web site www.szplan.gov.cn from today till March 25.

The draft plan says 57 million square meters of housing will be provided by 2010, with most land for real-estate development coming from outside the special economic zone (SEZ). Meanwhile, 250 community parks will be built in the city, according to the draft plan.

About 20 percent of the urban villages within the SEZ will be demolished and rebuilt while 5 percent of the urban villages outside the SEZ will be demolished by 2010, according to the draft plan.

The draft plan also mentioned building bicycle lanes and increasing the number of bicycle parking lots, although some government officials have said that bicycles are not suitable for the traffic in Shenzhen.

The bureau promises to strictly protect the city's ecology, laying emphasis on Bao'an and Longgang districts. It also promises to upgrade the industrial zones in Longhua, Guangming and Longgang, and to improve infrastructure at the airport, Yantian port and Pinghu logistics center.

It stresses economic cooperation between Shenzhen and other Pearl River Delta cities, such as Dongguan and Huizhou.

More money will be invested in the areas outside the SEZ, the bureau said in the draft plan, which emphasizes the construction of downtown Bao'an and Longgang.

The urban planning bureau vows to limit urban construction in the Dapeng Peninsula to protect the environment, and greatly reduce water, air and noise pollution.

(Shenzhen Daily March 15, 2006)