A key step in the process of building low carbon cities is to establish greener infrastructure. Urban design and infrastructure, once established, will last for decades, perhaps even hundreds of years. Like many developed nations, some Chinese cities have set up a high carbon urban design that will make the transition to low carbon costly. That is why in the new phase of urbanization, China must carry out forward-looking urban planning and lock in low carbon technologies and infrastructure.

Efforts must be made to reorient investment to greener urban infrastructure and greater importance should be attached to overall planning to optimize urban design by adapting it to the surrounding environment. Low carbon lifestyles should be promoted to guide the public onto a more sustainable path.

Investment should also be directed to building low carbon infrastructure in rural areas, to prevent these places from following the path of already established urban areas. The construction of rural communities should conform to the principles of energy conservation and environmental protection. Quality energy services, including natural gas and electricity, should be made available to rural residents to reduce their reliance on the inefficient use of coal.

If local policymakers cling to their long-held attitude toward development, characterized by the blind pursuit of the speed and scale of economic growth, low carbon cities and the path of low carbon development will remain a fantasy. Neither will they become a reality if local policymakers give the goal of green and low carbon development a less prominent position than the varying indicators of economic growth. This calls for a sweeping change in local policymakers' outlook on development, and also reform of the evaluation criteria of government officials' performance to transfer more weight to the indicators of resources conservation and environmental protection.

The global trend of low carbon development and international cooperation has created a favorable environment and offered technical conditions needed for the building of low carbon cities. Now with a new national urbanization plan in position, the time is ripe for China to change the image of its cities and facilitate quality urbanization.

The author is director of the Institute of Low Carbon Economy at Tsinghua University, vice-chairman of the China Experts Panel on Climate Change, and vice-president of the Chinese Society for Sustainable Development.