Develop Multi-industries, and Prioritize Ecological Environment
7 min readAfter all, the city is people’s city.
The ultimate goal of a city is to provide people with a satisfying living and working environment, which is exactly the same goal Chan-Ba aims to achieve.
As Chan-Ba has changed from an “ecological disaster area”into a”new urban district”, how can it attract high-quality projects, thus taking a leapforward in its development? The key to this lies in building an advantageous development environment. Following the principle of “prioritize ecological environment and emphasizing infrastructure construction”, Chan-Ba Ecological District has made great efforts in boosting infrastructure development and widening the urban space framework. By now, the basic framework of the new urban district has been formulated, and the functions of the city have improved gradually.
The picturesque sceneries of Chan-Ba Ecological District include long green rivers, blue skies and snowy clouds. However, in the past, few people paid attention to those beautiful scenries, because they could not generate economic value by themselves. Without a well-developed transportation system, the Chan-Ba Ecological District is like a landscape painting whose beauty could not be ppreciated by people.
As more and more roads have been constructed, the ecological advantages of this area are becoming more and more eye-catching, and theecological value of blue waters are generating enormous economic value.
The construction of roads has integrated the ecological district into the large metropolitan city, namely Xi’ an.
Before this area was developed into an ecological district, it had only a few pathways for planting crops, with no main roads passing through the region. Since the establishment of the Chan-Ba Ecological District, the total investment volume has amounted to nearly 10 billion yuan. We have finished the construction of more than 120 kilometers of roads,5 bridges.
Apart from this, main roads such as Bahe River East Road, Donghu Road, and Binhe River Road of The Chanhe River Westbank, have all been constructed one after another and are now open to traffic. Moreover, wehave opened up 10 main entrances leading to the East Second Ring, Ten-mile Village, Ba Bridge Town, East Third Ring, Xinyuan, Xinzhu and so on, successfully connecting the ecological district with the main urban area of Xi’ an.
As part of the Chan-Ba Ecological District, roads are not just vertical or horizontal lines that are scattered rigidly in the picturesque district; instead, they are adjusted to the local topography, adding charm to thesurrounding sceneries. The construction of roads in Chan-Ba Ecological District takes into consideration not only the practical functions of roads, but also other aesthetic and ecological concerns, which gives people a wonderful impression when they travel by road.
According to the leader of Chan-Ba Ecological District, this area has three special characteristics. The frst is the beauty of curves and the pursuit of nature. To be specific, the roads are intertwined not only horizontally, but also vertically, forming a dynamic, natural and ecological traffic system.
The second is the combination of dikes with roads, which saves a lot of land. The third is the wonderful roadside views. With large green areas on both sides of the road, we plan to form an ideal road traffic pattern where roads are formed into networks, water are integrated into one system, and green areas are turned into forests.
Nowadays, in order to further optimize the urban traffic layout, Chan-Ba Ecological District is enlarging roads within the district. When you enter the area, you will not be troubled by traffic jams. Whether you are on Chan-Ba Avenue, Beichen Avenue, The Chanhe River West Road by the riverside, or Expo Boulevard, you can always enjoy a convenient and smooth trip.
As an urban development zone that stretches across the north and the south wings, Chan-Ba Ecological District will soon build 5 subway lines, including line 1,2,3,4, and 5. The upcoming subway era, together with the large highway and railway networks in the ecological district will form an integrated three-dimensional transportation development framework.
People’s living spaces as well as the bustling city life will extend to wherever the subway extends to. The subway expands the city’s space and reduces the travelling time from one place to another. Meanwhile, it also silently contributes to the prosperity of the region. Currently, the Chan-BaEcological District plans to build up a livable and low-carbon five-minute life circle, so as to popularize a low-carbon intensive, eco-friendly lifestyle in the ecological district.
Numerous well-known transnational commercial chains have already planned to establish branches along the subway lines in the district, waiting The supporting facilities for the Chan-Ba Ecological District witness constant improvement to seize opportunities. For instance, last year, Metro and Hainan Airlines Group reached agreement to enter the Chan-Ba Ecological District. Currently, Hainan Airlines Group provides comprehensive, integrated services that include”food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping and entertainment”Moreover, its subsidiary Xi’ an Minsheng Group will also invest in the construction of a large shopping center in the Chan-BaBusiness Park, which will improve commercial facilities in the urban area.
“This place here, and that one over there, was originally deserted flood land, and garbage was scattered everywhere,”Said Liu Yaru. Liu Yaru points at a rippling lake and flying waterfowls on the river, singing birds and fragrant flowers by the riverside, as well as tower pavilions and winding corridors on the riverbank. Just like other village people living in Xianghuwan Village near the Guangyun Pond, Liu Yaru has witnessed the great changes in his surrounding environment.
Since Chan-Ba Ecological District was established, the local government, while combining ecological management with economic development, has always regarded cities and villages as interdependent chess pieces in a game, and paid attention to the continuous development of both cities and villages.
The rural-urban divide is a big problem that needs to be resolved if China’s urbanization process is to become successful. Chan-Ban is a typical place located in the rural-urban fringe zone. How can it overcome challenges in reform and development: Water purification, road widening, environmental improvement, and a boom of skyscrapers are only part of the reforms to this rural-urban fringe zone. Only when people in this area can enjoy the civilization and beauty of city life, can we truly integrate the rural-urban fringe zone into the city.
With the improvement of the regional transportation facilities and the introduction of commercial facilities, the Chan-Ba Ecological District has become a newly developed city in Xi’ an where people enjoy a satisfying living and working environment. In August,2012, the Chan-Ba First High School began enrolling students. As a complete public school, it serves the entire Chan-Ba area. Meanwhile, other distinctive educational institutions are also flourishing. The Chan-Ba Complete High School is now under construction, and it is also actively promoting cooperative education with other educational institutions such as Chang’ an University and City 83 High School. Communities such as Yujincheng(or La Botanica) and Chan-
Ba Peninsula Community are also building kindergartens and schools so as to meet various educational needs of the residents.
Catering to the housing needs of residents, housing programs in thecommunity such as Red Star Garden public rental apartments, Chan-Ba Home social security housing, and Binshui Garden price-limit housing have been carried out, which has promoted the integrated development of both urban and rural areas to a great extent.
The construction of high-standard supporting facilities is the underlying hardware that sustains urban development. The improvement of regional trade, finance, housing, education, health care and other public facilities constitutes the foundation of high-quality resources that help the city to attract talent, technology, funds, and industries and so on.
For decades, located in the Euro-Asia Economic Forum Comprehensive Park, the Xi’ an consulate area and the Xi’ an financial business district, Chan-Ba Ecological District, with its high-standard supporting facilities, has pushed forward the construction of high-standard star hotels, large commercial complexes and commercial pedestrian streets, which can provide citizens with a convenient and high-quality urban supporting environment.
In 2014, Chan-Ba Ecological District will continue improving various supporting social facilities, optimizing and upgrading the regional road network, and opening up of the Chan-Ba First Road, Hansen East Road, Beichen East Road and other main roads. We will actively promote the construction of a national green ecological demonstration city-zone byformulating specific standards, building a green transportation system, accelerating three-star green building demonstration projects, fullyimplementing two-star green buildings, comprehensively upgrading the urban area near the Chanhe River through dredging, dyke repair, and construction of demonstrative areas, thereby initially shaping the riverside landscape of the Chanhe River and Bin River.
In the next few years, Chan-Ba Ecological District will basically complete the main road network of “six vertical lines and twelve horizontal lines”, thereby forming a fast, efficient and environmentally friendly urban transportation system in which the rail transit becomes the main form of transport and bus rapid transit(BRT) and regular buses become the supplementary modes of transport. Meanwhile, Chan-Ba will develop green electricity, gas, and heat supply facilities that conform to international standards. Moreover, we will build up the Chanhe River and Bahe River flood control and water conservancy projects that can guarantee”no floods in a century.”We will also develop efficient and ecological sewage treatment facilities and water recycling systems; build a large municipal waste recycling center that realize on airtight removal and separated disposal of garbage, thereby forming a future oriented, fully functional and high-quality modern infrastructure system.
