On November 3rd, 2020, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) released its “Proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP) for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035”. The proposals are considered influential in the formulation of China’s new FYP for the years 2021 to 2025. Currently, the national policy blueprint is still in the drafting phase and will be launched at the beginning of 2021 by China’s cabinet, the State Council.
The FYP will set the framework for China’s future social and economic development and will be crucial for reaching the climate target by 2030. The CPC’s newest proposals gives first insights into the role that sustainability and urban development will play in the newest FYP. It emphasizes that:
- Digitalization and sustainability will play a key role in the realm of infrastructure. Moreover, China aims at pushing for further urban-rural integration, energy transition, and the implementation of blue infrastructure, to combat drought or flooding.
- Regarding urban development, the new FYP envisages ecological restoration in urban areas and the development of more adaptive and resilient cities, for instance sponge cities.
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