What kind of network will Chengdu's public transportation be "drawn" into? How will planning buzzwords like sponge city and utility tunnels be "connected" to our lives? Yesterday, relevant officials from the Municipal Planning Bureau appeared on Chengdu News Radio's "Face-to-Face Government Affairs Hotline" to exchange views with citizens on these issues.

　　Rail transit planning to cover the entire region

　　Two renovation roads confirmed in the west of the city

　　The reporter learned from the program that the city currently adheres to the public transportation system planning concept of "four networks in one"—subway, tram, BRT, and regular buses—to enhance public transportation capacity.

　　Chengdu's development strategy to solve urban congestion is to establish a multi-level public transportation system with rail transit as the main body, regular buses as the foundation, and good transfer conditions. According to the plan, in the future, public transportation's share rate in Chengdu will reach 80%, of which rail transit will account for 50%. At present, the city is accelerating subway construction; by 2020, the city's subway operating mileage will reach 500 kilometers, six times the current amount. At the same time, a new round of network planning is underway. In the future, the city's rail transit network will cover the entire region, expanding from the current over 900 kilometers to about 1,700 kilometers.

　　Regarding road upgrading, the Chengdu Municipal Planning Bureau revealed on the program that two renovation roads have been confirmed in the west of the city. One is Riyue Avenue, an important expressway in the "three-ring, sixteen-radial" expressway network connecting the city and suburbs in the west. This road will be renovated according to the "dual express" principle, i.e., expressway plus BRT. The other is Guanghua Avenue, which will undergo functional improvement in sync with the completion of Phase I of Metro Line 4. The specific start dates for these two road renovation projects will be decided by the construction department after overall planning and announced to the public in advance.

　　Central urban area and Tianfu New Area

　　Each to pilot 18 kilometers of utility tunnels

　　"'Utility tunnel' was a hot planning term in 2015, referring to structures and ancillary facilities built underground to accommodate two or more types of urban engineering pipelines. Our bureau is currently compiling the city's utility tunnel planning and construction plan," said Huang Li, deputy director of the Municipal Planning Bureau's Municipal Division, on the program yesterday. Currently, 11 kilometers of utility tunnels have been completed or are under construction in the Financial City of High-tech Zone, Dayuan Group, and Xinchuan Science and Technology Park, and 1.7 kilometers are under construction in Tianfu New Area. In the central urban area, first, utility tunnels will be implemented in sync with road renovations; second, they will be implemented in overall regional development or underground space development to minimize impact on citizens. In the first batch of utility tunnel pilots, the central urban area and Tianfu New Area each have 18 kilometers. The pilot scope in the central urban area is initially planned as "one well, one ring, 11 radials, 11 areas." The "one well" is located in the core area of the city; the "one ring" refers to the 3.5 ring road; the "11 radials" are mainly determined in conjunction with 11 radial roads to be renovated; the "11 areas" are some areas to be renovated, such as the North Reform area in Jinniu District.

　　"Once utility tunnels are built, the benefits are obvious—first, people have criticized the 'zipper projects' on roads in urban construction. After utility tunnels are completed, when new pipelines are needed, workers can directly go down through reserved maintenance shafts to work inside the tunnel without opening the road surface. Second, maintenance is very convenient. Now if there is a problem with urban pipelines, they must be dug out for maintenance; with utility tunnels, repair workers can directly enter the tunnel for maintenance. Third, utility tunnels can also establish a dynamic maintenance system, i.e., dynamic inspection through intelligent management, including the introduction of robot technology. Fourth, previously urban construction was basically planar, upward; but now we will develop downward, making full use of underground space. The various municipal pipelines buried underground that we usually cannot see, if they occupy underground resources disorderly, will seriously affect the development of underground space; with utility tunnels, a large amount of underground space can be saved," Huang Li said.

　　Five urban districts from 2014 to present

　　Over 1 million square meters of illegal buildings demolished

　　In yesterday's program, the demolition of illegal buildings also became a hot topic for citizens. The reporter learned from the program that the Municipal Planning Bureau has always adhered to the purpose of resolutely safeguarding the interests of the masses, continuously increasing law enforcement and investigation efforts, and implementing "zero tolerance" for construction that encroaches on public space, investigating and dealing with each case found; at the same time, it has carried out special governance of illegal buildings in conjunction with relevant departments to ensure that urban public space is not infringed upon. In addition, it has strictly investigated illegal buildings in residential areas, and while strictly following legal procedures, explored the establishment of a multi-level prevention system involving property management, community street offices, and law enforcement departments to prevent new illegal buildings. It is reported that from 2014 to present, the bureau has demolished more than 1,000 illegal constructions of various types within the five urban districts, with a building area of over 1 million square meters, effectively deterring illegal construction activities.

　　Since the second half of this year, the state has mentioned the need to use the sponge city concept to develop cities. What are Chengdu's planning ideas for applying the sponge city concept? According to reports, a sponge city means the city, like a sponge, has good elasticity in adapting to environmental changes and responding to nature—it can absorb and store water when it rains and release it for use when needed. Chengdu's application of the sponge city concept mainly has three levels: first, protection of the city's original ecosystems, maximizing the protection of water ecologically sensitive areas such as original rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and scientifically setting green and blue lines; second, restoration of damaged urban water bodies and natural environments caused by traditional extensive urban construction models; third, low-impact development, determining development intensity in a manner with minimal impact, retaining sufficient ecological land in the city, and developing moderately as needed.