The approval of the State Council's reply on Shanghai's master city plan, published on the Chinese government website on the 25th, shows that by 2035 Shanghai's resident population will be kept at around 25 million, and the total scale of construction land will not exceed 3,200 square kilometers.
　　The Reply requires that in the future Shanghai should focus on enhancing urban functions, shaping distinctive features, improving environmental quality, and optimizing management services, striving to build Shanghai into a city of innovation, a city of culture, and a city of ecology, an outstanding global city and a modern socialist international metropolis.
　　The Reply mentions that Shanghai should strictly control the scale of the city. It should adhere to economical and intensive use of land, strictly control newly added construction land, step up efforts to tap the potential of existing land, rationally develop and utilize urban underground space resources, and improve land use efficiency. It should adhere to the strictest farmland protection system and protect permanent basic farmland. It should establish a space reservation mechanism and a dynamic adjustment mechanism to improve the adaptability of planning.
　　In terms of strengthening ecological and environmental protection, the Reply requires that Shanghai "should enhance the awareness that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and adhere to the basic national policy of saving resources and protecting the environment."
　　In terms of creating a sound living environment, the Reply requires Shanghai to accelerate the establishment of a housing system with multi-subject supply, multi-channel support, and simultaneous renting and purchasing. It should steadily advance organic urban renewal, carry out urban repair and ecological restoration, strengthen comprehensive improvement of urban and rural environments and the governance of illegal and non-compliant construction, and improve the city's carrying capacity, inclusiveness, and livability.
　　In terms of shaping the city's distinctive features, the Reply proposes that Shanghai should strengthen the overall protection of the features and layout of the historic urban area, and strengthen the protection of cultural relics protection units at all levels, including the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, historical and cultural blocks such as the Bund modern architecture protection area, historical buildings, and industrial heritage.
　　The Reply also proposes that Shanghai should optimize its urban spatial layout and gradually form a spatial structure of "one main center, two axes, four wings, multiple corridors, multiple cores, and multiple circles" and an urban-rural system of "main urban area - new cities - new towns - villages." At the same time, from the perspective of the overall coordinated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, Shanghai must give full play to its role as a central city, strengthen division of labor and cooperation with surrounding cities, build the Shanghai metropolitan area, and create a world-class city cluster with global influence.