2016年CRI China Releases Guidelines to Build Better Cities

 

Urbanization in the past few decades has brought about significant social and economic changes in China.

However, rapid urbanization has also spawned¹ serious problems such as traffic jams, pollution and public safety hazards.

To cure such urban ills, the document released on Sunday set a variety of basic principles, key tasks and targets for future urban development and management.

Zhang Linwei, an official from China's Ministry² of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said the document put forward many specific issues concerning urban construction.

"The document mentions issues including energy savings³, green development, environmental protection, road construction and planning, and ecological⁴ remediation. It also gives some instructions on issues such as water and air, two important factors affecting urban life."

According to the guidelines, China will limit cities from growing beyond the means of their natural resources and environment.

Priority will be given to the protection of farmlands, while land for construction use will be properly allocated⁵.

Illegal construction will be inspected and cleared up during the next 5 years, and efforts will be intensified⁶ to cut cities' pollutant⁷ emission⁸ by increasing suppllies of clean fuel.

The document also called on city planners to differentiate⁹ cities with special urban landscapes based on local characteristics.

Yang Baojun, deputy head of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, explained the benefits of the new guidelines.

"If we see it from an international perspective, distinguishing local characteristics to improve charm of the city is an important step to improve the city's competitiveness, because a city with its own characteristics can make its residents have a sense of pride and identity."

The document also urged that building design and construction processes should not only consider exterior¹⁰ factors, but also other factors such as resource and energy conservation as well as environmental protection.

The renovation¹¹ of rundown urban areas and dilapidated housing will be completed by 2020 so as to provide low-income urban residents with affordable¹² and high quality housing.

Meantime, urban planning and construction of infrastructure¹³ will be improved both underground and overground with better standards and project quality.

Zhang Linwei explained further about plans to improve drainage systems.

"By 2020, 20 percent of the cities should have drainage systems which meet requirements of 'Sponge City'; by 2030, 80 percent of the cities should reach the requirements of 'Sponge City'. The guideline clearly indicates that 'light rains should not result in water logging and heavy rains shoud not cause serious flooding in cities. Moreover, the urban heat-island effect should be alleviated¹⁴."

The guidelines comes as the municipal authority of Beijing has announced plans to build ventilation corridors to help air flow through the city and blow away smog and pollutants¹⁵ from the capital.

The guidelines also say that China will further raise the penetration¹⁶ its public transport network by 2020 in a bid to ease traffic jams in cities.

Smart cities' development through Internet technologies like big data and cloud computing¹⁷ has also been encouraged in a bid to upgrade urban management and services.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

1 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

4 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

5 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

6 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

8 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

9 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

10 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

11 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

12 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 alleviated   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It is always completely alleviated by total gastrectomy. 全胃切除永远完全缓解症状。
• Toxicity problem in manufacturing and storage might be alleviated by coating beryllium with aluminum. 但如果用铝包覆铍，则可避免加工过程中及储存期间的中毒问题。

15 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

16 penetration   

n.穿透，穿人，渗透

参考例句：

• He is a man of penetration.他是一个富有洞察力的人。
• Our aim is to achieve greater market penetration.我们的目标是进一步打入市场。

17 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。