The State Council approved the urban development plan (2011-2020) for Weifang city of East China’s Shandong province, according to a circular issued on Dec 27.

The cabinet urged Weifang to build a resource-saving and environment- and resident-friendly city with improving infrastructure and coordinated development between urban and rural areas.

According to the circular, the city’s development should be in the planning area of 2,650 square kilometers, and by 2020, the permanent population of central urban areas should be limited to under 1.75 million and construction area should be less than 192.5 square kilometers.

Urban infrastructure and public service construction should bear the consideration of providing services for neighboring rural areas, said the document. The development of counties and towns with good infrastructure conditions and great potential should be given importance, and guidance should also be provided for village and town construction to promote agriculture industrialization and rural modernization.

Newly added construction land should be strictly controlled, and underground space should be explored and utilized. Efforts should also be made to improve land use rate and protect basic farmland.

Inter-city transportation around Weifang and transportation within the city should be further improved in accordance with the concepts of green and low-carbon energy.

Other city infrastructure, such as water supply and drain systems and waste disposal, should be developed with a coordinated plan. The total amount of pollutants discharged should be strictly controlled, and sewage treatment rate and garbage harmless treatment rate should be improved. Disaster prevention and reduction work should also be strengthened, the circular said.

The document also urged coordinating the development of public services concerning education, medical care and municipal administration and speeding up the renovation of shantytowns and dilapidated buildings to build a resident-friendly city.

Efforts should also be made to protect natural reserves, ecological function areas and historical culture and relics, added the document.

Weifang, known for its kite festivals, is a central city in Shandong Peninsular city clusters.