Opinions on strengthening the Green and low-carbon Construction of County towns

    The following is from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the people's Republic of China. 

    In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and the deployment requirements of the 14th five-year Plan, to implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State         Council on achieving the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutralization, and to lead the high-quality development of county seats with the concept of green and low carbon, 15 departments, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, recently issued opinions on strengthening Green and low-carbon Construction in County seats (hereinafter referred to as "opinions"). 

    Ⅰ.the "opinion" deeply expounds the important significance of strengthening the green and low-carbon construction of the county seat. 

    The "opinion" points out that the county seat is the center of county economic and social development, the key node of the integrated development of urban and rural areas, and an important carrier to promote the green development of urban and rural areas. 

    The local urbanization with the county seat as the carrier is an important feature of urbanization in our country. 

    The demand of county agricultural transfer population and returning migrant workers to settle down in the county seat is increasing day by day, so as to improve the construction quality of the county seat and enhance the comprehensive service ability of the county. It plays a very important role in promoting the new type of urbanization and rural revitalization with people as the core. 

    Since the reform and opening up, the construction of county towns in China has made remarkable achievements, and great changes have taken place in the appearance of county towns. 

    At the same time, there are still many problems and shortcomings in the scale and layout of county towns, density intensity, infrastructure and public service capacity, and the quality of human settlements. 

    There is an urgent need to change the way of copying the development and construction of the city, strengthen the green and low-carbon construction of the county seat, promote the quality and efficiency of the county seat, enhance the bearing capacity and public service level of the county seat, and enhance the comprehensive service capacity of the county seat. Meet the growing needs of the people for a better life, promote the formation of a green mode of production and way of life, and promote the realization of the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutralization. 

    Ⅱ.The "opinion" defines the relevant requirements for strengthening the green and low-carbon construction of the county seat. 

    The opinion adheres to the systematic concept, problem-oriented and result-oriented, and puts forward the relevant requirements for strengthening the green and low-carbon construction of the county seat from 10 aspects. 

    First, strictly abide by the safety bottom line of county construction. 

    The county construction should balance the development and security, and make clear the safety bottom line requirements of the county construction. 

    The new buildings in the county should be built in safe and suitable areas. 

    Second, to control the density and intensity of county construction. 

    The construction of county towns should be dense, scattered and rationally distributed. We should not only prevent blind high-density and high-intensity development, but also prevent the spread of large pie disorder. We should reasonably control the population density of the built-up area of the county seat and the ratio of the total building area of the county seat to the area of construction land. 

    Third, is to limit the height of civil buildings in the county seat. 

    The height of civil buildings in the county should match the fire and rescue capacity. 

    The newly built houses in the county are mainly on the sixth floor, and new multi-storey houses are encouraged to install elevators. 

    The maximum number of newly built houses in the county is no more than 18 floors. 

If it is really necessary to build a residential building with more than 18 storeys, it should be demonstrated strictly and fully, and ensure that fire emergency and municipal supporting facilities are in place. 

    Strengthen the fire safety management of public buildings above 50 meters. 

    Fourth, the construction of county towns should be coordinated with the natural environment. 

    The construction of county towns should be integrated into nature, conform to the original topography, do not dig mountains, do not fill rivers and lakes, do not destroy the original landscape environment, and maintain the context of mountains and rivers and natural features. 

    Protect and repair the buffer zone of rivers and lakes and the natural curvature of rivers. 

    Realize the organic integration of the style and features of the county seat with the natural ecosystem of grass and sand in the surrounding mountains, forests and lakes, and the landscape of agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry. 

    Fifth, vigorously develop green buildings and building energy conservation. 

New buildings in county towns should implement the requirements of basic-level green buildings and encourage the development of star-level green buildings. 

    We will speed up the implementation of green buildings and building energy-saving and water-saving standards, strengthen design, construction and operation management, and constantly increase the proportion of green buildings in new buildings. 

    Promote the application of green building materials, develop prefabricated steel structures and other new construction methods, and carry out green construction in an all-round way. 

    We will improve the efficiency of energy use in county towns and vigorously develop renewable energy that meets the endowment and needs of local resources. 

    The sixth is to build a green and economical infrastructure. 

    The infrastructure construction of the county town should be suitable for the local characteristics, focusing on miniaturization, decentralization and ecology, so as to reduce the cost of construction and operation and maintenance. 

    Advocate the infrastructure layout mode of the combination of large dispersion and small regional concentration, reduce the construction and operation cost of transmission and distribution pipelines, and organically integrate with the surrounding natural ecological environment. 

    Build a green and low-carbon energy system in the county. 

    Seventh, strengthen the protection and inheritance of the history and culture of the county seat. 

    We will protect and inherit the history, culture and features of the county seat, and preserve the overall pattern of traditional neighborhoods and the original network of streets and lanes. 

    Do not demolish historical buildings, do not damage the historical environment, and protect old and valuable trees. 

Identify and publish the old city areas, buildings and water conservancy projects with protective value in a timely manner, and carry out surveying and mapping files to ensure effective protection and rational use. 

    We will strengthen the protection and renovation of cultural relics and promote the open use of cultural relics. 

    The eighth is to build a green and low-carbon transportation system. 

    Create a walkable county traffic system and build a continuous and unobstructed pedestrian network to ensure the safety of pedestrian traffic. 

    Encourage the construction of continuous and safe bike lanes in county towns. 

    Priority should be given to the development of public transport. 

    The ninth is to create a humanized public environment. 

    Strictly control the scale of county plazas and encourage the construction of public spaces that are convenient for residents to use nearby. 

    Control the width of the county road and take anti-noise measures according to local conditions. 

    Carry out "narrow road, dense road network, small block" to create a pleasant spatial scale of the county seat. 

    The tenth is to carry out the overall construction mode based on the block as a unit. 

    Reasonably determine the scale of residential areas in the county, explore the block as a unit to co-ordinate the construction of public services, commercial services, culture and sports and other facilities, strengthen the construction of public space, and create a living district with appropriate scale, perfect facilities and harmonious neighborhoods.

　Ⅲ. The "opinion" requires that it be organized and implemented according to the actual situation and in accordance with local conditions. 

    The "opinion" stresses that according to such factors as the size of the resident population, geographical location, natural conditions, and functional positioning of the county seat, it is necessary to organize and implement measures in accordance with local conditions, and not to adopt an across-the-board approach. 

    The first is to clarify the scope of application and refine the implementation measures. 

    The "opinion" requires the relevant departments of all provinces (autonomous regions and cities) to clearly define the scope of application according to the actual situation of county seat construction in their own region, especially the county towns located in ecological functional areas and major agricultural products producing areas to carry out green and low-carbon construction in strict accordance with the relevant requirements, and put forward specific measures according to local reality to refine the relevant requirements, which can further raise the standards, but can not lower the bottom line requirements. 

    The second is to strengthen organizational leadership. 

    The "opinions" call on all localities to strengthen supervision and guidance, give full play to the leading role of scientific and technological innovation, establish incentive mechanisms, strengthen policy support, and relevant departments, under the leadership of local party committees and governments, strengthen departmental cooperation, form a joint force of work, and promote implementation in a down-to-earth manner. 

    Strengthen publicity and guidance to create a good atmosphere. 

    The third is to actively carry out pilot projects. 

    The "opinion" proposes that it is necessary to select representative county towns to carry out pilot projects, explore experiences and practices that can be replicated and popularized, and popularize good experience models in a timely manner. 

    In the evaluation of rural construction, the relevant departments will evaluate the implementation of green and low-carbon construction in the county, guide all localities to strengthen their work, continue to improve the level of green and low-carbon construction in the county, and constantly meet the needs of the people for a better life.