2005—Urgently Prepare the Detailed Construction Plan for the Lishui Scenic Belt (Part 3)
III. We must urgently and efficiently advance the preparation and implementation of the detailed construction plan for the Lishui Scenic Belt. The Lishui Scenic Belt is a non-renewable resource left to our city—a vehicle for creating an urban highlight on a grand scale. However, this area faces the same difficulties as other sections in previous years, with the constant risk of...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
III. We must promptly and with high quality advance the formulation and implementation of the detailed construction plan for the Lishui River Scenic Belt.
The Lishui River Scenic Belt is a non-renewable resource left to our city, a vehicle for creating a city highlight on a grand scale. However, this tract of land faces the same predicament as other sections in previous years, with the constant crisis that "inaction" or "arbitrary action" and various other factors may lead to a flawed construction. For this reason, we solemnly suggest:
(1) Complete it in one step by formulating a "detailed construction plan."
The "Master Plan" already contains conceptual provisions regarding construction in this area, such as buildings, flood-control embankments, greening, water areas, and so on. Therefore, formulating a comprehensive, three-dimensional detailed construction plan that is completed in one step and highly operable is undoubtedly timely assistance.
(2) Conceptual planning must precede formal planning.
Riverside roads everywhere are copied from one another, sowing the bitter fruit of many Chinese cities' riverside roads being largely identical and "a thousand cities with one face." This is an indisputable fact. The root cause is precisely the lack of cultural vision, the lack of one's own thoughts and genuine insights, and the lack of conceptual planning as a key link. Xing'an in Guangxi is a poor county with a population of only 300,000. Its county Party secretary, who came from a horticulture background, insisted on planning the construction of the Lingqu Water Street with a cultural vision, so the just-completed "Xing'an Water Street" takes shape according to the terrain, showing great ingenuity, full of local characteristics and cultural flavor, and giving people much inspiration and food for thought. To create our Lishui River Scenic Belt, we must consider the whole picture and formulate a high-quality detailed construction plan; and ensuring the high quality of the "detailed plan" depends to a large extent on the conceptual planning in the early stage. The process of conceptual planning is one of taking the overall situation into account, operating from a commanding height, and producing concepts, ideas, approaches, golden ideas, and masterstrokes. For a long time, many people have been accustomed to confusing planning with design and to a planning formulation model that goes from technique to technique. In this way, lacking cultural vision and having gone through no conceptual planning stage, such planning formulation can only produce mediocre works—who could expect it to produce miracles? Therefore, conceptual planning must precede formal planning. Once conceptual planning is in place, the remaining technical matters can be organized and implemented according to the conceptual plan.
(3) We must certainly include senior cultural figures who have ideas and understand conceptual planning in the planning team.
During our research and discussions, quite a few colleagues, including those from planning and design departments, suggested: for urban construction projects in Beijing, after the planning committee approves them, there is still an art committee that must approve them; for urban construction projects in Guilin, the cultural department must participate in the approval; our city can no longer afford to be messed around. This time, in formulating the detailed plan for the Lishui River Scenic Belt, we should by all means include visionary people from cultural circles, especially senior figures who have both ideas and an understanding of conceptual planning and who have studied local culture deeply, in the planning team. To lead a cow, one must lead it by the nose. The key to ensuring the success of the formulation is to guide the entire formulation process with a cultural vision and to have it permeate each specific project. And a cultural vision can only achieve such guidance and permeation through the combined efforts of a number of specific people on the working team, relying on their own cultivation, accumulated experience, and wisdom.
(4) Adopt the method of advance funding by the Municipal Economic Investment Company to solve the funding source.
The Municipal Economic Investment Company shall act as the project owner and provide advance funding first, because after the "detailed plan" is completed, a plan can be implemented whereby developers purchase the corresponding land parcels.
(5) Adopt bidding to solicit the best conceptual plan and identify the best formulation unit.
Proceed in two steps: first invite bids to solicit the best conceptual plan, then invite bids to identify the best formulation unit. Do not take the old road of entrusting a single party again. Countless facts prove that fair competition is good and survival of the fittest is good; the old method of hanging oneself on a single tree is truly not advisable.
(6) Mobilize and attract the broad participation of citizens.
Citizens are the main body of the city. From the conceptual planning stage onward, we must mobilize and attract the broad participation of citizens to the greatest extent, letting citizens offer suggestions and criticisms on the conceptual plan and cast a sacred vote when selecting the best plan. In short, we must make this matter hot and people's enthusiasm hot.
(7) Before the "detailed construction plan" is issued, adopt decisive measures such as freezing and control to strictly check current construction in the section covered by the Lishui River Scenic Belt.
The municipal government should strictly order functional departments to comply at all times with the relevant provisions of the "Master Plan," strictly checking the architectural style in the section covered by the Lishui River Scenic Belt, the multiple functions the flood-control embankment should have, the reserved area for green belts, and so on; before the "detailed construction plan" is issued, adopt decisive measures such as freezing and control respectively to strictly check current construction in this section. It is also suggested to implement an accountability system, punishing and even penalizing those who neglect their duties through inaction or arbitrary action. Otherwise, before the "detailed plan" is completed, some key parts may well have been ruined beyond recognition. Don't we spend a lot of money every year going out for study tours? I wonder how many people have paid attention to nearby Yongshun and our own Wulingyuan? Why is it that the Yongshun County Construction Bureau could, like posting a public notice, write the 20 characters "upturned eaves and raised corners, blue tiles and white walls, imitation-wood solid structures, brown display windows, no tiling" on the streets of Wangcun Town, imposing hard-and-fast rules on building construction in Wangcun, and enforce them strictly? Why is it that Wulingyuan District could refuse to approve anything that is not in the local style of "small blue tiles, outward-projecting eaves, sloped roofs, light gray walls, corner buildings"? Equally exciting is that the Suoxi River improvement project in Wulingyuan District will embody the concept of three major functions—flood control, ecology, and landscape—namely, changing steepness to gentleness to embody accessibility to water; changing straightness to curvature to embody visual appeal; and changing hardness to softness to embody ecological character. As mentioned earlier, our city's "Master Plan" has in fact already made clear provisions regarding the architectural style and embankment functions of the Lishui River Scenic Belt. As the fundamental law of a city's planning and construction, the "Master Plan" should naturally be fully respected and strictly implemented. The behavior of certain developers, owners, and approvers who go their own way and defy and trample on the "Master Plan" must be duly restrained and stopped!
Whenever members of the research group touch on this topic, they are all filled with anguish. In the years since the city was established, our urban construction has achieved no small results, but there have also been no few regrets and flawed works that could have been avoided but were not. If the Lishui River Scenic Belt repeats the old path of "could have been avoided but was not," then our generation will truly become sinners unworthy of both our ancestors and our descendants. Concluding remarks: accomplish the whole task in one go.
Cities are the locomotives driving regional economic development and an important symbol of a region's comprehensive strength, government management capacity, and international and domestic competitiveness. Only by relying on natural resources, exploring traditional heritage, and applying modern planning concepts and technical means to optimize a city's spatial layout and functional structure can urban development better reflect the advantages and characteristics of different cities and stimulate their vitality and creativity. Taking the proper construction of the Lishui River Scenic Belt as the entry point for building the urban area as a tourist destination is precisely based on this consideration.
Undoubtedly, citizens are full of affection for the city in which they live and reside. Even if they find that certain things are not entirely satisfactory, along with regret or anguish they are even more full of expectation. Therefore, building the Lishui River Scenic Belt well will not only become a major highlight of the city's external image and greatly advance the process of building the urban area as a tourist destination; it will also inevitably greatly stimulate the citizens' enthusiasm as masters of the city, because citizens are all too eager to improve our living environment and all too eager for our city to soon become one that visitors like and are satisfied with. Once citizens truly feel from the creation of the Lishui River Scenic Belt the great hope of our city, they will inevitably be filled with excitement and unite as one, just as when the first "Forest Protection Festival" was held, forming an unprecedented centripetal force and cohesion. Therefore, we firmly believe that such a virtuous governance project that wins popular support and accords with public opinion will, under the planning of the current government, be carried out vigorously and steadily and accomplished in one go.