Planning Cities for People

A Guide to Prosperous, Low-Carbon Urbanization

The world’s next generation of cities will need to Chinese officials have already taken the first step by
overcome extreme challenges posed by population prioritizing low-carbon and eco cities. To succeed,
growth, congestion, and energy insecurity. China is these efforts must be guided by sustainable urban
experiencing the greatest urban population boom planning. This report synthesizes the best practices
in human history, and the plans for its cities will in urban planning from around the world into eight
determine whether they feature easy mobility or quantifiable principles. These principles should be
are plagued by traffic congestion; whether they use refined and adapted to Chinese conditions, but when
energy and other resources efficiently or lock in high that is done, they can help ensure that Chinese cities
energy consumption for decades; and even whether will grow to be the most prosperous and energy-
they are friendly and welcoming or alienate their efficient cities in the world.
residents. The right standards can make all the dif-
ference — and that difference will last for decades.
China’s urban opportunity
China’s leaders have a limited window of opportunity to plan for prosperous, livable, low-carbon cities.
These cities must make public transport, walking, and bicycling their top priorities.

As China continues its impressive economic growth, livable, low-carbon cities. These cities must make public Chinese decision makers must leapfrog over the rest of The eight principles
unprecedented numbers of its citizens are migrating to
cities, seeking greater job opportunities, income, and
transport, walking, and bicycling their top priorities.
Without this planning, these burgeoning cities will not
the world’s urban planning mistakes and establish a new
paradigm for the cities of the future. The following is a 1 Develop neighborhoods that promote walking
quality of life. Car ownership is on the rise, and China has
already passed the United States as the largest car market
reach their full potential. They will be gridlocked and
polluted. The commutes of millions of people will become
guide to get started. Compiled by a world-renowned
team of urban planning experts with years of experience 2 Prioritize bicycle networks
in the world. Similar to U.S. cities in the 1950s and ’60s,
Chinese cities are working to accommodate the explosive
a daily misery, countless square kilometers of arable land
will be needlessly lost, and China’s powerful economic
working in China, this booklet summarizes international best
practices. When applied together, we believe the following 3 Create dense networks of streets and paths
growth of automobile travel by building highways, ring
roads, and parking lots. However, due to China’s high
engine will stall as goods and people become mired in
congestion. Chinese cities will struggle to attract the
principles will help China create beautiful, thriving cities
that will be models of smart urban development for the 4 Support high-quality transit
population density, the problems of private-car-oriented
transportation are much more acute than in the lower-
high-tech businesses and top-notch talent that are crucial
to maintaining economic growth.
rest of the world.
5 Zone for mixed-use neighborhoods
density cities of the West. Despite the incredible pace
of road construction, traffic in Beijing is frequently at a Benefits of sustainable urban planning
These principles depend on and reinforce each other.
Together, they are a recipe for success. We hope this 6 Match density to transit capacity
standstill. And in Shanghai, projections show that car use
will need to be restricted and transit, bike, and pedestrian
Improve mobility
Reduce carbon emissions
guide will serve as the basis for effective urban planning
that suits China’s specific needs. 7 Create compact regions with short commutes
mode share increased to improve mobility and bring
congestion back to a manageable level. Attract economic activity 8 Increase mobility by regulating parking and road use
Improve air quality
The reality is that high-density cities cannot be designed
around the car. It simply won’t work. China’s leaders have Preserve arable land
a limited window of opportunity to plan for prosperous, Support a harmonious and prosperous society
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Develop neighborhoods
Shorten street crossings and emphasize pedestrian
safety and convenience.
L imit street width to 45 meters for through traffic and
Ground-floor retail and services and
car-free streets encourage walking.

that promote walking 25 meters for local access.

L imit traffic speeds on local streets to 25 km per hour or
less. Design streets with traffic-calming features to help
Walkable streets and neighborhoods are the foundation enforce speed limits.
of every great city. Walking reduces auto dependence,
Encourage ground-level activity and create places to
supports public transit, improves health, and promotes relax along primary pedestrian routes.
community. Simple measures — such as limiting road  o encourage sidewalk activity, visibility, and safety,
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width, block lengths, and setbacks between buildings residential developments should have multiple access
points, and perimeter walls should be eliminated or
and sidewalks — encourage walking. Sidewalks that feature
replaced with see-through fences.
amenities like shade, benches, and street lighting also Design features in Hong Kong slow
 ncourage sidewalk activity by zoning for varied uses;
E traffic and keep pedestrians safe.
encourage foot traffic. Designing streets that are safe to limit the distance between buildings and the sidewalk to
cross and providing comfortable, interesting places to the following averages:

walk should be the first priorities for establishing livable, • Retail uses: 1 meter
• Offices and businesses: 3 meters
low-carbon cities.
• Homes and apartments: 5 meters

Create direct routes and permeable blocks to shorten Pedestrian activity, as shown here in Chongqing,
walking distance. China, creates community and supports businesses.

Limit average block length to 150 meters.

 reate public paths to allow pedestrian access through
C
existing superblock developments.
 evelop safe, well-marked, and direct pedestrian routes, at
D New York City has pedestrian friendly
least 3 meters wide, to transit, shopping, and job centers. streets throughout downtown.
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Superblock configuration Suggested configuration

Single-use, superblock neighborhoods discourage pedestrians by Dense, mixed-use development and small block sizes encourage
spacing intersections far apart and creating wide, dangerous street pedestrian activity. Smaller blocks shorten walking distances,
Single-use, superblock neighborhood. crossings. Pedestrians must walk long distances to reach destinations. Neighborhood of small blocks and mixed uses in Hong Kong and narrow street crossings help keep pedestrians safe.

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The Hongzhou bike-sharing system is the largest in the world.

Prioritize bicycle Bike lanes should be

networks
protected from car traffic.

Bicycling is a key, low-cost component of any

city’s transportation network. Where possible,
bike parking should be included at transit stations.
In the 1980s, millions of Chinese people depended Design streets that emphasize bike safety
on bicycling as their primary mode of transportation. and convenience.

Bicycling is no longer safe or convenient in many  reate dedicated bike lanes, at least 3 meters
C
wide in each direction, on all streets except
Chinese cities. In recent years, cities across the low-speed local streets.
globe have been working to reintroduce bicycles  rovide secure bike parking in buildings, on
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as an integral part of city life because they are a streets, and at transit stations.
simple, inexpensive, and low-carbon way for city Create auto-free streets and greenways to
residents to travel between destinations, including encourage non-motorized travel.
transit stations. To ease congestion, Chinese cities  stablish car-free corridors across the city grid,
E
must once again encourage cyclists by providing no more than 800 meters apart.

safe conditions, including bike lanes and secure

bicycle parking.

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Discouraged: Arterial-dominant Recommended: Dense networks
street network of streets and paths
Prioritizes people over cars
Prioritizes cars over people
Supports pedestrian and economic activity
Discourages pedestrian activity

Create dense networks

of streets and paths
It is a common misconception that wide streets are Create dense street networks that enhance
walking, bicycling, and vehicle traffic flow.
more efficient and improve traffic flow. In fact, gated
superblocks divided by wide roads actually contribute  lan for a minimum of 50 intersections per
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square kilometer. Arterial-dominant Preferred street
to China’s traffic congestion. Case studies show that a
 ary block size and street design to provide
V street network network
denser network of narrower streets better optimizes multiple options for all types of traffic.
traffic flow while creating more direct routes and
Disperse high traffic volumes over narrow,
improving safety for pedestrians. Road design should parallel routes rather than concentrating
maximize human mobility rather than vehicle throughput. on fewer major arterials.
Narrow streets that allow one-way motor traffic as Incorporate through roads that connect
well as bicycles and pedestrians will significantly surrounding neighborhoods at least every
300 meters.
reduce congestion — and fuel use — in Chinese cities by
 eplace major arterials wider than 45 meters with
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minimizing traffic signal delays. efficient one-way couplets (in other words, divide
wide arterials into two one-way thoroughfares Network of arterials Network of varying street
handling traffic in opposite directions). and superblocks widths and block sizes

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Support high-quality
Before: Guangzhou before BRT

transit After: The Guangzhou BRT system which opened in February 2010, moves
almost 27,000 passengers per hour per direction during peak commute
hours, and integrates with bike lanes, metro, and other bus systems.
Hong Kong, New York City, Singapore, and other Ensure frequent and direct transit service.
affluent cities have the densest public transit  stablish at least one high-capacity, high-speed
E
networks in the world. While metro can be an transit corridor every 800 to 1,000 meters with
dedicated transit lanes.
integral part of a transit network, a growing number
 inimize the number of transfers needed
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of cities are turning to bus rapid transit for its low for most passengers. Provide an integrated
cost, quick implementation, and flexible routes. Each multi modal system and ensure seamless
Modern BRT systems, like this one in Jinan, China,
Chinese city will need to determine the appropriate transfers to all available transit options. feature all the conveniences of metro systems.

mix of transit solutions for its conditions, but cities Locate transit stations within walking distance
can guarantee the overall success of their transit by of homes, jobs, and services.

providing frequent, fast, and direct service in easily  ll housing and job centers should be within
A
400 meters of a local transit station and
accessible locations. 800 meters of regional transit service.

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 Ideal travel times from
mass transit stations

10 min 10 min

Legend

BRT station BRT corridor

Bike-sharing station Bus line

.5 1 1.5 Metro line

Kilometers

Guangzhou Bus Rapid transit (BRT) corridor

and connecting bus and metro lines
February 2011

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Zone for mixed-use The Jing’an Metro Station is a
good example of transit-oriented,

neighborhoods
mixed-use development.

 he station is integrated with

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a shopping center.

 arks, restaurants, and housing

P
Traditional Chinese neighborhoods had lively streets Encourage an optimal balance of housing and are concentrated nearby.
services through zoning codes.
where children played sports and the elderly played L ocal historic buildings were
retrofitted for modern uses.
mah-jongg. These neighborhoods had problems  ousing options should accommodate a mix of
H
income levels and age groups. Parks, jobs, housing, shops, restaurants, and the  assengers have easy access
P
too, but it was the lively mix of shops and services Jing’an Temple are all located near the metro station. to the Jing’an Temple.
 hops, schools, parks, and services should be
S
near homes and jobs that gave these areas their located within 400 meters of housing. This
charm and identity. By trading traditional housing includes age-specific services, such as day care.
for modern apartments, the Chinese people are Provide a variety of accessible parks and
losing their communities’ unique sense of place and open space.
the efficiency of compact neighborhoods. China’s  eighborhood parks should be located within
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cities of tomorrow need to combine the benefits of 500 meters of housing; large regional parks
within 1 kilometer.
modern housing with the best qualities of traditional
 nique natural environments and local cultural
U
urban neighborhoods. and historical assets should be preserved and
creatively reused. Every city should feature many parks.

Jing’an Metro Station.

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High-density hubs of various sizes Walkable, mixed-use cities are built from A walkable mixed-use neighborhood
a variety of street types A walkable neighborhood features a variety of
cluster mixed activities across a city uses and locates jobs, shops, and transit stations

The density and size of the center corresponds to the level of within walking distance of housing.
transit service.

City, town, and village centers are located at the crossroads
of transit boulevards.
Residential neighborhoods are directly accessible to centers. Superblocks with wide
Legend
arterials before modification.
Residential

Office

Civic

Street level retail

Replace major arterials with

one-way street pairs and add
transit to remaining arterials.

Add car free streets, some

Mixed-use small blocks with dedicated transit lines.
replace super blocks

Unfocused density Transit-oriented density

45% of jobs and homes in area are within walking distance of station. 80% of jobs and homes in area are within walking distance of station.

Add narrow local streets with

bike lanes and sidewalks.

400M 400M

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Match density to
transit capacity
High density is crucial to low-carbon cities, but Match density to the maximum peak-hour
density alone is not enough. In order to avoid capacity of a transit system.

congestion, housing must be located close to public  oth residential and commercial density should
B
be designed to match the area’s peak commute
transit and jobs. Density also needs to be related transit capacity.
to the capacity of all modes of transportation. If  ajor job centers should only be located where
M
roads are designed as suggested in this guide — high-volume transit services are available.
with bike and pedestrian-friendly corridors, transit In key employment areas, zone for mixed-use
priority lanes on major arterials, and one-way arterial districts that combine everyday uses.
couplets — activities can be concentrated to make  mix of recreation, services, and retail should
A
walking, cycling, and mass transit more convenient be located in employment areas to provide for In Curitiba, Brazil, high-rise development is
workers’ daily needs. focused within 200 meters of mass transit lines.
than driving. This will shorten trip distances,
save travel time, and preserve millions of square
kilometers of arable land.

In Guangzhou, density is focused around the BRT corridor.

The system’s capacity matches commute-hour transit demand.
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7
Kunming Regional
Growth
The Kunming region an example of compact,
transit-oriented growth. Chenggong, the new
town to the south, creates several major new
employment centers, balances new jobs with
housing, connects to the historic center with four
new high-capacity transit lines, and preserves
valuable agricultural lands in a greenbelt. When
completed, Chenggong will be a dense, small-
block, mixed-use development with a high level

Create compact regions Kunming

Pop: 3,200,000
of transit service.

with short commutes

20 km 10 km 5 km

Community location has a long-term impact on Reduce sprawl by focusing development in areas
sustainability. New city centers placed far from adjacent to and within existing cities.

existing cities are inconvenient and rarely thrive.  egional development should seek a compact
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footprint through preservation, reuse, and infill
City planners can avoid this by locating compact of existing areas, balanced with dense areas of
new sub-centers within or adjacent to existing cities. new growth.
In addition to protecting arable land, this strategy  here possible, new development should avoid
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significantly decreases the cost of providing transit, agricultural lands and other environmental assets.

utilities, and other services to these new locations, Create a jobs / housing balance within a short Agriculture

commute distance. Legend: Regional transit service

while reducing most residents’ daily commute.
BRT
 ecentralize job centers and aim to limit
D
commutes to approximately 5 kilometers or Metro line (various colors)
15 minutes. Lake Dian Chenggong
High speed rail
 reate smaller decentralized job centers that
C Pop: 1,500,000
Railway
encourage reverse commutes.

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Cities may choose to charge tolls
for use of overloaded roads. Road pricing reduces congestion and raises money for local
government: Some facts from Singapore and London.

Increase mobility by
regulating parking
Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing
system has cut congestion and raised
money for public transit and other uses.

80,000 percent of people entering London when tolls

are charged now take public transit

37 330 20
and road use kilograms of CO2 emissions reduced in Singapore’s traffic congestion zone

Avoiding gridlock requires limiting the use of Limit parking in key employment districts to
discourage driving during peak traffic periods.
vehicles to levels that the road network can support.
Peak commute-hour car trips are often unnecessary L imit parking ratios in employment areas to
0.2 stalls per worker.
and should be discouraged. There are many ways to
 liminate long-term street parking to ease
E
discourage driving. London, Hamburg, and Zurich, congestion and reduce street width.
for example, restrict parking in popular destinations  emove all parking-space minimums for
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served by public transit. Singapore and Stockholm residential buildings and establish citywide
parking-space maximums consistent with percent more Londoners
have implemented road-use charges. Chinese
targets for private car use. are riding buses into the
cities should consider these strategies — which city during toll times than million yuan in annual revenue raised by Singapore’s traffic percent increase in Singapore commuters
complement the above principles — to help relieve Adjust car fees by time of day and destination. before congestion pricing congestion zone program using public transit

their congestion problems. Institute a congestion-management system that

65 50 30
limits auto use in key urban and employment
districts at peak traffic hours. million yuan percent decrease
annual operation in congestion since
 harge tolls for use of overloaded roads and
C percent decline
cost for the congestion pricing
bridges and use the fees to support transit. in bus delays
traffic congestion was implemented
in London
 ary parking charges by time of day and location
V zone program in London
to insure high turnover. in Singapore
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 The plan for Chenggong: The principles have been combined
to create a mixed-use, walkable, and livable town.

Mixed uses and small blocks Walkable neighborhoods

Small blocks and mixed uses replace Each neighborhood has a roughly
typical superblocks to create a more 500-meter walking radius, centered on
walkable community. The greater local parks, schools, and other
street density improves pedestrian civic uses.
access and disperse traffic.

Rendering of Chenggong

Auto-free streets Accessible parks

A network of car free streets, some Linear greenways, neighborhood
with bus access, others for bikes and parks, and larger community parks are

Applying the principles in Chenggong,

pedestrians, are spaced no more located throughout the plan and are
than 800 meters apart throughout easily reached by car-free streets and
the town. quiet local roads.

a low-carbon new town

Chenggong is a new town planned for ecological design, its urban form
for the next stage of Kunming’s next followed typical superblock patterns with
generation of growth. It is currently the large single-use areas. Its central district, Paired one-way streets Transit-oriented development
and narrow arterials
administrative center for the greater projected to house 230,000 residents Areas with high levels of transit service,
Through traffic is carried on streets such as the crossing of two metro or
Kunming region and includes Yunnan and approximately 200,000 jobs, has no wider than 45 meters. Higher- BRT lines, have higher density, more
volume traffic is diverted onto commercial development, and a
University, a major new center for been redesigned according to the eight one-way street pairs, no more than greater mix of uses.
education and research. While its original principles described here. 30 meters wide in each direction to
allow easy pedestrian crossing.
plan embraced many best practices

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The principles introduced here represent what some are unique. Many of these recommendations are not
of the world’s leading experts believe to be best prac- consistent with current planning rules and regulations.
tices in urban design. Cities are gradually adopting It is time to apply cutting-edge scientific thought about
these measures, but those that have embraced them what makes cities successful and to reexamine our cit-
are the most livable and economically secure cities in ies in light of this most recent understanding. China
the world. has the resources and vision to leapfrog over the rest
of the world and create the best cities of the future.
These principles support each other. Blocks with mixed Now is the time to seize this opportunity and lay the
uses encourage walking, and walkable cities create foundation for a healthy future.
customers for local businesses. Smaller block sizes
encourage bike and pedestrian use, which cuts down The ClimateWorks Foundation brought together the
on traffic, allowing public transit and automobile traf- organizations represented here. We hope this docu-
fic to run better—and so on. Enacting all eight prin- ment will serve as the beginning of a dialogue in which
ciples is the key to a sustainable, livable city. we can work together to ensure that the cities of
tomorrow are the best possible cities for China — and
While these principles are a synthesis of international the world. Soy
best practices, China’s challenges and opportunities
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Ink Rec
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