In the era when subway and light rail are becoming indispensable means of transportation for urban residents, it is not difficult to commute for an hour. However, no matter how developed the urban rail transit is, there is always an unbreakable barrier in the past, that is, the barrier of administrative divisions. Under the background that the subway and other tracks are submitted to the local authorities for approval, the subway in Beijing cannot be extended to Hebei Province in principle.
Wait a minute, this may not be impossible in the future-when China's urbanization has entered a new stage and a number of world-class urban agglomerations are about to break ground, a new "top-level design" for the development of metropolitan areas has been introduced, making everything possible.
On February 2 1, the website of the National Development and Reform Commission officially released the Guiding Opinions on Cultivating and Developing Modern Metropolitan Area (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions). The "Opinions" put forward a number of highly targeted programs for the development of modern metropolitan areas, such as relaxing the restrictions on urban settlement except for a few megacities, and taking the lead in realizing the cumulative mutual recognition of household registration years in the same city in qualified metropolitan areas; Another example is to explore the extension of rail transit in the central city of metropolitan area to the surrounding cities (towns). Therefore, this plan is also regarded as a "hedging" move to break the boundaries of administrative divisions.
Relocate the metropolitan area of urban agglomeration
The Outline of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan issued on February 6th, 2008 pointed out that Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area should become a "dynamic world-class urban agglomeration". For a time, how to build a world-class urban agglomeration has become a hot topic of public opinion.
To form a leading urban agglomeration in the world, the metropolitan area, which plays a leading role in the urban agglomeration, plays an irreplaceable role. For example, among the world-famous urban agglomerations, there are Japanese Pacific coastal urban agglomerations from Tokyo and Yokohama to Osaka with Tokyo as the core, and there are also British urban agglomerations from London to Manchester with London as the core.
Xiao Jincheng, chairman of the China Association for Regional Science, said in an interview with the National Business Daily that the development of metropolitan areas is of great significance to the goal of forming urban agglomerations. "Urban agglomeration is composed of metropolitan areas. As a city, we must first establish close ties with surrounding cities, and then the links between urban agglomerations. Therefore, we must first form integration in the metropolitan area, and then form integration in the urban agglomeration. "
In view of the organic connection between urban agglomeration and metropolitan area, the Opinions issued this time explained that urban agglomeration is a new main form of urbanization and an important platform for supporting national economic growth, promoting regional coordinated development and participating in international competition and cooperation. Metropolitan area is an urbanized spatial form with megacities or big cities with strong radiation-driven functions as the center and 1 hour commuting circle as the basic scope.
Rail transit construction has become the focus of policy.
"To get rich, build roads first". Throughout the full text of the Opinions, the reporter noted that in the future, rail transit will become the focus of the construction of the metropolitan area, and the rail transit network will become the backbone of the interconnection within the metropolitan area.
The Opinions emphasize that the layout of rail transit network in metropolitan area should be considered as a whole, and a commuter circle with rail transit as the backbone should be built. Conditional areas should do a good job in urban rail transit planning and promote the "four networks integration" of trunk railways, intercity railways, regional (suburban) railways and urban rail transit. Explore the proper extension of urban rail transit in the central city of metropolitan area to the surrounding cities (towns).
Judging from the relevant contents of the opinion. In the future, the policy will encourage urban rail transit lines, which usually operate only in one city administrative area, to "cross-city operation" and enter neighboring cities.
In fact, at present, in some megacities in China, there have been cross-city rail transit lines. For example, Huaqiao section of Shanghai Metro Line 1 1, which was completed in 20 13, entered Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, which is adjacent to Shanghai. In addition, judging from the recent reply of the National Development and Reform Commission to the rail transit construction planning of major cities, it has become the focus of current policies to give full play to the role of intercity railways and municipal (suburban) railways that can be operated by using existing railway resources.
For example, the National Development and Reform Commission's Reply on Wuhan Urban Rail Transit Phase IV Construction Plan (20 19~2024) points out that it is necessary to coordinate urban rail transit with high-speed railways, intercity railways and regional (suburban) railways, study effective measures to improve the bus service level of intercity railways, and strive to build a multi-level and integrated metropolitan rail transit network.
Accelerate the elimination of regional household registration barriers
The prosperity and development of metropolitan area can not be separated from a reasonable, balanced and healthy population structure. Recently, major cities in China have also launched a "war of grabbing people" to expand the resident population. According to institutional statistics, from the implementation of the new household registration policy to the end of 20 18, the newly settled population in Xi' an has exceeded 105 million, and the settled population in cities such as Ning and He in 20 18 has exceeded105 million.
The published opinions also put forward many innovative measures in the population policies of major metropolitan areas.
The "Opinions" clarify that the restrictions on urban settlement except for a few megacities should be relaxed, and the cumulative mutual recognition of the years of household registration in the same city should be realized in qualified metropolitan areas, so as to speed up the elimination of household registration barriers between urban and rural areas, promote the overall citizenization of local population and foreign population, and promote the orderly flow, rational distribution and social integration of population. Promote the sharing of human resources information and the construction of public employment service platform.
In addition, the Opinions also emphasize promoting the enjoyment of high-quality public service resources. Encourage multi-level and multi-mode cooperation in running schools and hospitals in metropolitan areas, support qualified primary and secondary schools and tertiary hospitals to promote group-based schools and hospitals, carry out long-distance teaching and medical exchanges with teachers and medical personnel in different places, and support tertiary hospitals in central cities to set up branches in different places. Take the lead in realizing short-term professional enrollment of secondary and higher vocational schools in the metropolitan area that matches the industrial chain. Promote the sharing of medical records across regions and institutions, and promote the mutual recognition of medical test results across regions and institutions.