Beijing’s First Green Belt—A 50-Year Long Chinese Planning Story

Abstract

This article traces the development process of Beijing’s First Green Belt from its origins in the 1950s, to its reinterpretation in the 1980s/1990s and its implementation in the 1990s/2000s. We identify three-time phases and important milestones, which kept the green belt idea alive, developed it and contextualized it in relation to the historical background. This article shows that the first green belt project in Beijing was a continuing process of changing functions and ranges. Its adaptability to variations followed the political changes and reflected the socio-economic dynamics, which secured its longevity. Different ideas shaped the plan and its link to mega events like the Olympic Games and environmental problems accelerated the implementation, but the shortage of funding and absence of legislation led to a compromised result. The case is an interesting example of how a long-term project transforms over and with time, but also for the gap between planning ambitions and actual urban development, illustrating past and contemporary urban planning in the context of a fast-developing country.

The Legal, Administrative, and Governance Frameworks of Spatial Policy, Planning, and Land Use: Interdependencies, Barriers, and Directions of Change

“…Similarly, the results of Meng et al [50] indicate that innovation-oriented land-use transformation in four dimensions-human capital, physical capital, urban functions, and administration-is conducive to reducing industrial emissions in the region, but not the spillover effect. Finally, the contribution by Sun et al [51] explores the issue of path-dependency and the impact of historical events on spatial processes, with a particular focus on the development of the Beijing green belt and its legacy.…”

Beyond growth management: A review of the wider functions and effects of urban growth management policies

“…The policies and zones adjacent to UGBs, therefore, are just as important as the UGMP in their influence on land-use. Examples include the metro plans in the USA, such as Oregon UGBs (Seltzer, 2009) and more recently the Chinese UGBs to replace failed GBs (Sun, Fertner, & Jørgensen, 2021). They are popular in the US where there are over 150 UGBs (Avin & Bayer, 2003).…”

“…Another factor to understand the difference in UGMPs is their implementation (Amati, 2008;Sun et al, 2021). China has experimented with implementing different UGMPs throughout the past 50 years, including GBs and recently UGBs, but with mixed success (Sun et al, 2021;P. Zhao, 2011).…”

Study on the Spatiotemporal Evolution of the “Contraction–Expansion” Change of the Boundary Area between Two Green Belts in Beijing Based on a Multi-Index System

“…In essence, the feasibility of green space development hinges on the level of control exerted Land 2023, 12, 1621 2 of 21 over the construction land upon which it is constructed. It is against this backdrop that Beijing's inaugural green belt deviated from its original construction objectives [16][17][18]. Moreover, this "green space reactivity" is observable not only in government operations but also in urban space change studies.…”