Green, beautiful, livable cities call for modernized urbanization path

As the nation enters a new phase of development, the just concluded Central Urban Work Conference in Beijing marks a pivotal moment, outlining a comprehensive vision for building modern, people-centric cities, moving beyond rapid growth to focus on quality, sustainability, and intrinsic development.

In 1980, only 19.93 percent of China's total population lived in cities. The percentage had reached 67 percent by the end of 2024. While this progress in urbanization reflects decades of sustained economic and social development, it has also brought challenges — particularly for medium-sized and smaller cities — in areas such as living conditions, public services and infrastructure.

China's urbanization is shifting from the previous rapid growth to stable, high-quality development. The focus is no longer on large-scale expansion but on enhancing the existing urban resources. This paradigm shift needs a new set of urban development concepts that place greater emphasis on human-centered approaches, intensive and efficient resource utilization, distinctive local characteristics, increased investment in governance, and enhanced coordination in urban work.