On March 27, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources published the Implementation Plan for Cultivating a World-class Business Environment in the Planning and National Resources Sector through Benchmarking-driven Reforms.

I. Objectives

1.Enhanced Institutional Framework

Strengthen the reforms in project approval and real property registration services. Conduct pilot programs in the Pudong New Area, Lin-gang Special Area, and the Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone to develop replicable reform models.

2.Streamlined Government Services

Deepen reforms to enable all services to be accessed through a single online platform and promote seamless integration of online and offline government services.

3.Improved Business Convenience

Streamline and optimize the full process of project approval services, covering stages such as land acquisition, planning permission, completion inspection, access to municipal public services, and real property registration.

II.Administration of Land Use and Real Property Registration

1.Land for Construction Projects

(1) Explore flexible utilization of industrial land

Promote the integrated management of M0-type industrial land within industrial communities and national development zones.

Customize integrated management requirements for land parcels designated for industrial use, research and development, and warehouse purposes.

Provide these areas with appropriate standards for public service facilities, road infrastructure, transportation access, and landscaping.

Ensure that these lands primarily serve industrial purposes, allowing for potential changes in land use or mixed-use developments among industrial, research and development, and warehousing (excluding hazardous chemical storage).

(2) Optimize plan and enhance management

For projects recognized by competent authorities as aligning with high-end, intelligent, and green development objectives, promote vertical industrialization and facilitate the creation of intelligent manufacturing spaces in accordance with regional planning requirements and the industrial map.

Determine project floor area ratios (FAR) and building heights based on industrial development needs, to be implemented by districts following enhanced management guidelines and procedures.

In cases requiring planning adjustments, enhance process efficiency through effective coordination between municipal and district levels.

(3) Deepen regional assessment and land use inventory system

Promote optimization measures related to regional assessment management by municipal-level industry regulatory authorities, and guide districts to enhance the effectiveness of regional assessment services.

Improve the transparency and utilization of regional assessment results, including timely disclosure of approved regional assessment results by relevant regulatory authorities on government websites. Strengthen the application of regional assessment results during project approval stages.

Advance the land use inventory system to provide comprehensive information on current survey conditions, regional assessment results, and departmental management requirements when supplying land parcels. This will reduce the need for enterprises to conduct post-acquisition assessments, investigations, and justifications.

(4) Standardize the implementation of projects outside planned industrial blocks

Identify high-quality technology upgrade projects with zero increase in land use outside planned industrial blocks. Track and manage the implementation of these projects and conduct ongoing monitoring and evaluation. In the process, the municipality will provide guidance, while districts will take a leading role, adhering to relevant guidelines and offering differentiated management.

Maintain some vacant land to ensure strategic flexibility for short- and long-term needs, in alignment with the city’s overall development plan for 2017-2035 (Shanghai 2035). Expedite approval processes for the city’s projects with significant functions to support their implementation.

(5) Implement linear projects in phases and sections

Based on advice from investors, issue land use reports for various phases of construction projects. For agricultural land conversion and land requisition approvals under the jurisdiction of the municipal government, land use approvals can be processed for specific sections of land. Consequently, Land Use Permits and Project Planning Permits will be issued for respective land sections.

(6) Optimize the management of temporary land use

For construction projects or geological surveys requiring temporary land use, the temporary land use plan should be integrated into the planning of the main construction projects and may be developed concurrently with the main construction project's design plan.

If there is a need to extend temporary land use, applicants will have one opportunity to renew it, with the renewal period generally not exceeding two years.

Simplify the documentation requirements for temporary land use applications, requiring only a form instead of a lengthy report and complex justification process.

2.Real Property Registration and Management

(7) Strengthen legal and regulatory framework to safeguard real property rights

Improve real property registration regulations to effectively streamline transaction and registration processes, improve the convenience of real property registration, and ensure legal protection of real property rights.

Enhance the land ownership dispute resolution system by integrating diverse dispute resolution mechanisms and making real property registrations according to the effective mediation settlement agreements and decisions.

Standardize the legal responsibility system for real property registration, improve the real property registration liability insurance system, and ensure that those responsible compensate for the losses caused by real property registration anomalies.

Optimize the real property information query service by providing features such as "search properties by map" to facilitate market entities in obtaining accurate information related to land use rights and other relevant details during land transfers and transactions.

(8) Ensure freedom and convenience in real property leasing and transactions

Guarantee equal access to land, natural resources, and other production elements for domestic, foreign enterprises, and other market entities.

Optimize the comprehensive management system for construction projects, including planning, land use, and registration processes, to enhance security and convenience in real property transactions for various market entities.

3. Incentives for Female Professionals

(9) Strengthen career incentives for women

Implement gender equality policies in urban planning and natural resources management sector in Shanghai by leveraging the roles of the Women Planners Committee and the Women Designers Sub-Society.

Enhance professional skills training for women to elevate their expertise.

Organize awards such as Women's Civilization Posts and March 8 Women's Day Banner Holders to further inspire a sense of responsibility and honor among female professionals.

III. Government Services and Information Transparency

1.Digital governance

(10) Optimize construction project approval systems

Utilize digital empowerment to enhance the intelligence of planning and natural resource approvals. Leveraging the unified government portal Government Online-Offline Shanghai to provide services such as building permits and completion inspections, facilitating online application, acceptance, approval, issuance, and notifications to achieve end-to-end online processing for construction projects.

Optimize services for high-frequency matters such as Land Use Permits (land for sale) and design planning approvals for construction projects (linear projects), thereby establishing the Smart and Easy Government Service brand.

Include the extension of land use reports for construction projects into the Suishenban mobile app.

Continue piloting and deepening the application of automated calculation in planning approvals in relevant districts, and explore integrating automated calculation software into the project implementation platform.

(11) Improve enterprise-related registration services

Launch a comprehensive one-stop platform for due diligence, including property encumbrance and providing real-time access to information on real property registration, property encumbrance, corporate operations, land spatial planning, and land use. This initiative aims to reduce the costs associated with property encumbrance verification and enhance the convenience of due diligence.

Integrate the Shanghai real property registration complaint platform and cadastral survey complaint platform to strengthen supervision by enterprises and the public.

(12) Optimize coordinated services for real property registration

Use real property unit codes as unique identifiers to link cadastral records with real property rights, advancing the integration and interoperability between the real property registration subsystem and land management subsystem.

Streamline the process for clearing housing mortgage loans, facilitating instance approval of mortgage clearance through joint efforts between registration departments and relevant banks.

Improve "non-face-to-face" registration services for real property collateral transactions, developed in collaboration with financial institutions.

Enhance the online registration process for real property seizures, conducted in collaboration with the courts.

2.Information transparency

(13) Enhance transparency in planning and construction permit information

On the Government Online-Offline Shanghai platform, provide the public with online access to requirements for obtaining building permits and completion inspection for construction projects.

Use a map-based online interface to visually present planning information to businesses.

(14) Strengthen sharing of approval data for construction projects

Enhance the "One Map" National Geographic Information System (GIS) to include up-to-date data on planning, land use, project approvals, surveying, and registration.

Utilize the "One Map" platform to share planning and land-related data with regulatory departments, land rights holders, investors, and other stakeholders.

3.Government services

(15) Strengthen policy services

Enhance policy services by providing dedicated webpages on the Government Online-Offline Shanghai platform that deliver documents on policies beneficial to enterprises.

Organize policy briefings on trending topics for enterprises.

Promote the "service package" mechanism for key enterprises, actively addressing individualized needs.

(16) Strengthen online and offline assistance systems

Improve online assistance services for enterprises and individuals with high-frequency needs through "online human assistance" and "smart assistant Xiaoshen" services.

Strengthen training for online human assistants to enhance service efficiency, aiming for a "first response within one minute".

Continuously enhance the efficiency of offline assistance by hotline services.

(17) Promote the application of high-precision maps in ICV autonomous driving

Expand the scope of pilot crowdsourcing for data collection and map updating from intelligent connected vehicles used in daily driving by the public.

Conduct verification of pilot crowdsourced data collection by map providers.

Explore crowdsourced mapping technologies, research safety control schemes, relevant guidelines, and safety supervision mechanisms.

Encourage map providers to proactively notify and record map updates to promote innovation in map review processes.

Advance the development of standards like the Data Standards for the Basic Framework of Intelligent Driving Roads, and explore mechanisms for data transactions and sharing.

IV.Streamlined Process for Enterprises to Obtain Building Permits and Real Property Registration

1.Deepen the reform of building permits

(18) Strengthen comprehensive approval processes for planning and natural resources

Issue the Land Use Permit and Real Property Title Deed at the time of land handover to enterprises during the land sale process.

Expand the concept of "a single building permit for multi-stage inspections" to include commercial buildings, office buildings, and affordable housing projects.

Upon project completion, conduct the completion inspection, document the inspection findings, and proceed with the first-time registration of the real property simultaneously.

(19) Deepen reforms to integrate multiple surveys of different purposes into a single survey

Deepen reforms to consolidate multiple surveys of different purposes into a single survey, addressing planning, land use, housing, urban greening and landscaping, civil defense, transportation, and fire prevention.

Expand the scope of the reform beyond industrial projects such as factories and warehouses to include public projects that do not involve property division or shared areas with other entities. Examples of such public projects include administrative office buildings, commercial offices, cultural and educational facilities, and sports and health facilities.

Explore integrating multiple surveys of different purposes into a single survey for linear transportation projects, and research technical regulations for road, rail, and waterway projects.

Facilitate online access to the unified surveying results.

Strengthen supervision during and after the surveying process and enhance the development of a credit system for surveying institutions.

(20) Deepen collaborative mechanisms among planners, architects, and evaluators, and expand the pilot architect accountability system to more areas

Encourage lead architects to provide full-cycle services including early consultations, design services, on-site guidance, completion inspections, and operation management.

Seek input from industry experts in the decision-making process to enhance the overall quality of urban spaces, buildings, and the environment.

(21) Advance the commitment upon notification mechanism for Project Planning Permits

For projects with manageable risks, low error correction costs, and effective risk prevention through in-process and post-process supervision, adopt a service model that approves Project Planning Permits based on enterprises’ commitment upon notification.

For these projects, Project Planning Permits will be issued promptly once the planning and natural resources departments confirm that the commitments upon notification meet the requirements.

Within 20 working days of issuing the permits, conduct substantive reviews of the construction projects.

(22) Expand the list of exemptions for Planning Permits

In addition to exempting Planning Permits for function-enhancing subsidiary facilities added to old residential neighborhoods, urban public spaces, and production projects, include projects involving the addition or renovation of subsidiary facilities in public buildings, provided they meet safety standards and do not affect neighboring properties.

Increase participation in the planning process at the street and town levels, encourage community self-governance, and implement closed-loop management for projects included in the exemption list.

2.Deepen the reform of real property registration service

(23) Optimize collaborative services for real property registration

Utilize the "big data resource platform" to enhance integration and data sharing among the city's systems for property registration, transactions, and taxation.

Establish a city-wide shared database for property transactions to facilitate comprehensive information collection and dissemination throughout the process.

Streamline and enhance property transactions, improving self-preparation of documents and providing assistance in document preparation, while enabling exemptions for submitting additional application materials.

Innovate full-lifecycle project registration services, such as issuing certificates upon land or housing handover.

(24) Promote comprehensive online registration and cross-provincial registration

Advance comprehensive online real property registration processes.

Facilitate the development of a demonstration model for cross-provincial registration in the Yangtze River Delta region.

V.Optimization of Municipal Public Facility Services

(25) Expand the scope of the holistic-approach administrative reform

Gradually expand the reform exemplified in the road construction projects that employ a holistic approach to all the necessary administrative approvals to ultimately include all general-purpose municipal public facility construction projects.

(26) Improve the database of municipal facilities and its accessibility

Timely update the database of underground pipelines, conduits, ducts, cables, wires and other such municipal public facilities and enhance its access to construction contractors.

VI.Furtherance of the Innovations in Key Areas and Sectors

(27) Comprehensive Demonstration Zone for Business Environment in Pudong New Area

Advance the construction of the demonstration zone by various reforms and innovations in land planning, adaptive reuse of existing structures, property registration and transaction, taxation and others.

(28) Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone

Advance the zone's institutional innovations in resources planning and business environment by various administrative reforms to improve the overall efficiency.

(29) Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District

Advance the district's unique business environment and support its continuous improvement of key functionalities in commerce, exhibition, transportation as well as tech innovation.

(30) Promote innovations in other municipal key projects

VII.Supports for Cross Sectional Coordination

Enhance the coordination among different government agencies, promote public awareness and understanding of government policies in business environment optimization, and beef up the accountability mechanism so as to ensure effective implementation of the reform.