On July 10, Shanghai unveiled a new set of measures aimed at stimulating the development of its five suburban new towns.

The five new towns — Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian, and Nanhui —encircle Shanghai's urban center from the northwest to the southeast.

The document, titled "Several Measures on Deepening and Promoting High-Quality Development of New Towns," consists of 16 measures focusing on various aspects of development.

I. Industrial development

1. Specific sectors

The document calls for strengthening specific industrial sectors in these new towns. Each town must identify its key sectors and establish a dedicated task force for each sector, implementing a "one sector, one task force" approach.

Shanghai and relevant districts will jointly set development goals, allocate resources, and develop special industrial policies.

2. Application scenarios

New towns will promote application scenarios for emerging industries, including high-level autonomous driving, a low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and digital-real integration.

(1) High-level autonomous driving

By leveraging innovative vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, priority will be given to implementing related platforms, functions, and policies in Jiading, Nanhui, and Fengxian. The application scope of intelligent connected vehicles in these new towns will be gradually expanded. Large-scale applications of smart taxis, smart buses, and other scenarios will be developed and implemented in an orderly manner.

(2) Low-altitude economy

In new towns with suitable conditions, such as Qingpu and Nanhui, pilot projects for low-altitude economy infrastructure construction will be promoted. Commercial applications will be supported in logistics distribution, specialty cultural tourism, emergency rescue, smart cities, and low-altitude commuting scenarios.

(3) New energy storage

New towns will accelerate the implementation of typical user-side energy storage scenarios in industrial parks and data centers, supporting the construction of a series of energy storage demonstration projects.

(4) Digital-real integration

Shanghai will support the establishment of big data joint innovation laboratories in new towns to promote the aggregation and integrated application of public data resources.

3. Cultural and sports industries

Shanghai will encourage new towns to develop distinctive cultural and sports industries, such as outdoor activities, and encourage them to host major festivals, activities and events locally.

4. Integration of production and education resources

Shanghai should coordinate the allocation of higher education and vocational education resources in new towns according to their distinctive industries. It will encourage key industrial colleges, industry-education integration platforms, and related disciplines to be introduced into the towns. Additionally, it will support universities, industrial parks, and enterprises in new towns in jointly establishing proof-of-concept centers and experimental and training platforms.

5. Environment for industrial development

Shanghai will fully leverage its financial tools to support the industries in new towns and guide the establishment of State-owned funds for the development of distinctive industries. It will enhance the capability and services of industrial parks in new towns and promote the centralized and unified management of these parks. Furthermore, it will continuously optimize the business environment in new towns and effectively address the suggestions and demands of enterprises there.

II. High-quality life

To create a high-quality living environment in these new towns, Shanghai will focus on several key areas:

1. Basic education

Shanghai will support the development of high-quality, innovative schools of the future in these new towns and accelerate the construction of schools for nine-year compulsory education, as well as high schools.

2. Medical services

Shanghai will facilitate the transfer of leading disciplines from municipal top-tier hospitals with campuses in new towns to enhance medical services in these areas.

3. Public services

Shanghai will promote the planning and development of all-age-friendly residential communities in new towns, ensuring that public services meet the needs of residents of all ages.

4. Transport

A comprehensive network of rapid rail transit lines will be developed to ensure that residents can reach downtown Shanghai within 45 minutes.

5. Ecological environment

Continuous efforts will be made to improve the ecological environment of the new towns, creating a sustainable and pleasant living space for residents.

III. Key areas in five new towns

Here are the key areas of development for the five new towns according to their respective management committees:

Fengxian New Town

Fengxian New Town will continue to promote the Oriental Beauty Valley as a distinctive industry cluster. Looking ahead, Fengxian will focus on niche sectors such as gene therapy, specialty traditional Chinese medicine, and integrated beauty and health. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like "AI+" and synthetic biology, the goal is to create a competitive industrial cluster worth hundreds of billions of yuan.

Jiading New Town

In Jiading New Town, Shanghai Medvalley Industrial Park is a central development area with the ambition to become a major component of the city's biomedical industry landscape by 2025. By 2030, the park aims to be a leading domestic hub for the innovation and commercialization of medical devices, a high-end manufacturing cluster, and a model area for the integration of industry and medicine.

Qingpu New Town

The core development focus for Qingpu New Town is the Central Business District. Planning for the CBD has been fully implemented, land acquisition is mostly complete, and efforts to attract businesses and commence construction are in full swing.

Songjiang New Town

Songjiang New Town's highlight is the Songjiang Hub. With the opening of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou Railway, Shanghai Songjiang Station will provide access to 80 percent of major cities in the Yangtze River Delta region. The Songjiang Hub’s high-end business district is poised to be a prime location for advanced manufacturing and high-tech enterprises, serving as a center for company headquarters and R&D activities.

Nanhui New Town

In Nanhui New Town, Dishui Lake Financial Bay is focused on emerging financial sectors including cross-border finance, offshore finance, technology financing, and digital finance. The Financial Bay has pioneered the removal of special renminbi deposit accounts for foreign direct investment in the equity capital market, enabling foreign investors to directly invest in the equity capital market using offshore renminbi. According to city planning, phases one and two of the Financial Bay, featuring interconnected underground spaces, will be fully completed by 2025.

Source: Jiefang Daily，Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission