Strategies to Improve Environmental Condition

Project 2: Beijing Greenbelts: promoting a sustainable ecosystem and control the expansion of the urban area

The 1958 Master Plan of Beijing proposed two greenbelts

Beijing Greenbelt Planning, 1958 (Source: Peng, H. 2005 )

•  the inner greenbelt----transition between the urban area and suburbs 
•  the outer greenbelt----transition between the city and the rural area

In the 1980s, after economic reform, green space development was transformed from government-oriented to a market-oriented policy. The existing greenbelt was fragmented by overwhelming urbanization
The total area of the greenbelt in the master plan had kept shrinking:
In 1958, 314 km² →1983, 260 km² →1993, 240 km²

2008 Olympic catalyzes the process of construction of Beijing Greenbelts. In 2003, Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design redeveloped the Beijing Greenbelts Plan.

The First Greenbelt (Done!)

• The first greenbelt is located between Beijing's third and fourth ring roads, immediately adjacent to the core of Beijing.
• From 2000 to 2003, the government speed up the construction and achieved the object ahead of schedule. The green belt zone covers 240 km² in the urban area and green space takes up 112 km².

Land Use of the Greenbelt Zone of Beijing (Source: http://www.bllai.com.cn/english.htm )

The Second Greenbelt (under construction...)

Second Greenbelt Zone (Source: Peng, H. 2005, Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design )

The basic planning rules are suggested to instruct greenbelt design:

• to set up forest as the matrix of greenbelt.
• to build green corridors and develop “green” network to link the inside and outside greenbelt
• to mosaic greenbelt with diverse landscape elements.

Land Cover Characteristics within the Proposed Greenbelt Zone

Land Cover Analysis (Source: Li, W.)

The structure of the green system of Beijing (Source: Li, W.)

Green Wedges & Parks Planning

1. The second green belt zone is composed of the green circle, greenways, nine green wedges, and five community parks.
2. The green wedges are composed of parks, gardens, forest patches, farmlands, rivers, and wetlands.

Restoration of Water corridor within green belt

The greenways are linear networks along two major rivers (the WenYu River and the Yongding River), and will serve to create corridors that link the surrounding green space

(source: Turenscape http://www.turenscape.com/english/index.asp)