Focus on people not buildings

Undeniably, urbanization has become a policy focus for the government. Urbanization was, for the first time, written into the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-05) when China pledged not to miss the opportunity to implement the strategy of urbanization. The significance of urbanization was reiterated in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10), as the central leadership vowed to coordinate the development of small, medium and large cities, enhance the carrying capacity of cities and towns, actively promote urbanization and steadily transform the dual rural-urban structure step by step. The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) has specifically proposed that the country facilitate the transfer of the agricultural population to urban areas and made implementing the urbanization strategy a key task.

The country's new leadership pledged at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in November last year, that reform of the household registration system will be accelerated, rural migrant workers will be incorporated as permanent urban residents in an orderly way. The government will also endeavor to ensure that all permanent residents have access to basic urban public services.

With proper policy support the livelihoods of migrant workers and their family members will be enhanced, and this is the true purpose of the urbanization drive.

The author is director of Institute of Spatial Planning and Regional Economy, affiliated to National Development and Reform Commission.

(China Daily 12/19/2013 page8)