The development plan of the Shenzhen metropolitan area involves five major cities in Guangdong Province and has attracted the attention of the general public. Among them, the planning of Shenzhen metropolitan area has attracted much attention. After several adjustments, the current Shenzhen metropolitan area includes Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou and the Shenzhen-Shantou Cooperation Zone. This metropolitan area plan has the strength of a municipality directly under the central government, becoming the first metropolitan area in the country with a total GDP exceeding 5 trillion yuan. According to 2022 data, the total GDP of the Shenzhen metropolitan area is expected to reach 4,898900 million yuan, of which Shenzhen contributed 3238800 million yuan, Dongguan 112 billion yuan, Huizhou 540100 million yuan. According to the data analysis of the first three quarters of 2023, it is expected that the total GDP of the three cities in the Shenzhen metropolitan area will exceed 5 trillion yuan throughout the year. The implementation of this plan means that the Shenzhen metropolitan area will become a super city with coordinated development.
The first breakthrough in the planning of the Shenzhen metropolitan area is the integration of transportation into the city. In recent years, the transportation development of Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou has tended to be integrated. In terms of railways, Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed railway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen intercity, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Dongguan intercity, Gansu-Shenzhen high-speed railway, Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed railway and other railway lines will closely connect these major cities. In the future, the urban rail network between cities will be further improved, such as Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity, Shenzhen-University Intercity, etc. In addition, there are dense highways connecting the three major cities to each other. The plan also emphasizes the realization of transportation in terms of services and access, such as the realization of the first line of subway and bus.
The second breakthrough is the integration of industries in the same city. At present, the industrial co-urbanization of Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou has achieved initial results. Many of Shenzhen's corporate headquarters and R&D bases have spilled over to Dongguan and Huizhou, and production bases have been set up in Dongguan and Huizhou. In the future, the industrial co-urbanization of the three cities will be further strengthened. The plan mentions that Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou will speed up the construction of a number of industrial belts, such as the Shenzhen-Dongguan Huihe Development Axis, including the construction of a number of industrial clusters, such as Shenzhen Banxuegang Science and Technology City, Universiade Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Science and Education City, Xinqiaodong Advanced Manufacturing Park, Shenzhen International Low-carbon City, Shenzhen International Bio Valley, Shenzhen International Food Valley, Dongguan Silver Bottle Cooperation and Innovation Zone, Dongguan Eastern Industrial Park, Huizhou Tonghu Ecological Smart Zone, etc.
The third breakthrough is the urbanization of life. With easy accessibility, there will be an increase in crossover living and working between the three cities. The plan mentions the construction of large areas of affordable housing in the Linshen area, and supports Dongguan and Huizhou in promoting a system of household registration according to the place of residence. In addition, Shenzhen's household policy will be gradually relaxed, and the points for social security and residence time will be increased. In this way, it will be easier for people working in Shenzhen to settle in Shenzhen.
The fourth breakthrough is the semi-urbanization of education and medical care. The plan mentions that cooperation in education and health care will be promoted. For example, in the Linshen region, we will carry out a pilot project of joint running of basic education, and explore the joint construction of a nine-year consistent school. At the same time, we will strengthen educational exchanges and cooperation between cities, promote the establishment of professional education committees in metropolitan areas, and explore the cross-regional group school-running model of famous schools. In terms of medical care, we will support high-level hospitals in Shenzhen to form medical alliances with hospitals in Dongguan and Huizhou to improve the ability and level of diagnosis and treatment of key specialties.
In short, the planning of the Shenzhen metropolitan area has made breakthroughs in the fields of transportation, industry, life, education and medical care, and realized the coordinated development of the three cities. Although it is unlikely that Shenzhen wants to be directly under the central government, it has become the first metropolitan area in the country with a total GDP of more than 5 trillion yuan, which is of great significance to the development of Shenzhen and surrounding cities. In the future, the Shenzhen metropolitan area will continue to strengthen the integrated development of various fields to promote the prosperity of the regional economy and the sustainable development of the city.