An Impact Analysis of the Town and Country Planning Act towards the Master Planning of Chinese Small Cities: Case Study of Lianjiang Town

摘要

With the broadening and deepening of economic development, the urban growth of many small cities begins to present sprawl in China in the new century. Replacing the original act of urban planning, the Town and Country Planning Act became effective in 2008. This paper compares the contents of the two acts, and especially analyses the stipulations about urban land scale and spatial construction activities from the perspective of the revised legislation. Based on the introduction of the master plan of Lianjiang Town in Fujian Province, the paper holds that China can take advantage of the legal effect of the new act to strengthen the status of smart growth concept in small city master planning, as well as to promote the popularity of smart growth concept in small cities.