| Project Detail |
Changzhi City is a regional center city located in Southeast of Shanxi Province in the central region of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Changzhi is bordered by the southern section of Taihang Mountain to the east, and to the west by the Taiyue Mountain. Changzhis total population is 3.4 million people with 800,000 living in the core urban area, and the total land area is 13,955 square kilometers of which 53% is forest covered. Changzhi, like most of Shanxi province, is lagging behind the PRCs development, and it urgently needs a profound change towards a modern and diverse urban and urban-rural economy supported by improved education and urban livability, as it suffers from decline due to its dependency on coal-mining and traditional industries.
Project Name Shanxi Changzhi Low-Carbon Climate-Resilient Circular Economy Transformation Project
Project Number 51381-001
Country / Economy China, Peoples Republic of
Project Status Approved
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Loan
Changzhi City is a regional center city located in Southeast of Shanxi Province in the central region of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Changzhi is bordered by the southern section of Taihang Mountain to the east, and to the west by the Taiyue Mountain. Changzhis total population is 3.4 million people with 800,000 living in the core urban area, and the total land area is 13,955 square kilometers of which 53% is forest covered. Changzhi, like most of Shanxi province, is lagging behind the PRCs development, and it urgently needs a profound change towards a modern and diverse urban and urban-rural economy supported by improved education and urban livability, as it suffers from decline due to its dependency on coal-mining and traditional industries.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Strategic fit. The project will demonstrate how the urban and urban-rural economy can be modernized, poverty can be reduced, employment created, environment rehabilitated, and broader public goods be provided through comprehensive support to economic and urban development and contributing to rural vitalization in Changzhi. It is aligned with (i) Thirteenth Five-Year Plans of Shanxi Province and Changzhi City (2016-2020), (ii) PRCs National New-Type Urbanization Plan (2014-2020), (iii) PRCs Pilot City Program for Industrial Transformation and Upgrading (2017) (iv) PRCs Rural Vitalization Strategy (Draft), and (v) Changzhi City master plan (2011-2030). The proposed project is included in the country operations business plan (2018-2020) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the PRC and is aligned with (I) country partnership strategy for the PRC, 20162020, supporting socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and economically competitive development; and (II) urban, water, and environment operational plans/directions. The project is also fully aligned with operational priorities of ADBs Strategy 2030 and adheres to its principles of supporting upper middle-income countries particularly by (a) developing a demonstration project for economic diversification, (b) enhancing resilience to economic and climate change shocks, (c) contributing to the creation of quality jobs, education and training, (d) integrated solutions for livable cities, (e) rural development and value chain linkages, (f) institutional strengthening and capacity building, and south-south sharing of experiences, best practices and innovation.
Innovations, pilots and value addition. The project aims at demonstrating inclusive and green urban and urban-rural development through support of human resource development matching with a new cluster of high-technology clean production and service industry in areas of new energy, new materials, bioengineering, green jobs in environmental protection and nature-based tourism. This will be supported by the provision of public goods and services to enhance urban livability. ADBs value addition will be providing strategies from international best practices on comprehensive economic revitalization and diversification, establish institutional cooperation mechanisms, and investments in higher education, technical training, environment, and urban infrastructure. The project will apply innovative approaches to contributing to nature-based tourism and historic preservation of rural villages as broader public goods in the southern section of a larger mountain-range in the PRC and its economic integration with the rural vitalization strategy following international best practices (i.e. Appalachian Trail in the United States; Kumano Kodo in Japan; Camino de Santiago and alpine hiking and trekking in Europe). Old industries like coal, heavy industries and subsistence farming are expected to play a lesser role. Innovative information and communication technologies will be applied to facilitate an innovation ecosystem and build capacity for development of a smart city urban and urban-rural development platform, as service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research and development and skills-job matching platform. Value chain integration for both the modernized urban and rural economies, managed and made accessible through smart city applications will be explored and demonstrated through capacity building and south-south knowledge sharing events and knowledge products. |
