A Comparative Study on Zoning Guidelines for Different Planning Types in China

Abstract

Zoning guidelines are technical methods commonly employed in various types of urban planning, including comprehensive urban design, landscape planning, regulatory detailed planning, and architectural features and styles planning. The purpose of these guidelines is to protect and shape the unique character of urban landscapes, providing control and guidance over the spatial forms of specific urban districts. When different types of zoning guidelines, with their varied control levels and focus areas, are compiled without proper distinction, it can lead to redundancy, lack of coherence, and even contradictions. This, in turn, can result in inefficient planning management.

Comprehensive urban design, a non-statutory plan corresponding to the city master plan stage, involves zoning guidelines for significant cityscape districts. These guidelines are pivotal in the comprehensive urban design phase, bridging the overall structure with the macro control system and guiding the urban design of lower-tier areas.

Landscape planning, a detailed aspect of the urban design section in the city master plan, is also a non-statutory plan. It is usually developed for cities with distinct landscape and style characteristics. Its zoning guidelines, essential for special control areas, provide a basis for planning and management in these areas, interfacing with regulatory detailed planning.

Regulatory detailed planning is a core component of the statutory urban planning system in China. It serves as the main pathway to deepen and implement the results of the master plan and is the direct basis for setting land transfer conditions and guiding lower-tier planning and design. Its zoning guidelines are statutory maps, serving as the primary basis for land transfer, detailed construction planning, and architectural design.

Architectural features and styles planning, as a sector planning focused on architectural style, is based on the master and detailed plans, and is detailed, specific, and targeted. Its zoning guidelines are essentially guidelines for districts with the most important architectural features and styles, providing a basis for urban design, architectural design, and construction management. XXXXXXX

This article selects the Comprehensive Urban Design Guidelines of Jurong City, the Cityscape Guidelines for Landscape Planning of Fujian Province, the Statutory Maps for Regulatory Detailed Planning of the Futian District in Shenzhen, and the Cityscape Guidelines for Architectural Features and Styles Planning of Fuzhou City as its research subjects. By differentiating the coverage, control objectives, content, and methods of various types of zoning guidelines, the study aims to define the roles, functions, and interrelationships of these guidelines at different scales. This approach seeks to systematically control urban landscapes in a layered and cumulative manner, addressing different levels systematically.