On November 18, the Research Center for Territorial Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources (hereinafter referred to as the Center) was officially inaugurated in Beijing. Zhuang Shaoqin, member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources, unveiled the plaque for the Center. Zhou Jianchun, Director of the Research Center for Territorial Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources, presided over the unveiling ceremony.

The Research Center for Territorial Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources is the first ministry-affiliated institution established after the “integrated planning” reform, directly serving the Ministry in the preparation of territorial spatial plans and land-use control. The Center primarily undertakes technical reviews and advisory services related to territorial spatial planning, provides technical support for the preparation and implementation management of territorial spatial plans, conducts major research and fundamental studies on territorial spatial planning and land-use control, develops and evaluates relevant technical standards and specifications, and supports the administrative management of the territorial spatial planning sector.

It is reported that since its establishment in February of this year, the Center has actively implemented the decisions and deployments of the Party Group of the Ministry, adhering to the requirement of focusing on its core responsibilities and main tasks. While continuing to build its organizational structure, the Center has also been taking on technical support roles for the Ministry. Currently, the Center’s staff are largely in place, and the organizational setup is essentially complete. Under the unified deployment of the Ministry of Natural Resources, following its participation in the completion of the “National Land and Space Planning Outline (2021–2035),” the Center, under the guidance of the Ministry’s Bureau of Land and Space Planning, is actively collaborating with relevant agencies to carry out technical reviews of provincial and municipal land and space plans submitted for approval by the State Council.

In accordance with the deployment requirements of the Party Group of the Ministry, the Center will fully leverage its reform advantages, integrate resources from multiple sources, focus on its core responsibilities and main business, and accelerate the enhancement of its capacity-building and the improvement of its planning and research service levels. The Center will strengthen its research on the theoretical framework and standard system for land and spatial planning, as well as deepen its study of the laws, regulations, and related policies governing land and spatial planning. Taking the establishment of the Ministry’s monitoring network for the implementation of land and spatial planning as an opportunity, the Center will bolster its technical capacity to support the supervision of spatial planning implementation and land-use control—particularly by proactively planning and laying out strategies for assessment, early warning, and dynamic adjustments in the supervision of plan implementation. Furthermore, the Center will enhance its capacity-building for the preparation of land and spatial plans at all five levels and across three categories, with special emphasis on improving the quality of specialized and detailed planning. At the same time, the Center will also intensify its research in areas such as the protection of historical and cultural resources in land and spatial planning and smart planning approaches.

The head of the Research Center for Territorial Spatial Planning at the Ministry of Natural Resources stated that the center will serve as a bridge and provide excellent support to professionals in the planning industry. The center also expresses its willingness to join forces with all sectors of society to contribute more wisdom to the cause of territorial spatial planning and work together to build a brighter future.

Leading officials from the Department of Territorial Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Department of Territorial Spatial Use Control of the Ministry, as well as leading officials from relevant directly affiliated units of the Ministry and all staff members of the Center, attended the unveiling ceremony.