A futuristic view of Nanhuizui Park in Nanhui new town, in the Lin-gang Special Area. [Photo by Wang Jia/chinadaily.com.cn]

Nanhui new town in the Lin-gang Special Area - located in East China's Shanghai - is to become an open, international and futuristic town within the next five years, local officials said on April 14.

As the main urban area of the Lin-gang Special Area, the 343-square-kilometer town is one of the five "new cities," - along with Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang and Fengxian – that are deemed key to Shanghai's future growth.

Over the next five years, efforts will be made to transform it into an innovative lake town with high-quality industries, eco-land, digital systems and residential-friendly spaces.

Plans are for it to increase its gross industrial output from 170 billion yuan ($26 billion) in the current year to 500 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of over 25 percent.

The total length of bus routes is expected to reach 50 kilometers, while the eco-land coverage is projected to reach 55 percent.

A central urban area with a high-density population, multi-functional services and business environment will be laid out around Dishui Lake, surrounded by four innovative industrial parks focusing on cutting-edge technologies. These will be connected by efficient coastal transport networks.

To improve its comprehensive functions, a total of 45 measures and 20 key projects are included in terms of business environment, hi-tech research, modern services, talent cultivation, public facilities and cultural industries.

By 2025, at least 10 top science laboratories, 30 innovation platforms and 40 R&D centers are expected to have been launched, attracting over 1,000 new hi-tech enterprises.

Jinqiao Lin-gang Smart and Hi-tech Industrial Park in the Lin-gang Special Area. [Photo by Wang Jia/chinadaily.com.cn]

Three industry clusters - for integrated circuits, smart new-energy vehicles, high-end equipment manufacturing, artificial intelligence, bio-medicines and civil aviation - will be formed.

A financial bay area will be created around Dishui Lake, to attract institutions operating in cross-border finance, offshore finance and financial technology.

In the year to date, some 47 biomedicine and logistics projects have been signed for the new town, involving total investment of nearly 44 billion yuan.

More public facilities will opened. These will include health institutes, nursing homes and top elementary and high schools - supported by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, East China Normal University and Shanghai Normal University.