Shenzhen has been chosen as the first Chinese city to pilot high-quality infrastructure development, according to an approval of the National Development and Reform Commission recently publicized on its official website.

The pilot high-quality infrastructure development program includes traditional infrastructures in transportation, energy, water conservation, logistics and public works. It also covers new infrastructures such as AI, industrial internet and IoT (Internet of Things).

By 2025, the city’s infrastructure construction scale and innovation level will join the ranks of leading groups in the world. Its traditional facilities will be deeply integrated with new ones; and infrastructure-supported new social and economic development modes, and business modes will be formed.

According to the Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the pilot will be developed around four “crossovers” — crossing the border to lead development, crossing regions to synergize development, crossing domains to coordinate development and crossing cutting-edge technologies to integrate development.

The commission also states that to attain these goals, the city will push forward the construction of some major projects and platforms.

As Shenzhen aims to be an international comprehensive transport hub, it will break institutional barriers and establish highly efficient, balanced and coordinated mechanisms for the hub’s development. It will also push forward the transformations of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries from infrastructure-based to internet or platform-based, thus forging emerging economic growth points.

In terms of cross-regional development, the city will enhance cross-city infrastructure connectivity and Shenzhen Metropolis Circle’s integrated operation and maintenance system under the guidance of joint infrastructure planning, construction and management, and mutual service sharing.

In terms of cross-domain coordinated development, the city will coordinate planning and spatial layout of traditional infrastructures in transportation, energy, water conservation and urban security, and ensure infrastructure resource sharing, joint facility construction and mutual space utilization.

Shenzhen will apply new infrastructures onto traditional ones and make these traditional transportation, energy and public works infrastructures more intelligent.