Coordinated planning framework for the transportation facilities and ecological environment in a rapidly urbanized area—A case study of the Pearl River Delta of China

Pearl River Delta is an export-oriented and rapidly urbanized region which is closely integrated with the global economic system. A preliminary conclusion was obtained based on the analysis of the present regional planning system of the Pearl River Delta. There was a mismatch between the two parallel subjects of the regional traffic network and the eco-environment protection. Three improvement measures were proposed for the process of regional planning: 1) setting up a series of eco-environment protection alternatives in various natural geographic environments; 2) incorporating contents of trend adjustment into the plan; 3) Integrating the “design” thought in ecological study of plans. Based on the thought of improvement listed above, some amendment suggestions were proposed for the overall framework of regional planning. Three points were incorporated into the plan at the pre-planning stage and the stage of planning on special topics: 1) Scenarios study on the plans of classification of natural geographic environments would provide a basis for recognizing the target of eco-environmental planning more systematically and effectively; 2) Research on the externality of traffic planning was conducted. First, the possible changes of the city spatial layout brought by the initial plan of the traffic planning, which might produce some new problems of regional eco-environment, was studied. Then, these problems were considered in the traffic planning for improvement; 3) the final plan of traffic oriented spatial development would be combined with the eco-environment planning scheme based on the ecological urban design of spatial development plan.