A bird's-eye view of Fengxian's Jinhai Lake. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Shanghai city in East China recently issued an implementation plan to accelerate the construction of five new towns by channeling more resources to them.

In January last year, Shanghai unveiled a plan to build the new towns in five suburbs – part of the municipal government's efforts to optimize the metropolis' development layout and create new engines for future growth.

Radiating out from the central area of urban Shanghai from northwest to southeast, the five suburbs are Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and the Nanhui region in the Pudong New Area.

The new implementation plan focuses on introducing corporate headquarters, boosting innovative research and development and improving public services in the new towns, among other things.

Under the plan, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), each new town will introduce at least two State-owned company headquarters or headquarters institutions and build at least three national or municipal-level innovation platforms.

In terms of public services, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), each town will build at least one high school, one hospital and one elderly care facility.

The rise of the five new towns is expected to play a prominent role in Shanghai's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), according to experts.