Legal basis: People's Republic of China (PRC) Urban and Rural Planning Law.
Article 3 Cities and towns shall formulate city plans and town plans in accordance with this Law. Construction activities within a planned urban area shall conform to the planning requirements. The local people's governments at or above the county level shall, according to the local rural economic and social development level and the principle of adapting measures to local conditions and being practical, determine the areas where township planning and village planning should be formulated. Townships and villages in designated areas shall make plans in accordance with this law, and the construction of townships and villages in the planned areas shall meet the planning requirements. Local people's governments at or above the county level shall encourage and guide townships and villages in areas other than those specified in the preceding paragraph to formulate and implement township plans and village plans.
Article 4 The formulation and implementation of urban and rural planning shall follow the principles of urban and rural planning as a whole, rational layout, land conservation, intensive development and planning before construction, improve the ecological environment, promote the conservation and comprehensive utilization of resources and energy, protect natural resources such as cultivated land and historical and cultural heritage, maintain local characteristics, national characteristics and traditional features, and prevent pollution and other public hazards, so as to meet the requirements of regional population development, national defense construction, disaster prevention and mitigation, public health and public health. Construction activities in the planning area shall comply with the provisions of laws and regulations on land management, natural resources and environmental protection. The local people's governments at or above the county level shall, according to the reality of local economic and social development, reasonably determine the development scale, steps and construction standards of cities and towns in the overall urban planning and town planning.