b'BEIJINGFor more than 800 years, the Tongzhou District has been an important northern terminus of the Grand Canal and a recognised eastern gateway to Beijing. Once a thriving port and transportation hub, the advent of the railways in the 19th century meant that the importance of this area to the economy of China gradually declined. However, the General City Plan for Beijing (2016-2035) has identified the district as part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integrated Economic Circle, and as such, is primed for accelerated development.In 2019 the Beijing Municipal Government relocated to a new administrative complex in tthe district centre of Tongzhou. This represents an eastward shift in the future growth of the capital and a strategy to ease development pressures within the historic inner rings of Beijing. It ties into a broader national strategy calledGo to the Countryside, which encourages residential growth in peri-urban areas, enabling the continued economic and social sustainability of rural towns near large cities and promotes attractive semi-rural lifestyles as an alternative to the high rise superblocks ubiquitous to urban China.CONVENORSProfessor James WeirickJodi Lawton101P4-20200301-INTERNATIONAL STUDIO.indd 4 2020/3/5 20:59:24'