1. Project Overview
Zhiqian Town in Jintan District, Changzhou, was formed by merging the former towns of Taoxi, Shetou and Zhiqian. The town stretches more than 20 km from north to south but is on average less than 5 km wide from east to west — shaped like "a small boat" set between the foothills of the Maoshan Mountains and Changdang Lake.
The town's economy is based on traditional crab farming, with weak secondary and tertiary industries. Plots outside the urban development boundary are "small, scattered and fragmented", hard to coordinate and inefficiently allocated. In recent years the town has changed its approach: using policies for redeveloping inefficient land, it has shifted from relying on new land to unlocking existing land, linking scattered plots and building a full chain of "farming — processing — logistics — sales". From 2023 to 2025 it carried out 16 projects with total investment of CNY 1.162 billion, reviving about 500 mu of existing land.
2. Redevelopment Entity and Model
(1) Why redevelopment was needed
The town is a long, narrow strip, making industrial clustering difficult and ruling out traditional outward sprawl. Crab processing, cold-chain logistics and warehousing must sit next to the farming waters and cannot be placed within the urban development boundary, making them "hard to land" under traditional land management. Existing construction land in the town is "small, scattered and fragmented", mostly inefficient industrial land left over from early township and village enterprises, with output of less than CNY 100,000 per mu, and urgently needed redevelopment.
(2) Redevelopment entities
The project uses a model of "government leadership, platform coordination, participation by many actors, and joint building and sharing with villagers". The government sets policy, coordinates planning and supervises; a state-owned platform provides infrastructure and attracts projects; and existing companies are guided, or new market players brought in, to rebuild and expand.
(3) Redevelopment model
Different models were used according to each project's circumstances. Profitable companies wishing to invest and expand are encouraged to rebuild and expand themselves as original rights holders. Where original owners cannot develop or the industry is changing, the government leads and brings in a third party. For "small, scattered and fragmented" plots outside the urban development boundary, the government acquires, plans and services the land as a whole and then supplies it to industrial projects.
3. Results of the Redevelopment
First, a big jump in economic returns. After redevelopment, investment intensity across the 16 projects rose from about CNY 1.5 million to CNY 3 million per mu, and tax revenue per mu from under CNY 100,000 to over CNY 300,000. Second, significant social benefits. When all 16 projects are in production, more than 1,200 new jobs are expected, over 800 of them for local farmers, with per-person income gains of CNY 20,000–60,000 a year. Third, growing ecological benefits. Industrial and domestic sewage treatment facilities improve water quality and protect ecological security, and rooftop solar and other energy-saving technologies reduce energy use and carbon emissions.
4. Key Practices
(1) Flexible planning to optimize the spatial layout
Implementing the Zhiqian Town Whole-area Beautiful Countryside Plan (2020–2035), industrial planning guided redevelopment. Breaking with the habit of thinking only in terms of "concentrated, contiguous" land, a planning system of "linear layout, clustered nodes and flexible control" was built to suit the town's narrow shape. A "rural industry guarantee line" was drawn and a priority channel created for redeveloping inefficient land outside the urban development boundary, breaking down barriers of the urban–rural dual land system. Five industrial nodes were placed along national and provincial roads and rivers, linking scattered plots "like beads on a string" and concentrating resources in an industrial belt.
(2) Tailored measures and contiguous redevelopment
For self-redevelopment by original owners, companies may complete land formalities and raise the floor area ratio where consistent with planning. Land that owners cannot develop is revived by bringing in quality players through judicial auctions or equity partnerships. For projects that link along the industrial chain, ownership boundaries are crossed and land, capital and technology are contributed as equity so that benefits are shared. For example, Tongli Air Conditioning had grown rapidly and its existing site could no longer meet demand. After understanding its needs, the government assessed the surrounding plots and matched 17.38 mu of inefficient collective construction land, plus 6.88 mu of new state-owned construction land. Combining revived land with new supply solved the company's shortage of space.
(3) Industrial integration for more productive land use
Around the leading industries of crab farming, smart farm machinery and agricultural processing, a full-chain ecosystem of "R&D and design — production and processing — logistics and sales" is being built. Land supply is shifting from "land alone" to "integration of factors", exploring models such as contributing land as equity, mixed functions and technology feedback, turning land supply into a lever to draw capital, technology and talent into the countryside. For example, Yangze Agriculture's Jintan Agricultural Products Trading, Warehousing and Logistics Centre revived about 22 mu of inefficient land through collective construction land contributed as equity. On the consolidated site, Phase 1 built modern agricultural infrastructure covering trading, exhibition and sales, cold chain, processing and e-commerce, forming an industrial ecosystem spanning production, processing and distribution.
(4) Shared facilities to fill gaps
To provide public facilities for "small, scattered and fragmented" plots, the government leads unified planning and provision, moving redevelopment towards intensive, efficient and low-carbon use. Industrial sewage treatment facilities were built centrally and rain and sewage separation carried out, raising sewage collection coverage and lowering treatment costs per unit of land. Public car parks and a cold-chain logistics distribution centre were also built, strengthening the area's services and reach.
(5) Diverse financing to secure funding
A combined model of "government guidance + platform coordination + private capital" was explored. Mechanisms for consultation and benefit-sharing were established across plan preparation, land approval and distribution of returns. Through equity partnerships and "industry supporting agriculture", "resources become assets, funds become shares and farmers become shareholders". For example, the Shetou farmers' market project revived 7.17 mu of vacant land formerly used by the Shetou township government. With total investment of CNY 16 million and expected annual rent of more than CNY 1 million, participating village collectives each gain CNY 100,000–150,000 a year, helping solve the problem of "empty-shell" collective economies. Rents on neighbouring plots have risen by more than 20%, and the government recovered CNY 4.3 million in land transfer fees, turning the book value of state assets into cash flow.
5. Policy Basis
(1) The Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources on Launching Pilot Work on the Redevelopment of Inefficiently Used Land (Ziran Zifa [2023] No. 171) calls for improving land supply methods and encouraging redevelopment by original land users; except where the law prohibits a change of use or requires the government to recover the land, procedures should be improved for original users to apply for a change of use and sign amendment agreements.
(2) The Changzhou Implementation Plan for Pilot Redevelopment of Inefficient Land calls for a market orientation that draws on the market's internal momentum in allocating resources, while better using the government's role in spatial coordination, structural optimization, financial balance and organization, keeping projects open and transparent throughout and letting the "two hands" of market and government each play to their strengths.
(3) Jintan District follows a land policy of "existing land first, intensive and efficient", with a full chain of mechanisms to identify, incentivize and revive inefficient land, encouraging transfer, leasing and equity contribution to awaken "dormant" resources. Where new land is truly needed, the strictest standards of economy and intensity apply, matching precise new supply with efficient revival of existing land.
Show original Chinese text （中文原文）
常州市金坛区乡村产业“串珠成链”
一、项目基本情况指前镇位于常州市金坛区，由原洮西、社头、指前三大集镇合并而成，镇域南北纵贯 20 余公里，东西平均宽度不足 5 公里，形似“一叶扁舟”嵌入茅山余脉与长荡湖之间。该镇以传统螃蟹养殖为主，二三产业配套不足，城镇开发边界外地块呈现“小、散、碎”分布，难以集中统筹，资源配置低效。近年来，该镇积极转变思路，依托低效用地再开发政策，将增量依赖转为存量挖潜，有机串联分散地块，构建“养殖—加工—物流—销售”全产业链条，2023—2025年共实施项目 16 个，总投资 11.62 亿元，盘活存量土地约500 亩。
二、改造主体和改造模式
（一）改造原因该镇呈南北狭长条形，东西跨度窄、南北延伸长，产业难以空间集聚，传统“摊大饼”式扩张无路可走；螃蟹加工、冷链物流、仓储等产业必须紧邻养殖水域布局，无法纳入城镇开发边界，按照传统用地管理模式“落地难”；镇内存量建设用地呈现“小、散、碎”特征，多为早期乡镇企业遗留的低效工业用地，亩均产出不足 10 万元，急需通过再开发提升效益。
（二）改造主体项目采用“政府主导、平台统筹、多元主体参与、村民共建共享”模式。由政府负责政策制定、规划统筹与监管，国有平台负责基础设施配套、项目招引，引导原有企业或引入市场主体进行改扩建。
（三）改造模式根据各项目实际情况，探索差异化改造模式：对效益良好、有增资扩产需求的企业，积极推动原产权人自主改扩建；对原产权人无力开发或产业转型情形，由政府主导，引入第三方进行再开发；对城镇开发边界外“小、散、碎”地块，由政府统一收储、统一规划、统一配套后供应给产业项目。
三、低效用地再开发取得的成效一是经济效益大幅跃升。改造后，16 个项目的投资强度由约 150 万元/亩提升至 300 万元/亩，亩均税收由不足 10 万元提升至 30 万元以上。二是社会效益显著提升。16 个项目全部投产后，预计新增就业岗位 1200 余个，其中吸纳本地农民就业 800 余人，人均年增收 2 万-6 万元。三是生态效益日益显现。通过建设工业与生活污水处理设施，改善水环境、保障生态安全；推广屋顶光伏等节能技术，降低能耗与碳排放。
四、主要做法
（一）弹性规划，优化空间布局落实《指前镇全域美丽乡村规划（2020-2035）》，以产业规划引领用地再开发，突破“集中连片”惯性思维，构建“带状布局、节点集聚、弹性管控”规划体系，适配该镇狭长地形；划定“乡村产业保障线”，建立“边界外低效用地再开发”优先通道，打破城乡二元土地制度壁垒，强化功能耦合与交通串联，沿国道、省道、河道等线性基础设施布局 5 处产业节点，将分散地块“串珠成链”，推动资源要素向产业集聚带集中。
（二）分类施策，推进连片改造对原产权人自主改扩建项目，允许企业在符合规划前提下完善用地手续、提高容积率；对无力开发的用地，通过法拍、股权合作等方式引入优质主体盘活；对产业链协同项目，打破权属界线，以土地、资金、技术等要素入股，实现利益共享。其中，同力空调项目因近年来发展势头良好，现有厂区已无法满足日益增长的生产需求。政府在了解企业诉求后，对企业周边地块进行了综合研判，精准匹配低效集体建设用地 17.38 亩，同时新增 6.88 亩国有建设用地，通过盘活存量与新增供应相结合的方式，成功解决了发展空间不足问题，实现了政府精准服务与企业加速发展的双赢。
（三）产业融合，提升用地效能围绕螃蟹养殖、智能农机、农产品加工等主导产业，构建“研发设计－生产加工－物流销售”全链条生态。推动“单一供地”向“要素融合”模式转变，探索作价入股、功能混合、技术反哺等融合模式，将土地供给转化为撬动资本、技术、人才等高级要素向乡村汇聚的支点。其中，洋泽农业“金坛区农产品综合交易仓储物流中心项目”以集体建设用地作价入股的方式盘活低效用地约 22 亩，依托整合后的连片用地，一期建成涵盖交易、展销、冷链、加工、电商等模块的现代化农业基础设施，构建起覆盖生产、加工、流通全环节的产业生态链。
（四）设施共享，补齐配套短板为解决“小、散、碎”地块公共配套问题，坚持政府主导、统一规划、统一配建，推动低效用地再开发向集约高效、绿色低碳转型，实现经济与生态双赢。集中建设工业污水处理设施，推动雨污分流改造，有效提升污水收集覆盖率，降低单位用地治污成本；配建公共停车场、冷链物流集散中心等设施，进一步提升区域辐射带动与公共服务能力。
（五）多元融资，强化资金保障探索“政府引导+平台统筹+社会资本参与”组合模式。建立多方参与、利益共享机制，在规划编制、用地审批、收益分配等环节建立健全沟通协商和利益联结机制，通过入股联营、以工哺农等方式，实现“资源变资产、资金变股金、农民变股东”。以社头农贸市场项目为例，有效盘活原社头乡政府空置地块 7.17 亩，项目总投资 1600 万元，预计年租金收入超 100 万元，入股村集体年增收 10 万—15 万元/村，在有效破解集体经济“空壳”难题的同时，带动相邻地块租金上涨 20%以上，政府收回土地出让金 430 万元，实现国有资产从账面价值向现金流转化。
五、政策依据
（一）《自然资源部关于开展低效用地再开发试点工作的通知》（自然资发〔2023〕171 号）明确，完善土地供应方式，鼓励原土地使用权人改造开发，除法律规定不可改变土地用途或改变用途应当由政府收回外，完善原土地使用权人申请改变土地用途、签订变更协议的程序和办法。
（二）
《常州市推进低效用地再开发试点工作实施方案》明确，坚持市场导向，充分发挥市场在资源配置中的内生动力，更好发挥政府在空间统筹、结构优化、资金平衡、组织推动等方面的作用，规范项目全程公开透明运作管理，维护市场公平公正，让市场与政府“两只手”各展其长。
（三）金坛区践行“存量优先、集约高效”用地导向，建立健全低效用地识别、激励、盘活全链条机制，鼓励通过转让、租赁、入股等多种方式唤醒“沉睡”资源。对确需新增的用地，坚持最严格的节约集约标准，以精准的新增匹配高效的存量盘活，走出一条内涵式、集约型发展新路。