On the morning of April 1, 2022, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province held a groundbreaking ceremony for a major urban construction project in the central city and a university town project. According to reports, there are 178 projects started in Jingzhou with a total investment of 25.932 billion yuan, including: 56 projects started in the central city with a total investment of 19.159 billion yuan; 122 projects started in counties and cities with a total investment of 6.773 billion yuan. The project covers the expansion of key functional areas, the renovation of old communities, the improvement of infrastructure, and the restoration of ecological environment. It is a key project to enrich urban form, enhance urban functions, and develop urban economy.

Since 2022, Jingzhou has steadily promoted the construction of key functional areas in the central urban area, focusing on the goal of sprinting for 300 billion yuan and accelerating the construction of a regional central city in Central Hubei Province. The University Town, as the first area for the construction of key functional areas, has a planned total land area of 24.8 square kilometers and a core area of 5.2 square kilometers. From 2022, five major projects, including the Cultural and Creative Center, the Digital Economy Innovation Center, the Academic Exchange Center, the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters Center, and the Jingzhou Institute of Science and Technology (in preparation), will be fully launched, with a total investment of 6 billion yuan and are expected to be delivered before September 2024.

It is reported that Jingzhou University Town will promote the construction of the University Town at a high level in accordance with the development concept of the integration of industry, city and school and the combination of campus and community parks. In the follow-up, projects such as the University Town Entrepreneurship Center and the University Town Headquarters Science and Technology Park Project will be launched and gradually completed. The comprehensive and dynamic urban area integrating higher education, scientific research, creativity, leisure and livability will provide a new major project support point for the construction of a regional central city in central Hubei. Editor/He Yuting