Sometimes, going small is the best way to have a big impact. That’s one reason ITDP China is working in Jiuquan, a city in north-western Gansu province with around 500,000 inhabitants and the home of China’s space launch program. ITDP’s work in China has largely focused on megacities such as Lanzhou, Yichang and Harbin; Jiuquan is the first smaller city that ITDP has worked in with a large team. Policy and project breakthroughs in Jiuquan could have an important demonstration impact for scores of other smaller cities around China, magnifying the benefits of the project.

ITDP China recently completed an urban transport improvement and BRT conceptual design study for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Jiuquan. The city of Jiuquan has ambitious plans to extend its development, and by 2030 it plans to form a continuous urban area with Jiayuguan, a city 20km to the west. The proposed BRT corridors runs from the new high speed railway station in the southeast, through the main built up urban area, to Jiayuguan and the new development areas in the north and west of the city. The proposals were presented as part of an ADB mission visit in Jiuquan in late November, and were very positively received by local agencies and the ADB. Key recommendations will be incorporated into the ongoing ADB loan-funded work in Jiuquan.

The Jiuquan study is part of an ADB urban improvement project with a major roads component. The study focused on BRT and road design improvements. BRT conceptual design aspects of the work included BRT corridor selection, BRT station configuration, BRT operational approach and route selection, traffic impact analysis, road and intersection design, modal integration with bike sharing and greenways, and renderings. Other aspects of the work included NMT improvements, road design and intersection improvements, and proposed on-street and off-street parking reforms. Funding for the study is provided by the ADB.