It integrates industrial, urban residential and commercial areas, forming one of the sub-urban centres within the polycentric metropolis of Guangzhou.
During this time, China's political system became more decentralized, giving its cities more room to manoeuvre and engage in detailed decision making.
Initiatives for developing urban centres explicitly designed as environments suitable to technology-intensive companies sprung up all over the country.
In an effort to draw in human capital and more advanced technologies, plans for the Guangzhou Science City were formally announced in the year 2000.
With its focus on spatial planning and city marketing, the approach appeared more suited to solve the challenges of rapid urban growth and inter-city competition.