Recently, a detailed development plan of the Pazhou (琶洲) and Yuancun (员村) area was approved by the Government and released by Guangzhou Urban Planning Bureau.

The 13.5-kilometer-square area will serve as the headquarters of business, exhibition industry, tourism, scientific research, financial service and recreation. In the plan, Zhujiang New Town (珠江新城) will continue as the financial centre of the city, while Pazhou will be designed for the exhibition industry and Yuancun for supplementary services.

The plot ratio of the newly developed Yuancun and Pazhou is 1.6 and 1.2 respectively, lower than that of 2.3 in Zhujiang New Town, and 3.3 in its core area.

For the traffic network building, Linjiang Avenue (临江大道), Xingang Road East (新港东路), Huizhan Avenue (会展大道) and Jinsui Road (金穗路)will be extended to connect the area with the rest of the city. There are also three tunnels to be built and 11 viaducts to be reconstructed to enhance the network. The entry fee for this section of the Huanan Expressway (华南快速干线) between Guangyuan Road (广园路) and Xinjiao Road South (新滘南路) will also be cancelled to ease the traffic burden. Also according to the plan, three metro lines will be built to operate throughout the area.

The new town is planned to hold 180,000 residents, most of them being villagers who originally lived there. New apartments will be built for them in place of their removed old houses. There are eight middle schools, 12 primary schools, 22 kindergartens, four hospitals, three community medical centers and nine wet markets to be built, aiming to create the area as a "Waterfront sitting-room" for the people in Guangzhou. The building of green belts in the area will focus on the Pearl River and the surrounding canals. A total of eight parks will be built.

The development plan of Yuancun and Pazhou area has undergone three years of discussion. The area will be set up as an "international business core district located in the city center, driven by exhibition, finance and commerce industries", also a "new city's central waterfront compounded with strength, vitality and fascination," the plan states.