October 31st marks the 3rd World Cities Day. Following in the footsteps of former host city Shanghai, Xiamen city in Fujian province hosts the World Cities Day Forum this time -- a nod to the care the city puts into its planning.

Built in 1935, one street lies at the heart of Xiamen city. The buildings here are protected under local law, and the only available apartments can cost over 80,000 yuan per square meter.

But historic preservation outweighs economic gains. Five historical cultural communities, taking over 670 hectares, are under protection. This means the demolition, refurbishing, and even decorating of historic buildings in this area are either forbidden, or met with a strict examination process.

"We established the first historic building protection law in 2000 to protect a district of Xiamen," said Ren Guoyan, Deputy Director-General, Xiamen Municipal Commission of Urban Planning.

"This March, we expanded the protection area to the whole city; the number of identified key historic buildings has reached over 800... Therefore we have to establish and develop new districts to meet urban construction demands."

The government's concept of a diversified city plan coincides with this year's theme of the World Cities Day Forum: "inclusive cities, shared development".

A "City Development Xiamen Proposal" is signed and published on the forum by representatives from over 30 countries, regions and international organizations. More discussions will be held focusing on rail transportation, green-building design, and flood prevention.