China's State Council announced on Tuesday that Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region will limit its permanent resident population to below 500,000 by 2020.
By 2020, the permanent resident population should not exceed 500,000 in city centers and urban land should not surpass 78 square kilometers, according to Lhasa's overall urban plan from 2009 to 2020 released on the State Council's website on Tuesday.
The plan did not make mention of the proportion of the Han ethnic group and Tibetan ethnic group.
In 2010, Lhasa had a permanent resident population of 559,423, with the Tibetan ethnic group in the Tibet Autonomous Region comprising 91.83 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics website.
The plan forbids the development of new areas and districts outside the regulated land plan.
The plan also highlighted the importance of coordinated urban and rural development, the improvement of the urban infrastructure system, the establishment of an environmentally-friendly and resource-saving city, and the protection of local historical and cultural sites.
