Luohu has been recognized as a core zone of the Shenzhen metropolitan area, according to guidance on land planning of metropolitan areas in Guangdong province released by the provincial department of natural resources.
The Shenzhen metropolitan area, according to the document, consists of Shenzhen, Dongguan and four county-level regions of neighboring Huizhou city.
The other districts of Shenzhen that are classified as parts of the core zone are Futian, Nanshan and Baoan.