Abstract: In the new era, megacities must adhere to an intensive and quality-oriented development path, reshape governance logic through planning reform, and cultivate new drivers and comparative advantages for urban development. Taking Guangzhou's urbanization process and planning reform as a representative case, this article reviews the evolution of planning in Guangzhou from planned, growth-oriented and expansion-oriented modes to a governance-oriented mode. It analyzes the adaptive relationships among planning tasks, institutional functions, talent demand and disciplinary development. On this basis, it proposes a spatial governance transformation framework for the era of intensive development, structured around three orientations: implementation, integration and market responsiveness. Drawing on recent practice in Guangzhou, the article examines the shift from preparing good plans to using plans well, from stepwise management to integrated governance, and from government control to market allocation. It argues that planning should serve as a "conductor" for the market-based allocation of factors, enabling the precise identification and efficient operation of spatial value. From the perspectives of planning administrators and users, the article further suggests that the planning discipline should transform toward an operation-oriented, interdisciplinary and inclusive knowledge system, and cultivate composite professionals who understand space, industry, finance, operations and policy, thereby providing intellectual support for the high-quality development of cities.