This summer, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, launched a pilot project using recycled groundwater from abandoned coal mines, which maintains a constant temperature of around 19 degrees Celsius, to power district cooling systems via existing winter heating pipelines. The initiative, which tapped into the city's dormant infrastructure, drew widespread attention and praise for its innovative approach to urban renewal.

Xuzhou's prosperity was historically tied to coal, but as resources were gradually exhausted, numerous mines were forced to shut down. For a time, these defunct pits and their surrounding goaf areas were viewed as a heavy "burden" hindering the city's transformation. In recent years, however, Xuzhou has shifted its development mindset. By leveraging technological innovation to convert mine water into a valuable resource, the city has achieved multiple benefits, including energy savings, reduced emissions, and lower consumption levels.

Currently, the inefficient use of discarded resources and idle assets is a common issue across many cities. For instance, some resource-dependent cities that have undergone economic transitions are left with vacant old factories and obsolete mining districts. Others, due to planning adjustments or stalled projects, possess low-efficiency land, unused properties, and dormant infrastructure—assets that remain frozen and unproductive.

Xuzhou's exploration of district cooling through mine water challenges the conventional belief that abandoned mining areas are useless. It has opened a new pathway for revitalizing existing stock, offering a replicable model for promoting intensive and efficient resource use while supporting urban transformation. To convert such waste into vitality assets that benefit the public, cities must adapt to local and temporal conditions. The key lies in identifying the intersection between resource endowments and public needs, then employing creative thinking and pragmatic measures to unlock the potential of what already exists while optimizing new additions.

Breaking free from the development inertia that prioritizes new projects over existing ones is essential; a fresh perspective is needed to activate the latent value of stock resources. Some localities still rely heavily on new construction and fresh investment, paying insufficient attention to underutilized assets like idle mining zones, old industrial plants, and low-efficiency facilities. This oversight leads to resource waste and constrains the quality and efficiency of urban growth. Cities should integrate the revitalization of stock resources into their broader strategies for transformation, livelihood improvement, and green, low-carbon development. By taking stock of what they have, identifying gaps, and precisely positioning their strengths, they can release value and inject renewed momentum into urban spaces.

Building on local resource strengths and centering on people's needs, technological innovation serves as the bridge to convert potential into tangible benefits. Cities should align with their unique resource profiles and industrial characteristics, focusing on key areas such as green, low-carbon development, social welfare, and industrial upgrading. Increased investment in R&D, facility retrofits, and scenario-based innovation is crucial. This fosters deep integration between the use of waste resources and new urban functions and emerging industries, enabling idle assets to adapt to novel applications and generate fresh value—turning what seems worthless into gold.

To move from isolated experiments to widespread adoption, robust institutional mechanisms are required, with systematic governance laying a durable foundation for resource reuse. Cities must strengthen systemic thinking by building comprehensive, full-chain, and regular mechanisms for stock asset activation. On one hand, digital registries and sharing platforms should be established to accurately map all types of discarded or low-efficiency resources, making them visible and enabling precise allocation. On the other hand, supporting policies and regulations need refinement, detailing rules on property rights transfer, financial support, and operational management during revitalization efforts, thereby removing institutional obstacles. Additionally, encouraging diverse stakeholders to participate in developing stock resources can stimulate private capital and broaden the impact.

Advancing high-quality regional economic growth requires both new additions for quality enhancement and existing stock for efficiency gains. Through precise activation of waste resources, cities can transform idle burdens into engines of vitality, injecting a steady stream of green momentum into broader economic and social development.