The "15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal" was released yesterday (28th), outlining the objectives, key tasks, major projects, and policy measures for China's urban renewal efforts during the period. The plan aims to achieve significant progress in urban renewal actions by 2030, with initial results in transforming urban development and construction methods, a more solid foundation for safe development, continuously improving service efficiency, notably enhanced living environments, accelerated transformation of old and new growth drivers, effective protection of cultural heritage, more prominent local characteristics, substantially improved governance levels, and cities becoming spaces for high-quality living for the people.
Cities are vital carriers of modernization and important spaces for people's happy lives. The 15th Five-Year Plan outline proposes high-quality advancement of urban renewal. So, what key tasks does this plan specifically propose? How will urban renewal progress in China over the next five years?
A resident of Taiyuan, Shanxi, remarked: "After the renovation of Yingze Street, the begonia flowers are particularly beautiful, bringing good moods and special joy." Livability is increasingly becoming a key living indicator pursued by urban residents. As one of the first cities selected for central government fiscal support in urban renewal demonstrations, Taiyuan, Shanxi, has completely upgraded Yingze Street, which serves not only as the main traffic artery connecting the east and west of the city but also as a city landmark attracting both residents and tourists. The USB charging ports in smart bus shelters, fitness facilities and leisure seats in pocket parks, and the blooming flowers along the roadsides make the city appear even more vibrant.
The construction of complete communities is the "cellular project" for high-quality urban development. In the renovated Xincheng Street community of the Kuanggong Road sub-district in Xinhua District, Pingdingshan, Henan, the roads are clean, parking is orderly, and fitness equipment and recreational spaces are fully available, allowing residents to live happily and comfortably. Wang Geng, Deputy Director of the Pingdingshan Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau in Henan, explained that the local area is coordinating efforts to upgrade the entire chain of complete community planning, construction, management, and services, and formulating classified plans for renovating old communities and enhancing new communities.
Wang Geng stated: "Guided by the needs of the people, we have achieved a leap from 'having a place to live' to 'living in a superior environment' through blueprint planning, facility upgrades to address shortcomings, innovative governance to build consensus, and cultural enrichment to nurture the spirit, allowing more residents to enjoy 'happiness at their doorstep'."
Creating high-quality urban living spaces is one of the key tasks proposed in the "15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal." Other key tasks include fostering new drivers for urban development, promoting green and low-carbon transformation of urban development, enhancing urban safety and resilience, boosting urban cultural prosperity and development, and improving urban governance capabilities. Li Yujia, Chief Researcher at the Guangdong Housing Policy Research Center, observed that the top priority task, "fostering new drivers for urban development," includes many highlights in its specific measures.
Li Yujia noted: "Activating the potential of urban stock resources is an important lever for fostering new drivers. Accelerating the revitalization and utilization of stock resources, including the classification and disposal of land already supplied but not yet developed and ongoing projects, and revitalizing idle and inefficient old factories, commercial office buildings, commodity housing, and public housing. Urban renewal aims to transform low-efficiency and idle land and buildings for new consumption, new business formats, and new industries through planning and adjustments in land use functions. For example, as mentioned in the plan, promoting the renovation and upgrading of consumer infrastructure, and developing first-release economy, silver economy, ice and snow economy, low-altitude economy, event economy, and experience economy."
In Linghe District, Jinzhou, Liaoning, workers are completing the final interior decoration of several factory buildings for a local art factory project. Wang Da, Director of the Urban Renewal Section of the Jinzhou Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, introduced that the project will preserve the industrial texture of 28 old factory buildings from the original automation instrument factory, integrate new business formats such as cultural creativity, art, and technology, construct diverse spaces like city art galleries and intangible cultural heritage experience centers, and create a cultural and creative industry cluster, with an expected annual direct output value of 3 billion yuan.
Wang Da explained: "We innovate the model of industrial heritage revitalization plus full industry chain cultivation, deeply integrating the renovation of old factory buildings with regional culture. Through policy support, resource integration, and business format innovation, we form a sustainable operation mechanism, preserving the city's industrial memory while fostering new drivers for cultural development, contributing to urban cultural prosperity and industrial upgrading."
In terms of enhancing urban safety and resilience, the plan proposes orderly advancement of dilapidated housing renovation, steady progress in urban village renewal and renovation, strengthening the renovation of urban infrastructure construction, and improving risk prevention, control, and emergency response capabilities. In Nanchong, Sichuan, this year, the local area is closely focusing on the bottom line of urban safety, using key livelihood projects as a lever to simultaneously advance urban hardware upgrades, ecological environment optimization, and functional facility improvements. Plans include promoting renewal in six provincial-level key areas, renovating 8,000 sets of urban dilapidated housing and over 1,500 urban village households, and renovating over 600 kilometers of underground pipelines. Li Yujia observed that this plan clarifies the quantitative targets for urban renewal to be completed during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
Li Yujia added: "For example, renovating 115,000 old urban residential communities, renovating 500,000 sets (rooms) of dilapidated housing, and renovating 1,500 old streets and factory areas. There are quantified targets for three major types of renovations: livelihood, development, and safety, providing important goal indicators for specifically promoting urban renewal work."
Urban renewal is not only an important means of inheriting regional cultural genes and shaping city characteristics but also a necessary path for exploring distinctive urban construction. How does the "15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal" outline the blueprint for our future urban development?
Fan Sibin remarked: "During the '14th Five-Year Plan' period, there was no specialized plan for urban renewal. In the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, this plan also implements the spirit of important meetings and instructions such as the Central Urban Work Conference and the 'Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Urban Development.' Urban renewal is now an important lever for urban work, with specific tasks, representing a more comprehensive, integrated, and systematic arrangement."
Survival of the fittest and renewal are essential for long-term sustainability. The "15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal" proposes adhering to the principle of protection first, ensuring comprehensive protection, promoting protection through use, adapting to local conditions and providing classified guidance, doing what is possible within capabilities, and acting according to capabilities. Each word reflects a prudent grasp of development and a pragmatic advancement philosophy. Fan Sibin stated that the plan not only puts forward overall requirements for 2030 but also looks ahead to the development direction for 2035, serving as the target line, roadmap, and task book for China's urban renewal work in the coming period.
Fan Sibin emphasized: "Urban renewal involves various aspects; it is both a livelihood project and a safety project, as well as a development project and a governance project. This plan provides a target line for these tasks, with some qualitative, quantitative, or directional indicators. It also offers a roadmap on how to proceed and from which aspects, essentially clarifying the key task book for urban renewal or urban work in the coming period, providing a lever for promoting high-quality, connotative urban development and the construction of modern cities with Chinese characteristics."