Writing a New Chapter in Urban Livelihoods in a Major City

On July 15, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Citizens’ New Village residential community on Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, focusing on progress in upgrading and renovating old housing and historically resolving the problem of residents in old urban areas having to “carry a toilet” (i.e., no inhome toilet). Citizens’ New Village is a typical old housing unitized renovation project. At the beginning of this year, the old and dilapidated “small beam, thin slab” houses here were completed after more than two years of renovation, and residents moved into new homes equipped with separate kitchens and bathrooms, elevators, and public supporting facilities, significantly improving their living conditions. In recent years, Shanghai has continued to advance the renovation of old neighborhoods and the campaign to tackle “two old and one village” issues, gradually resolving livelihood problems such as poor housing conditions and insufficient public facilities in old urban areas. Urban renewal has also become an important local practice for improving people’s wellbeing.