Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 15th. Title: The central government has clarified the "roadmap" for urban renewal! Livable, resilient, and smart

Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Youling

City is an important carrier for promoting high-quality development, creating high-quality life, and comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

The General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council recently issued the "Opinions on Continuously Promoting Urban Renewal Actions", providing guidance for the creation of livable, resilient and smart cities.

Transfer from extension expansion to connotation quality improvement, from "whether there is or not" to "good or not", my country's urban development is currently undergoing a profound transformation. Implementing urban renewal actions is an inevitable move to change the urban development model and an important tool for urban modernization construction.

"my country's urban development has entered an important period of urban renewal. We must deeply understand and grasp the important role of the implementation of urban renewal actions in stabilizing growth, expanding domestic demand, and benefiting people's livelihood. We must regard urban renewal as a comprehensive and systematic strategic action to promote high-quality urban development, establish sustainable urban renewal models and policies and regulations, and promote urban structure optimization, functional improvement, cultural continuity and quality improvement." Yang Baojun, chairman of the China Urban Planning Society, said.

How will urban renewal be promoted?

The opinions propose to adhere to the people-centered approach, fully implement the people's urban concept, and build good houses, good communities, good communities, and good urban areas.

The core of a city is people. People have a growing demand for a better life, the existing demand standards are increasing, and the new demand types are richer. However, at present, my country's urban development still has shortcomings and weaknesses such as insufficient facilities, insufficient functions, and safety hazards.

Focusing on the concerns of the people, the opinions have deployed eight main tasks: strengthen the renovation and utilization of existing buildings, promote the renovation of old urban communities, carry out complete community construction, promote the renovation of old blocks, old factories, urban villages, etc., improve urban functions, strengthen urban infrastructure construction and transformation, repair urban ecosystems, and protect and inherit urban history and culture.

"These tasks closely revolve around the needs of the people in the new era, and make precise efforts based on key areas. All localities should accurately grasp the main goals of implementing urban renewal at this stage, based on their own reality, grasp the main contradictions and work priorities, do their best and act within their means, and promote urban renewal according to local conditions." Wang Kai, director of the China Urban Planning and Design Institute, said.

Urban renewal faces multiple challenges such as planning, land, finance, taxation, and finance. How to strengthen support and guarantee? The opinions put forward key breakthrough points.

In terms of establishing and improving the urban renewal implementation mechanism, the opinions propose "innovation and improvement of the demand-oriented and project-driven urban renewal system and mechanism", "comprehensively carry out urban physical examination and evaluation", "establish and improve the planning and implementation system of the 'special planning-area planning-project implementation plan'"; in terms of improving land use policies, the opinions require "promoting the rational conversion of mixed land development and utilization and uses in accordance with the law" and "revitalizing and utilizing existing low-efficiency land."

In terms of improving diversified investment and financing methods, the opinions require "increasing support for central budget investment, etc.", "central finance should support the implementation of urban renewal actions", "local governments should increase fiscal investment", "implement tax and fee reduction policies related to urban renewal", "strengthening credit support", and "improving market-oriented investment and financing models"; in terms of establishing a sustainable model for urban renewal, the opinions require "government guidance, market operation, and public participation"; in terms of improving laws and regulations, the opinions require "accelerating the legislative work related to urban renewal" and "improving technical standards applicable to urban renewal".

Urban renewal is a complex systematic project that requires strong institutional and policy support. Yang Baojun said that after the central government determines the general direction of urban renewal, local governments will be responsible for renewal implementation, implement the requirements of deepening reform, stimulate local initiative, encourage local governments to actively explore and innovate in light of actual needs, resolve institutional policy barriers through reform, and establish a complete set of institutional policy systems suitable for urban renewal.

Urban renewal is not only a transformation of development mode, but also a relationship with the improvement of people's livelihood and well-being. We will step up efforts to implement urban renewal actions to solve the practical issues that the people are most concerned about, so that people can live more conveniently, more comfortable and better in the city.