BAO’AN District’s efforts in a number of renovation projects aimed at upgrading the residential environment of urban villages across the district are paying off. A total of 149 of the urban villages that underwent facelift projects have brought improved living conditions to the residents.

Bihu New Village is one of the urban villages that have been transformed from an area with run-down infrastructure and facilities into a clean, safe and well-organized residential area after undergoing an array of renovation projects since 2018. The village is one of the most populated urban villages in Bao’an.

Residents in Bihu New Village are proud of their home now. “The village is more beautiful,” said a resident surnamed Wang who has lived in the village for over a decade. Wang said that, after renovation, the village has become well-managed with wider streets, clearer road signs, and more organized parking lots for cars and electric scooters.

The district government issued a three-year plan on renovating urban villages under instruction from the city government. The renovation projects included 10 major fields including public security, fire control, gas pipelines and electric wiring.

In 2018 alone, Bao’an invested 5.5 billion yuan (US$799 million) on uplifting the living conditions in its urban villages.

More than one-third of Bao’an District population live in urban villages of 27.6 square kilometers.

The district government released a general plan on addressing urban village problems. The document lays out specific rules regarding the renovation and management of urban villages.

Workers of the renovation project of an urban village in Xinqiao Subdistrict have recently been removing all sorts of disused wires that were interweaving across streets and buildings in the village. Each day, workers uninstalled around 50 kilograms of wires and 200 kilograms of fiber cables.

After cleaning up the wires, the renovation project team will bury all pipes and wires underground, creating a safer living environment for residents there.

Safety is what residents care about the most. Thus, the district government pays special attention to enhancing safety in the villages by, for instance, introducing entrance gates with surveillance cameras at each building, installing gas pipelines in each household and building charging poles for electric vehicles.

More than 1,600 illegal structures in urban villages that block emergency and fire passages have been brought down. Firefighting gear has been positioned around the villages.

The district government has also introduced property management companies to offer professional management for the urban villages. (Cindy Zhang)