THE demolition and redevelopment of urban villages in Shenzhen by developers must obtain consent from over two-thirds of property owners, according to a recently released city government document.

The move will be of great significance in the city’s effort to promote the renovation of urban villages in a well-planned way so as to improve people’s well-being and promote high-quality urban development, according to the document.

The document specifies that before the demolition and construction of urban village renovation projects, consent of more than two-thirds of property owners is required. Furthermore, the projects must have the approval of the collective economic organization in the village where the renovation project is located.

Priority will be given to the renewal of urban villages with urgent needs from the residents and high risks regarding urban safety and social governance.

The document lists three main methods for the transformation of urban villages: demolition and reconstruction, renovation and improvement, and a combined demolition and renovation approach. Urban villages meeting the necessary conditions can undergo demolition and reconstruction. Those not meeting the conditions for demolition and reconstruction should initiate regular renovations and improvements to prevent and control risks and hidden dangers. For cases falling in between the first two categories, a combined demolition and renovation approach should be employed.

In February, the local housing and urban-rural development bureau announced that the city plans to demolish 1.1 square kilometers of urban villages this year.

Urban villages are a social and geographical by-product of rapid urbanization. Densely populated, largely unregulated by city planners, and often lacking adequate infrastructure, urban villages provide migrant workers with a vital source of affordable housing.

Shenzhen has the highest number of urban villages when compared to China’s other top cities. According to the China Development Institute, a Shenzhen-based think tank, Shenzhen had a total of 2,042 urban villages at the end of 2022. These villages included approximately 319,000 buildings and 5.913 million apartments covering 220 million square meters of building area in total. About 60% of the city’s population lived in urban villages at the time.                  (Mu Zi)