First national-level special plan for urban regeneration issued

Recently, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued an urban regeneration plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30). As China's first national-level special plan for urban regeneration, it marks the elevation of urban regeneration from an institutional and mechanism-building effort to a medium-to-long-term, overarching national strategy.

The release of the plan has drawn significant attention and sparked lively discussions across society. At a time when China's urban development is shifting from large-scale expansion to stock-based quality improvement and efficiency enhancement, the plan carries great significance.

It systematically sets out the goals, targets, key tasks and policy safeguards for urban regeneration over the next five years, outlining a vision and pathway for building modern people-centered cities.

Urban regeneration is closely linked to the daily lives of the people. Since the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the action of advancing urban regeneration, a series of livelihood, safety and development projects have been implemented to address pressing public concerns. As a result, urban regeneration has been widely welcomed and closely followed by the public.

Following last year's guidelines on advancing urban regeneration campaign issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, the plan represents the first key dedicated plan at the national level in the field of urban regeneration.

It not only reflects the continuous improvement of the top-level design for urban regeneration, but also underscores the fact that urban regeneration serves as both an important lever for building modern people-centered cities and a national strategic initiative crucial to the implementation of the new development philosophy and the long-term competitiveness of cities.

Looking back at the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), local pilot projects flourished across the country. With the launch of this plan, the national institutional framework has become more robust, overall coordination has strengthened and urban regeneration has entered a new phase characterized by institutionalization, long-term effectiveness and market-driven mechanisms.

The plan fully aligns with the goal of building modern people-centered cities. Centered on the objectives of "innovation, livability, beauty, resilience, civility and intelligence", it comprehensively lays out six key tasks, seven policy measures, and 14 major projects and initiatives, systematically establishing the goals, tasks and roadmap for urban regeneration.

First, for the first time, it uses quantitative targets to define the urban regeneration "scorecard". This is one of the most closely followed highlights of the plan. Ten key targets are set, including: by 2030, renovating 500,000 dilapidated urban residential units; starting the renovation of 115,000 aging residential communities; upgrading 1,500 old neighborhoods and factory compounds; reconstructing 365,000 kilometers of underground pipelines; and restoring 15,000 historic buildings.

These quantifiable and assessable indicators closely integrate urban regeneration with the construction of modern people-centered cities, providing clearer goals and assessment criteria for urban regeneration work.

Second, the plan fully embodies a people-centered approach while also addressing the strategic needs of expanding domestic demand, boosting investment, stimulating consumption and pursuing development.

It outlines six key tasks and 14 major projects and initiatives. This "task list" reflects a combination of investment in physical assets and investment in people.

The plan calls for the construction and renovation of quality housing, the renovation of aging residential communities and the development of complete communities — all major projects that improve people's livelihoods — across different spatial levels, creating high-quality urban living environments.

At the same time, the plan places particular emphasis on fostering new drivers of urban growth. It explicitly proposes revitalizing idle and inefficiently utilized resources such as old factories and underused commercial office spaces; promoting the transformation and upgrading of aging neighborhoods, factory compounds and inefficient industrial parks; cultivating emerging industries; and upgrading consumption infrastructure.

This means that urban regeneration also serves as a strategic lever for reshaping urban growth drivers and unlocking domestic demand potential.

Third, the plan introduces a policy system for sustainable urban regeneration through reform and innovation. The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly called for "establishing a sustainable model and policy-legal framework for urban regeneration".

The plan devotes a full chapter to specific arrangements for building a policy system for urban regeneration during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, outlining a roadmap for reform and innovation.

It directly addresses the difficulties and bottlenecks encountered in urban regeneration practice, focusing on seven key areas: implementation mechanisms, financial guarantees, land use, building safety, multi-stakeholder participation, laws and standards, and technology and talent.

The aim is to accelerate the development of a comprehensive, well-coordinated and efficient policy system for urban regeneration, providing solid support for orderly, routine and long-term urban regeneration.

Over the next five years, as the plan is implemented, urban regeneration will move rapidly from blueprint to reality in people's daily lives. It is likely to see continued improvements in cities: better housing, safer and more livable communities, more vibrant neighborhoods, lively blue-green spaces, more attractive consumer destinations and more innovative industrial parks.

According to estimates by multiple institutions, the total market size for urban regeneration during the 15th Five-Year Plan period will exceed 15 trillion yuan ($2.22 trillion). These figures will translate into tangible improvements for the people — better urban living environments, stronger economic dynamism and higher governance standards.

As time moves forward, with the high-quality and sustainable advancement of urban regeneration under the guidance of the plan, Chinese cities are poised for another qualitative leap in the new era. Modern people-centered cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civil and intelligent are steadily coming into view.

The writer is director of the Research Institute of Urban Regeneration at the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.