Rundown areas set for a makeover
Print Edition
SONGJIANG has begun a relocation and renovation project in old downtown areas, which will affect 58 communities, six historic protection zones, families living in squalid dilapidated areas and six villages engulfed by high-rise buildings.
District officials said the whole project should be completed by 2020.
More than 5,000 of the 6,273 families living in 37 dilapidated housing areas along Zhongshan Road W. and Jingde Road have already signed up for relocation. About 11,000 new apartments are needed for the entire relocation, and almost half of them are finished and ready for occupancy.
Plans call for other residents to be resettled in the Rongbei and Nanbu communities, and on lands near the Gucheng Hotel and Songjiang Instrument Plant.
Six “urban villages” in the towns of Chedun and Sheshan, and the communities of Yueyang, Yongfeng and Zhongshan are also included in the urban renewal plan.
So-called “urban villages” are an anomaly in major Chinese cities. They are small neighborhood areas lost among skyscrapers and modern transportation infrastructure. They are inhabited by the poor and transient, who live in deplorable conditions rife with overcrowding and social problems.
Currently almost 1,400 families in these villages have signed up to move. The target is to relocate 3,000 families.
Renovation work has already begun in six historic protection zones: Xiatang Village in Sijing Town, Old Cangcheng City, Huayang Old Street, Tianma Old Town, Zhongshan Old City and the Mishidu area.
Ancient houses are being repaired and roads are being widened. Architectural experts from Jiao Tong and Tongji universities are working to restore structures to their original look.
They are conducting intensive research of old areas, including field trips and examination of archives on buildings and old families.
Renovation plans also include input from the local museum and the Bureau of Cultural Relics.
Work also has started on 58 old communities. New sewage systems will be installed, fire-safety corridors will be constructed and crumbling homes will be repaired and upgraded.
Jingzhuang Garden in the old Zhongshan Community was among the first areas to undergo a facelift.
The renovation has retained the original ancient architectural style of grey tiles and white-washed walls, with modern amenities like recycling stations, public gyms and green belts added.
“I thought it was going to be just simple repair work, but it turned out be a whole new look,” said resident Yao Jingqi. “Many of my old friends are now moving back.”
The Zhongshan Community has more than 520,000 square meters of old residential areas to be renovated, with about 8,000 families to benefit.
In the Yueyang Community, 29 old residential areas will be upgraded and 240,000 families relocated, according to officials.
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