【expert interview】
A few days ago, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Science and Technology Development Plan", which proposed to study the basic theory and technical methods of urban renewal with the goal of promoting the optimization of urban spatial structure and the improvement of the quality of the living environment.
From the "14th Five-Year Plan" clearly proposing the implementation of the "Urban Renewal Action", to the announcement of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in August last year on the "Problems of Preventing Large-scale Demolition and Construction in the Implementation of Urban Renewal Actions", to the decision of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in November last year 21 cities (districts) have carried out the first batch of urban renewal pilot projects, and a series of policies and measures on urban renewal are being promoted.
In the process of urban renewal, what problems need to be paid attention to and solved?
How to promote better implementation of urban renewal policies?
The reporter interviewed Zhang Song, a professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University.
Reporter: What problems exist in the process of urban renewal that need to be improved?
Zhang Song:
The biggest problem in the previous urban renovation was "demolition and construction". The root of the problem lies in the excessive reliance of local governments on "land finance".
A city is an organic life, and metabolism is its basic feature.
Necessary renovation of areas that are not suitable for development and areas that are in decline within the urban built-up area is a norm.
However, the transformation of urban renewal into a simple act of land acquisition and storage and commercial development, the large-scale relocation of aboriginal residents, and the complete demolition and reconstruction of all buildings, this kind of “demolition and construction” method of old renovation will inevitably lead to The disintegration of the urban social structure, the disappearance of historical and cultural deposits, and the destruction of the natural ecological environment.
Therefore, in the promotion of urban renewal, the important idea of "people's cities built by the people, people's cities for the people" should be run through all links.
A good city should be a living city with a livable environment, an environment-friendly low-carbon city, a multicultural and inclusive civic city and a sustainable and healthy city.
Reporter: From the old city renovation and shantytown reform in the past, to the “14th Five-Year Plan” clearly proposing the implementation of “urban renewal actions”, urban renewal is not limited to simple demolition and reconstruction. What new ideas are presented in the current urban renewal planning?
Zhang Song:
Some new ideas and good explorations have emerged in cities that have carried out urban renewal actions earlier.
One is to adhere to comprehensive overall planning and actively promote the comprehensive update of the transformation of development and construction methods.
The renovation and reconstruction of Shougang Industrial Park is a typical representative of them.
At the end of 2010, after the steel industry of Shougang Beijing Shijingshan plant was completely shut down, the transformation plan established that "sports +, digital intelligence, cultural creativity" will be the leading industries, and the three major industrial ecosystems of consumption upgrade, smart scene, and green financial services will be built and an international talent community will be built. The goal.
After more than 10 years of renovation, ecological restoration and green implantation have been achieved, and the original industrial heritage architectural style and features have been preserved to the greatest extent. The entire park presents a symbiotic texture of old and new.
This characteristic landscape will bloom during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
The protection and reuse of industrial heritage can provide a diverse combination of spaces, thereby deriving a brand-new and personalized park space; from the perspective of environmental protection, the protection and reuse of abandoned factories is also the protection of the urban environment and the use of resources. recycle.
The other is to insist on giving priority to protection, and culture to lead the organic renewal of the city.
Urban environmental protection is not only the individual protection of cultural relics and historical sites, but the overall protection of areas with certain historical and cultural characteristics.
For example, the Yangpu Riverside Waterfront District in Shanghai, through the protection and utilization of industrial heritage buildings and the regeneration of industrial landscapes, has achieved the goal of renewing the coastline of transforming from an "industrial rust belt" to a "life-like belt", and has transformed the city into a waterfront open space. Resources are reserved for the general public.
Another category is the incremental update that insists on residents' participation and respects the legitimate rights and interests of relevant subjects.
The Renfengli Historical and Cultural District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, is led by the grass-roots government Wenhe Street and the community to build a platform for environmental protection renovation and introduction of cultural projects in the district, encourage residents to use idle buildings to open small homestay shops, and develop cultural creativity with local traditional characteristics The industry has enriched the human landscape of the historical and cultural blocks and restored the vitality of the ancient streets.
Reporter: With the rapid economic development, the industrial structure of many cities is also changing. In urban renewal, how to adapt to the new demands of urban industrial structure changes?
Zhang Song:
Urban renewal plays a positive role in optimizing urban spatial structure, improving land use efficiency, and improving the quality of human settlements.
Many cities have adopted the practice of "vacating the cage and replacing the bird" many years ago, which includes not only the adjustment planning of the regional industrial layout, but also the replacement of the original low-efficiency enterprises with high-efficiency or environmentally friendly emerging industries in the development zone. adjustment method.
However, in many cases, the goal of industrial adjustment is achieved from the level of land use planning, and this method also produces problems such as waste of construction resources and unfriendly environment to a certain extent.
How to inject new vitality into the inefficient industrial parks, make use of existing buildings such as original factories and facilities as much as possible, and provide space for the development of new industries, new manufacturing, and new formats, is the urban renewal during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. direction that needs to be actively explored.
Compared with the implantation of new technologies such as building renovation and improvement, environmental protection and energy saving, and low-carbon digital, it is relatively difficult to follow up and ensure relevant institutional policies and measures. It is necessary to break through the limitations of departments and functions, actively disclose relevant information, and coordinate various needs. , to promote the realization of such urban renewal actions.
In recent years, the practice of transforming industrial buildings into cultural and creative parks has appeared in many places, becoming a successful practice of urban renewal.
The space required by the creative crowd is not necessarily large, and the heterogeneous space with certain characteristics is more popular with them, which is suitable for forming a cultural production space with a creative atmosphere.
The effective integration of residence, creativity and business is also conducive to creating a good humanistic atmosphere.
Reporter: At present, many cities have problems such as a large contradiction between housing supply and demand, "old and broken" houses that cannot meet living needs, and insufficient housing supporting functions. How can urban renewal work bring more security to the improvement of residents' living conditions?
Zhang Song:
Generally speaking, the basic goal of urban housing planning and development should be "housing, not speculating," and various types of housing products that meet the needs of different groups of people should be provided, including commercial housing and policy-guaranteed housing that meet market demand.
In urban renewal, the overall renewal and comfort renovation of old communities, as well as the habitability renovation of non-residential buildings, should be encouraged.
In addition, effective measures should be taken in terms of policies and taxation to encourage enterprises to actively participate in urban renewal.
From a higher level, it is necessary to actively create conditions conducive to the entry of talents, technology, investment, etc. into the local area, and formulate long-term plans for improving the living environment, reducing living costs, and improving living convenience.
Urban livability is not entirely achieved by hardware conditions such as advanced facilities and construction scale. A green, friendly, inclusive, harmonious, fair and open social environment is also an indispensable soft power for urban development.
(Our reporter Yao Yaqi)