Reporter Liao Ruiling
Since the beginning of this year, many domestic cities have announced the implementation of special loans for the transformation of urban villages. Especially in the 35 very large and megacities included in the transformation of urban villages, almost all relevant funds have been implemented.
This means that urban village renovation projects in many domestic cities will press the "acceleration button."
As one of the “three major projects” in the real estate industry, how is the current progress in the transformation of urban villages in various places?
What are the "hard bones" to be overcome in project construction?
How can urban village renovation be effectively connected with other key projects in the real estate industry?
Focusing on urban villages in megacities
At the intersection of Gaodao Road, Dongyin Road, Chengqiao Town, Chongming District, Shanghai, new buildings are rising from the ground.
The roads between the buildings are smooth and green; in the open space not far away, there are all kinds of children's play facilities and outdoor activity facilities - this is Chongming District's first urban village reconstruction project resettlement base, with a total construction area of 126,600 square meters meters, including 27 residential buildings, which can provide new homes for more than 1,000 relocated residents.
Urban villages are regarded as “villages in the city” and are historical products formed during the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization.
In the early years, many places carried out large-scale demolition and reconstruction of urban villages.
Since last year, China has made a new plan for the transformation of urban villages, proposing to "actively and steadily promote the transformation of urban villages in very large and megacities."
Why focus on “mega cities”?
Chen Jie, a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Research Center, told reporters that it is closely related to factors such as high population density in these places.
According to the classification, cities with a permanent urban population of more than 10 million are megacities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, etc.; cities with a permanent urban population of more than 5 million and less than 10 million are megacities, such as Qingdao, Hefei, Hangzhou, Changsha et al.
In some very large cities, urban villages are often large in area and numerous in number. While providing shelter for residents, they also present many hidden safety risks and the living environment needs to be improved.
"There are still many urban villages in very large and megacities, which are incompatible with the city's appearance. Their infrastructure and public services are also far behind those of cities, and cannot meet the pursuit of quality of life by residents in urban villages. Therefore, in very large and megacities, actively and steadily Promoting the transformation of urban villages is of great significance. It can not only give urban villages a new look, significantly improve the level of infrastructure, but also eliminate safety hazards and provide more livable and workable living and production spaces. In the process of urban village transformation , can drive investment in infrastructure such as elderly care, childcare, schools, and property management, and can also drive investment in home appliance consumption, house decoration, etc., thus playing a positive role in stabilizing economic growth." Dean of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Real Estate Research Institute of Capital University of Economics and Business Zhao Xiuchi said.
According to calculations by the real estate research institute Zhongzhi Research Institute, in the next five years, the transformation of urban villages in megacities is expected to drive about 10 trillion yuan of investment and drive an investment scale of about 1 billion square meters.
On average, it will bring about 44 million square meters of new residential demand every year.
Promoting the transformation of urban villages will also have a significant driving effect on land purchase and construction investment, and will effectively support the development of the real estate market.
While chewing the "hard nut", focus on protection and stabilizing funds
Looking across the country, urban villages in different regions have different population densities, different industrial conditions, and different geographical locations.
The transformation of urban villages with complex and diverse situations cannot be blindly "one size fits all", but must be carried out in accordance with local conditions and in different categories.
According to the requirements of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, urban village renovation is divided into three categories: one is to demolish and build new buildings that meet the conditions, the other is to carry out regular renovation and improvement, and the other is to implement demolition and construction in between. Integrated integration.
According to analysis by industry insiders, this is to maintain the bottom line of safety, conduct scientific research and judgment based on the will of the people, financial conditions, land conditions, etc., and promote the transformation in a steady and orderly manner.
During demolition and renovation, attention should be paid to the protection of historical buildings in urban villages and the revitalization of historical spaces.
In the Tashan area of Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, an old city reconstruction project is about to begin.
This old city reconstruction covers a total of 14 plots of land, with a total area of approximately 155.6 acres.
In order to cooperate with the renewal and reconstruction of the old city, the Tashan Subdistrict Office entrusted relevant universities and market entities to research and issue relevant historical and cultural resources survey and evaluation reports, covering local cultural relics buildings, traditional style buildings, etc.
The purpose is to “demolish what needs to be demolished and retain what needs to be retained, so as to achieve a win-win situation between protection and urban development.”
For demolition and renovation, ensuring the source of funds is the key but also the difficulty.
"The new round of urban village renovation is more difficult because the starting point and cost of renovation are higher, and there are more restrictions. It may face problems such as floor area ratio restrictions, population dispersion pressure, and protection of historical cultural relics, making it difficult to achieve financial balance." Zhao Xiuchi explain.
To solve the funding problem for urban village renovation, a multi-pronged approach and multiple channels for raising funds are needed.
Since the beginning of this year, many very large and megacities in China have announced that special loans for urban village renovation have been approved, and some cities have completed the first batch of special loans.
This means that the “fund network” of urban village renovation projects is becoming denser.
On the streets of Shicha Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, there are many high-rise buildings on one side of the street, and rows of "handshake buildings" and "veneer buildings" on the other side. The scenery is unique - this is the Luochongwei area located in the west of the main urban area of Guangzhou City. Yijing is also the first stop of Guangzhou’s urban village renovation project.
On January 30 this year, the first special loan for the Tancun Urban Village Renovation Project in Luochongwei Area was officially issued, with the amount amounting to 100 million yuan.
"Special borrowing has low cost and high efficiency, which solves the financing problem for urban village reconstruction projects and provides a solid guarantee for the smooth implementation of the project." said the relevant person in charge of the Guangdong Branch of the China Development Bank.
As of March 7, China Development Bank has issued 61.4 billion yuan in special loans for urban village renovation, involving 271 projects in 33 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan, benefiting approximately 360,000 urban village residents.
To transform the “capital network” of Zhimi urban villages, we need to introduce more business entities.
In November last year, China Construction Jiuhe Development Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Construction Second Engineering Bureau, officially signed a contract with the Guangzhou Wenchong East Urban Renewal Project. It plans to demolish and build a new Wenchong East old village in the Haisicheng area of Huangpu District, Guangzhou. The construction type Including residential buildings, commercial properties, public supporting facilities, etc.
"In February this year, the Wenchong East Urban Renewal Project was listed as one of the key construction projects in Guangzhou. Different from traditional old renovation projects, this project uses the model of 'industrial renewal + residential renewal + service innovation' to transform urban villages. Provide a 'one-stop' optimization and upgrading solution. The project will introduce relevant supporting industry clusters to help Guangzhou City build a new highland for artificial intelligence and digital economy pilot zones, accelerate the transformation of Huangpu District's land use into intensive high-quality development, and further meet the needs of modern Guangzhou City. Industrial and livable city construction and development needs." said Wang Yichao, chairman of China Construction Jiuhe Development Group Co., Ltd.
Do a good job in resettlement and effectively connect the construction of affordable housing
On January 30, the Henan Branch of the National Development Bank and the Henan Branch of the Agricultural Development Bank of China lent 2.4 billion yuan to the Airport District and Huiji District of Zhengzhou City, Henan Province.
The local government has made it clear that the funds will be used for the preliminary work of the urban village reconstruction project, expropriation compensation, and the construction of resettlement housing.
On February 19, Shanghai's first special loan for urban village reconstruction was launched, disbursing 1.558 billion yuan, which will be used for preliminary work, expropriation compensation, etc. for urban village reconstruction projects in Xiaowan Village and Muer Village, Tang Town, Pudong New Area.
"In the process of urban village transformation, personnel resettlement and industrial transfer are prominent difficulties. While doing a good job in the construction of resettlement housing, we must promote the linkage between urban village transformation and affordable housing construction. For example, we can provide higher-income residents in the original city with Zhongcun villagers provide allotment-type affordable housing and provide affordable rental housing to groups such as tenants with limited financial capacity. In short, we must continue to build a multi-level housing supply system of 'one bed, one room, and one suite'." Chen Jay said.
“Through the transformation of urban villages, we can enrich the sources of affordable housing and increase the number of affordable housing, including allotment-type affordable housing and affordable rental housing. During the transformation process, we must focus on strengthening the construction of related supporting facilities and improving the level of property management. Effectively connect with the construction of affordable housing to jointly create a more livable and workable living and production space." Zhao Xiuchi said.
Since this year, many places in China have put forward relevant goals and requirements in conjunction with urban renewal and urban village transformation.
Shanghai has made it clear that it plans to launch 30 urban village renovation projects from 2023 to 2025, benefiting at least 13,000 village residents.
Hefei proposed to accelerate the transformation of the existing 104 urban villages and promote diversified resettlement methods such as "monetary resettlement, off-site resettlement, and equity resettlement".
Zhuzhou, Hunan Province has made it clear that it plans to use five years to transform villages located within the main urban area to solve the problems left behind by rapid urbanization and promote the integrated development of industry and city.
Currently, 172 urban villages have been included in the renovation plan list, covering a total area of 17.79 square kilometers.
"The renovation of urban villages combined with the renovation of old residential areas and the construction of basic public facilities for both leisure and emergency use will play a positive role in stimulating investment and improving the level of urban governance. They are good things that benefit people's livelihood and development, and are conducive to creating a A safer and more comfortable living environment will enhance community vitality and urban development." Chen Jie said, "However, during the renovation process, the sustainability of the project must also be ensured. If the cost of renovation of urban villages is too high, it will not be conducive to the transformation to low-income cities. Providing affordable living conditions for the migrant population will instead drain the population agglomeration dividends of megacities and inhibit urban vitality and competitiveness."