Cities are born out of renewal; life moves towards beauty. At the 12th Plenary Session of the 11th Changning District Committee, Changning clearly proposed the strategic goal of "upgrading urban renewal," aiming to build a high-quality living environment. In recent years, Changning District has taken the lead in exploration and continuous development, using the creation of historical blocks such as Yuyuan Road and Wuyi Road as models, and the revitalization of key areas such as the Suzhou Creek area and the Columbia Circle as driving forces, thus forging a distinctive path of high-quality urban renewal.

Space revitalization and infrastructure upgrades: Urban renewal unfolds in a three-dimensional manner 

Urban renewal is never about "large-scale demolition and construction," but rather about "organic growth." The transformation of the Columbia Circle is a vivid example of this concept.

As one of the landmark urban renewal projects in Changning District, the Columbia Circle adheres to the concept of "respecting historical context, preserving urban memory, promoting diversity and coexistence, creating public space, and stimulating urban vitality." It not only carries a profound historical heritage but also radiates new vitality in modern urban life, becoming a popular destination for citizens and tourists.

The first phase of the project involved the protective restoration of historical buildings such as the Columbia Country Club and Sun Ke Villa, introducing diverse businesses including Tsutaya Bookstore, boutique hotels, and art exhibitions, transforming the century-old buildings from "closed factory areas" into "open neighborhoods."The second phase continues the low-density style, offering a high proportion of greenery with garden-style landscape, while adding five new multi-story buildings. Through techniques such as elevated structures, cantilevered roofs, and connecting corridors, a three-dimensional public space is created, adding mixed functions of commerce, culture, and recreation. Visitors can drop by the Columbia Circle to enjoy a coffee by the Navy Club swimming pool, browse a picture book at Tsutaya Bookstore, or appreciate a contemporary art exhibition at Sun Ke Villa, experiencing the unique charm created by the interplay of old architecture and new spaces.

Many visitors and tourists said that this place does not feel like a park, but more like a multifunctional and diverse urban living room.

Guided by this, the revitalization of commercial and industrial spaces in Changning is progressing simultaneously. Hongqiao Tiandu has been transformed into Xiansuo Creater MIX, revitalizing existing spaces with a composite format of "office + commerce + social interaction"; Bailian Xijiao Shopping Center and Paris Spring (Tianshan Road Store) have completed their renovation and upgrades, effectively enhancing the vitality of traditional business districts through business restructuring, spatial reconstruction, and experience reshaping; the existing land resources of municipal state-owned enterprises, such as the Feile plot and the Yidian plot, have been successfully revitalized, and composite ecological projects such as LINK New Star Plaza and Wuyi MIX320 have been launched, realizing the functional iteration from "industrial rust belt" to "industrial show belt".

At the same time, the Hongqiao Development Zone became one of the first ten pilot areas for the overall renovation of business units in the city, promoting the revitalization of old commercial buildings; the eastern area of Hongqiao Airport innovated the "east-west linkage" mechanism, and the renovation of the airport J-01 plot is under steady progress, with the regional functions continuously optimized and the environmental quality significantly improved.

Delightful surprises can be found everywhere as renovations take place from industrial parks and commercial buildings to public spaces hidden in streets and alleys.

The waterfront spaces along the Suzhou Creek have been continuously connected, and public open spaces such as Zhongshan Park and Hongqiao Park have been upgraded in quality, transforming the landscape from "no river to be seen" to "walkable waterfronts". Seven bridge-underground space renovation projects, 14 pocket parks, and 30 habitat parks have been completed, turning once forgotten "gray spaces" into "golden corners and silver edges" in the city, allowing citizens to encounter greenery around every corner and enter parks right outside their doors.

Neighborhood network, boutique communities, and harmonious coexistence of urban renewal

In Changning, the renovation of every inch of space answers the same question: What do the people living here need? Yuyuan Road provides a vivid and concrete answer.

Since 2014, Changning District has launched the Yuyuan Road historical and cultural street renovation project, using "artistic integration, cultural implantation, and community building" to revitalize the faded street with color and warmth. Yuyuan Road has now become a well-known "Instagrammable" street in Shanghai, attracting both foot traffic and long-term residents.It's not only bustling with tourists but also offers the tranquil comfort of local residents. Strolling along the street, shoe repair shops, tailor shops, fashion exhibitions, and art spaces stand side by side, with original residents and young visitors coexisting harmoniously. Old villas are nestled under plane trees, and the corner gardens paved with washed stone have become everyday landscapes that pedestrians can linger in and appreciate. The "Story Shops" along the roadside, through the "One-Month Shop Owner" model, closely connect the street's residents, brand merchants, and other social forces, building a warm and cohesive neighborhood community.

The renovation of the Wuyi Road historical district has followed a path of "government coordination, state-owned enterprise leadership, and market collaboration." The Wuyi MIX320 project was rapidly facilitated thanks to the pooling of various property rights, including those of the street health service center, public housing, and district-owned state-owned enterprises. The renovation project of the Municipal Dermatology Hospital explored a path of exchanging the right to use state-owned assets at both the municipal and district levels, overcoming the biggest obstacle in the renovation process: property rights. These multiple approaches, operating in parallel, have allowed this historic district to preserve its unique character while achieving functional upgrades.

The renovation extends beyond the neighborhoods, reaching into the entire community. Jiangsu Road Subdistrict pioneered the "Lane Chief System" by integrating diverse parties, bringing together residents, businesses, and professional organizations.In the Qishan Village housing and sanitation facility renovation project, a "one-household-one-plan" approach was adopted, completing 204 renovations and benefiting 582 households. This allowed the new-style lanes to retain their historical features while possessing modern living functions.

Changning has cumulatively promoted the renovation of approximately 10 million square meters of high-quality residential communities, implemented 127,000 square meters of sanitation facility renovation in new-style lane houses, and raised funds to construct more than 15,000 units of affordable rental housing. The Hongqiao Talent Apartment project has been implemented across the entire district in three plots, and the Urban Builders and Managers' Home at No. 290 Wuyi Road has been put into operation. From old lane houses to affordable housing, from high-quality residential communities to talent apartments, the warmth of urban renewal is reflected in residents' tangible sense of gain and the visible and palpable changes.

With blueprints drawn and goals set, urban renewal opens a new chapter

The plenary session pointed out that a combination of soft and hard approaches, along with meticulous attention to detail, are needed to build a high-quality living environment. Standing at the new starting point of "urban renewal and quality improvement," Changning's blueprint is clear, and its steps are more determined.

Changning adheres to a holistic and in-depth approach and continues to promote high-quality urban renewal. Changning will coordinate business activities, residential, and ecological spaces, continuously explore a path of intensive, efficient, and sustainable development, strengthen the application of urban assessment results, and drive the transformation of urban form from functional revitalization, from demolition and reconstruction to organic growth, and from "small and beautiful" to "refined and strong." Changning will focus on revitalizing development space resources, optimizing the living environment, improving the quality of public spaces, and activating key areas, using spatial restructuring to drive functional reshaping and quality improvement to meet the expectations of the people, striving to create a model urban renewal district.

Changning will adhere to the principles of excellence and meticulousness, we will promote efficient urban governance. Grasping the characteristics of the central urban area of a megacity, we will employ meticulous and painstaking efforts to accelerate the modernization of the urban governance system and capabilities, continuously improving its scientific, refined, and intelligent levels. We will focus on strengthening the security and governance defenses, consolidating the foundation of grassroots governance, and enhancing the effectiveness of digital and intelligent governance, striving to build an urban governance community where everyone participates, everyone is responsible, everyone contributes, and everyone benefits.

The overall support and guarantee system will be strengthened to stimulate the vitality of the urban area. Changning will construct a working pattern of district-level coordination, inter-departmental collaboration, and tiered implementation to ensure that all tasks are assigned, managed, and effectively implemented; promote the establishment of Party organizations at the forefront of urban renewal and governance, transforming organizational advantages into governance effectiveness; and strive to create a vibrant atmosphere in which the whole society jointly creates a happy and beautiful home and builds a high-quality living environment.

Guided by the strategy of "urban renewal and quality improvement," Changning will consolidate and enhance its characteristics as a "high-quality" urban area, adhere to the dual approach of "hard environment" and "soft governance," improve environmental quality through high-quality urban renewal, and enhance people's well-being through efficient urban governance. It will strive to achieve a leap from a livable and business-friendly home to a high-quality living paradise, better showcasing the image of Shanghai as the "western gateway" to a modern international metropolis, and delivering a "new" answer to the era's challenge of building a people-centered city.