Renovation of old residential areas： what to change and how to change it.

Old streets, old hospitals, old houses, old facilities and poor living environment are common worries of many residents in old residential areas, and they are also a long-standing problem in urban management. How to solve the dilemma of "four old and one poor" in old communities? At the briefing on the State Council policy held by the State Council on July 1st, Yan Huang, Vice Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said that the renovation of old urban communities would be comprehensively promoted in accordance with the requirements of the Central Urban Work Conference, the Government Work Report and the deployment of the the State Council Executive Meeting.

More than 10,000 elevators were installed last year.

According to Yan Huang, the old urban community refers to the residential community where the city or county has been built for a long time, the aging problem of municipal supporting facilities is prominent, and public services are lacking. The main problems are dilapidated pipe network, lack or serious aging of water supply and drainage, power grid, gas and optical fiber facilities; Many old communities not only lack public services such as providing for the aged and caring for the young, but also have problems in the storage of motor vehicles and non-motor vehicles. Lack of property management, poor public environment, damaged roads, unauthorized construction, etc.

Take installing an elevator as an example, such as a six-story building, the higher the floor, the stronger the residents’ willingness to install an elevator; However, in the view of residents on the first floor or the second floor, where the demand is relatively urgent, elevators occupy public space, and their interests are more or less damaged, which leads to the slow progress of elevator installation.

"In the face of these practical long-term problems, the experience summed up by practice in various places is that we must adapt to local conditions, one building and one plan, or even one building and one plan, and do the mass work in detail." Yan Huang said that the design and construction scheme of installing elevators should take into account the reasonable demands of residents at all levels as far as possible, and try to maximize the benefits and minimize the impact through meticulous personalized design. At the same time, she pointed out that it is "urgent" to install elevators in old communities, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is vigorously promoting it, but the key is to rely on residents’ neighborhood consultation and participation to reach an agreement.

The reporter learned that in recent years, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other cities have made a lot of active explorations in installing elevators in old communities. "Up to now, the progress has been relatively smooth, and most residents are quite cooperative, and the results achieved are also very gratifying." Yan Huang said that in 2018, more than 10,000 elevators have been installed in old residential areas nationwide, more than 4,000 are under construction, and more than 7,000 are going through preliminary procedures, and the installation of elevators in old residential areas is being pushed forward in an all-round way.

It covers a large area and involves hundreds of millions of residents.

It is understood that at present, the old urban communities that need to be rebuilt in the country involve hundreds of millions of residents, with a large area and different situations. How to grasp the content of old community reconstruction?

According to Yan Huang, the renovation of old residential areas is currently divided into three categories. The first is to ensure basic supporting facilities. For example, the maintenance and improvement of municipal infrastructure such as water, electricity, gas and roads that are directly related to residents’ lives in old communities, as well as the installation of elevators and garbage sorting facilities. Second, on the basis of ensuring basic conditions, encourage qualified areas to build public activity venues, parking lots, activity rooms and property houses during the transformation. The third is to further improve the facilities and public services in the community such as providing for the aged, caring for the young, cultural rooms, medical care, food assistance, housekeeping, express delivery, convenience and convenience stores.

"Considering the large regional differences, all provinces, including districts and cities, can make a list of contents that need to be transformed in cities or communities according to the actual situation and needs." Yan Huang said.

Transforming historical and cultural blocks like "embroidery"

Some old urban communities are located in historical and cultural blocks, bearing many precious historical memories. Regarding how to coordinate the relationship between the renovation of old residential areas and the inheritance of urban history and culture, Yan Huang said that we should treat historical heritage well and carry out fine construction, operation and maintenance.

Yan Huang pointed out that in the future, the repair, maintenance and transformation of qualified historical and cultural blocks can be coordinated with the transformation of old urban communities. At the same time, she stressed that the transformation of historical and cultural blocks is different from that of ordinary old residential areas, and in particular, several key points should be followed: First, historical and cultural blocks retain more historical information, and all the protection should be ensured during the transformation process to avoid "one demolition, big demolition and big construction"; Second, some historical and cultural blocks have made great efforts in local and small-scale transformation, and should be coordinated with the overall style in the process of transformation design; The third is to promote protection through rational utilization.

"The most important thing is to promote the renovation and repair of historical and cultural blocks like’ embroidery’, treat these very valuable historical heritages well, and be refined from construction, design to operation and maintenance." Yan Huang said.(Reporter Qiu Wei)