Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development: Promote green building materials, green construction and green buildings in an integrated manner, and comprehen

Source: Qiushi, China Construction News

Recently, Ni Hong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, published a signed article titled "Creating a New Situation for high-quality Urban Development" in Qiushi Magazine. The following is the full text:

Create a new situation of high-quality urban development

Cities are important carriers for promoting high-quality development, creating a high-quality life and comprehensively building a modern socialist country.  Strengthen urban infrastructure and build livable, resilient and smart cities." 

 Scientifically answered the fundamental questions of whom to rely on and for in urban construction and development, as well as the major propositions of what kind of city to build and how to build a city, pointing out the way forward and providing fundamental guidelines for us to do urban work in the new era. 

In terms of leadership, it is emphasized to strengthen and improve the Party's leadership over urban work.  To do urban work well, we must strengthen and improve the Party's leadership; Accelerate the training of a group of cadres who understand the city and can manage it, and plan, build and manage the city with a scientific attitude, advanced concepts and professional knowledge. These important discussions clarified the important status and role of urban work, and made clear the primary premise and fundamental guarantee of doing urban work well.

In terms of value orientation, it emphasizes the adherence to the people's city built by the people and the people's city for the people.  Insist that the house is for living in, not for speculation position; Whether it is urban planning or urban development, whether it is the construction of new urban areas or the renovation of old urban areas, we must adhere to the people-centered approach and focus on the needs of the people. We will promote people-centered urbanization to make cities healthier, safer and more livable, and places where people live a high-quality life. These important discussions have clarified the fundamental purpose of urban development and made clear the starting point and destination of urban work

Green is the bright background color of high-quality development. In recent years, Jiujiang City of Jiangxi Province has adhered to the principle of "returning the river to the people, benefiting the people, giving priority to ecology and casting the soul of culture", and actively promoted the construction of urban riverside green space. Photo shows the Jiujiangcheng section of the Yangtze River National Cultural Park on July 8, 2023. Photo by Shi Xiaolong

On the target path, it emphasizes taking the road of urban development with Chinese characteristics.  Building livable, resilient and smart cities; We will explore ways to develop megacities with Chinese characteristics, reflect the characteristics of The Times, and highlight the advantages of China's socialist system. These important discussions have clarified the basic connotation of the development path of cities with Chinese characteristics and clarified the goals and tasks of modern city construction.

Green is the bright background color of high-quality development. In recent years, Jiujiang City of Jiangxi Province has adhered to the principle of "returning the river to the people, benefiting the people, giving priority to ecology and casting the soul of culture", and actively promoted the construction of urban riverside green space.

In the way of thinking, it emphasizes "one respect, five overall planning".  Coordinate the three structures of space, scale and industry to improve the overall nature of urban work; Overall planning, construction and management of the three major links to improve the systematic urban work; Coordinate the three driving forces of reform, science and technology, and culture to improve the sustainability of urban development; Coordinate the layout of production, life and ecology to improve the livability of urban development; We will coordinate the three main bodies of the government, society and the public to enhance the enthusiasm of all parties in promoting urban development. These important discussions have clarified the general characteristics of urban work as a systematic engineering, and made clear the basic ideas and scientific methods of doing urban work well.

In terms of pattern, it emphasizes the coordinated development of large, medium and small cities and small towns.  From a national perspective, large, medium, small cities, small towns, and urban agglomerations should be laid out in a scientific way, closely linked to regional economic development and industrial layout, and adapted to the carrying capacity of resources and the environment. Promote the diversification of urban spatial layout according to local conditions; Promote the development of urban clusters, forming a multi-center, multi-level, multi-node network urban agglomeration structure; Select a number of counties with good conditions to focus on development. These important discussions clarified the direction and principle of urban system construction, and clarified the form and structural requirements of urban spatial layout.

In the bottom line requirements, the emphasis on ecology and security in a more prominent position.  Let the city integrate into nature, let the residents see the mountains, see the water, and remember their homesickness; People's life safety and health should be taken as the basic goal of urban development; Whether planning, construction or management, we must put safety in the first place, keep safety and quality, and implement safety work into all aspects of urban work and urban development. These important statements illustrate the critical importance of ecology and safety and define the central and fundamental objectives of urban work.

On the basis of culture, it emphasizes the overall protection, utilization and inheritance of historical culture.  In the spirit of being responsible to history and the people, we should carry forward the historical context, strike a balance between urban transformation and development and the protection and utilization of historical and cultural heritage, and ensure that development is achieved through protection and protection. Handle the relationship between tradition and modernity, inheritance and development, so that our urban architecture can better reflect the regional characteristics, national characteristics and times. These important discussions have clarified the outstanding characteristics of the city with the combination of historical accumulation and the spirit of The Times, and identified the important ways to improve the connotation, quality and characteristics of the city.

In terms of governance model, emphasis is placed on promoting the modernization of urban governance system and governance capacity.  We should not only be good at using modern scientific and technological means to achieve intelligence, but also improve the level of refinement through the carefulness, patience and ingenuity of embroidery. Make the visible hand of the government, the invisible hand of the market and the industrious hand of the people work in the same direction; Truly realize urban co-governance, co-management, joint contribution and shared benefits. These important discussions clarify the important significance of urban governance for urban modernization, and clarify the concept and means to improve the level of science, intelligence and refinement.

2. China has made historic achievements in urban development in the new era

A new type of people-centered urbanization has been deepened. We will thoroughly implement the new urbanization strategy and strive to improve the quality of urbanization development. By the end of 2022, China's urbanization rate of permanent residents will reach 65.22%, the number of cities will reach 691, and the built-up area of cities will reach 64,000 square kilometers. We accelerated the process of granting citizenship to rural migrant workers, and made basic public services more equal. The "two horizontal and three vertical" urbanization strategy has taken shape, with 19 urban clusters accounting for more than 70 percent of China's population and contributing more than 80 percent of the country's GDP.

Housing conditions for urban residents have improved significantly. We should adhere to the position that houses are for living in, not speculation, improve the housing market and the housing security system, effectively play the role of the housing provident fund, and ensure that people have adequate housing. According to the data of the seventh national census, the per capita housing floor area of urban and town households reached 36.52 square meters and 42.29 square meters, respectively, an increase of 7.4 square meters and 10.3 square meters over the sixth national census. China has built the world's largest housing security system, built more than 63 million units of government-subsidized housing of various types, and reconstructed and resettled housing in shanty houses. More than 150 million people have realized their dreams of living in peace, and basic subsistence allowances and low-income families with housing difficulties have been fully covered.

Urban living environment is more beautiful.  A total of 217,000 old urban residential areas were renovated, benefiting more than 37 million households and nearly 100 million residents. By 2022, 86.5 percent of the days in cities at prefecture level or above will have good air quality. More than 40 percent of county-level cities have eliminated black and odorous water bodies, and cities at prefecture level and above have achieved solid results in the treatment of black and odorous water bodies, with the average coverage rate of garbage sorting in residential communities reaching 82.5 percent. The green area and green land rate of urban built-up areas exceeded 2.5 million hectares and 39%, respectively, and the per capita green area of parks reached 15.29 square meters.

To protect traditional streets, ancient buildings and cultural relics is to preserve the history and context of the city. The picture shows the historical and cultural block of Sanfang and seven alleys in Fuzhou, Fujian province. Photo by Lin Shuangwei, Fuzhou Daily

The overall carrying capacity of the city has been steadily improved. Focusing on improving the quality of life of residents and the efficiency of urban operation, we will vigorously promote the systematic construction of urban infrastructure and continue to enhance the capacity of supply and service. By the end of 2022, China will have more than 552,000 kilometers of urban roads, 14,400 kilometers of urban rail transit completed or under construction, 99.39 percent of water supply, 98.05 percent of gas supply and 98.11 percent of sewage treatment, and 2.02 million kilometers of water supply and drainage pipelines. A total of 6,655 kilometers of integrated pipeline corridors have been built.

The urban governance system has been continuously improved. We will continue to manage cities for the people, strengthen urban management and services, and make urban life more convenient, more comfortable, and better for the people. We deepened the reform of the urban management system. The organizational structure of urban management at the ministry, province, city and county levels has basically taken shape; the development of a service platform for urban operation and management has accelerated; the use of the Internet, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other new generation information technology tools in urban governance has been strengthened; and urban management law enforcement has been standardized and the rule of law has been improved.

The protection and inheritance of urban history and culture have been comprehensively strengthened. We have strived to protect urban historical and cultural heritage as if we cherished our own lives, accelerated the establishment of a system for protecting and inheriting urban and rural historical and cultural heritage, and effectively protected a large number of historical and cultural resources. At present, there are 142 national historical and cultural cities, 312 historical and cultural towns and 487 historical and cultural villages in China, more than 1,200 historical and cultural blocks have been designated, and 63,500 historical buildings have been identified, which has become the most comprehensive, complete and systematic carrier for inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture.

Third, strive to write a new chapter of high-quality urban development

On the new journey, the strategic position and role of cities are more prominent. At present, China's urban development has entered an important period of urban renewal, from large-scale incremental construction to stock quality improvement and incremental structural adjustment, from "no" to "good", but also faced with many contradictions and challenges. We must adhere to the people first, establish a solid system concept, respect scientific laws, and constantly promote high-quality urban development to achieve new progress and new results.

Living in peace is the basis of people's happiness. In recent years, Wuhu City of Anhui Province has taken the transformation of old urban residential areas as an important measure to improve people's livelihood, make up for shortcomings, and expand domestic demand, and comprehensively promoted the transformation of supporting facilities in old urban residential areas, so that residents' living environment has been transformed. The picture shows the renovated Fanyang residential area in Fanchang District, Wuhu city, August 19, 2023. People's Picture by Lu Junyuan

Strengthen the basis for people to live in peace. Living in peace is the basis of people's happiness. To do a good job in urban work in the new era, we must strive to ensure that the people can live in better housing, from good houses to good neighborhoods, from good neighborhoods to good neighborhoods, and from good neighborhoods to good urban areas, and create higher quality living space for the people. We will deepen the structural reform of the housing supply side, design, build and manage houses well in accordance with the building policy of "applicable, economic, green and beautiful", improve the functions of housing, improve the quality of living, study the establishment of housing physical examination, pension and insurance systems, and improve the long-term mechanism for the safety management of housing throughout its life cycle. We will increase the construction and supply of government-subsidized housing, and actively promote the renovation of urban villages and the construction of dual-use public infrastructure. We will do a good job in the "corridor revolution", "environmental revolution" and "management revolution", steadily promote the renovation of old residential areas, and effectively improve residents' living conditions. Focusing on the people, the convenience of the people, the peace of the people, with the focus on the construction of "one old and one small" facilities that the people are concerned about, promote the construction of a complete community, so that the community can become the most assured and comfortable harbor for the happy life of residents.

We will strengthen guidance in urban design. The new situation requires the city to take the road of intensive, conformal and high-quality development. Some planning ideas and means formed in the period of urban expansion are no longer suitable for the situation and task of urban renewal. Urban design is an effective means to implement the requirements of urban development strategy, guide architectural design and shape urban features. To promote high-quality urban development, we must make efforts in design. It is necessary to improve the urban design management system, clarify the design requirements for buildings, neighborhoods, communities, blocks, and cities at different scales, and standardize and guide the implementation of urban renewal projects. At the same time, on the premise of ensuring safety, we will explore and optimize the approval management procedures and technical measures for construction projects applicable to the renovation and renovation of stocks, and establish and improve the life-cycle management system for the design, construction, acceptance, operation and maintenance of construction projects.

We will steadily advance urban renewal. Urban renewal is an inevitable stage of urbanization development, and the key to promote urban renewal is to identify and solve problems effectively. It is necessary to adhere to the city physical examination first, on the one hand, from the problem-oriented, delimit the city physical examination unit, and find the urgent problems around the masses; On the other hand, starting from the goal orientation, we find the weaknesses that affect the competitiveness, bearing capacity and sustainable development of the city. The problem of urban physical examination is the focus of urban renewal. It is necessary to formulate special urban renewal plans and annual implementation plans according to the results of urban physical examination, adhere to government guidance, market operation, and public participation, steadily implement urban renewal actions, and systematically promote the management of "urban diseases". At the same time, we will speed up reform and innovation, improve financial, fiscal, taxation, land and other supporting policies, and establish urban renewal systems and mechanisms that meet the requirements of high-quality development.

Promoting green and low-carbon development. Cities are important fronts for building a beautiful China, and the concept of green and low-carbon development should run through all aspects and the whole process of urban development. Efforts should be made to improve blue and green space, continue to promote the security of urban water supply, sponge city construction, urban waterlogging control and other work, improve the level of urban landscaping, promote the opening and sharing of parks and green Spaces, and better meet the new needs and expectations of the public for leisure and recreation and close to nature. Promote green building materials, green construction, and green buildings in an integrated manner, and comprehensively promote energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector. We will speed up the improvement of domestic sewage collection and treatment facilities, and vigorously improve black and odorous water bodies in county-level cities. Persevere in garbage classification, strengthen publicity and mobilization, guide the participation of the whole people, improve the long-term mechanism, and promote garbage classification to become a new fashion for low-carbon life.

We will continue to empower culture, science and technology. Culture and technology are the inexhaustible driving forces of urban development. It is necessary to continue to protect and revitalize historic districts and buildings, change the "demolition, renovation and demolition" into "retention, renovation and demolition", do not arbitrarily change old place names, do not destroy the traditional pattern of the old city and the fabric of streets, so that people can remember history and remember nostalgia, and let history and culture and modern life integrate and complement each other. Put scientific and technological innovation in a more prominent position in urban work, continue to consolidate and improve the world's leading technology, focus on overcoming "bottleneck" technology, vigorously promote the application of practical technologies for the people, and vigorously promote the construction of new urban infrastructure based on digitalization, networking and intelligence. Let the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G), the Internet of Things and other modern information technologies into homes, buildings, and communities, build digital homes, smart communities, and smart cities, and make cities smarter and smarter.

Strengthen the bottom line of quality and safety. Security is the premise of development, and development is the guarantee of security. The quality of construction is related to the safety of people's lives and property, and the future and inheritance of the city. It is necessary to take comprehensive measures from the aspects of implementing the responsibilities of all parties, promoting scientific and technological progress, cultivating industrial workers, using market mechanisms, strengthening regulatory forces, and punishing in accordance with laws and regulations, and make great efforts to improve the engineering quality assurance system. Accelerate the construction of urban lifeline safety projects, and conduct real-time monitoring of urban lifelines such as water supply, drainage, gas, heat, Bridges, and pipe corridors through digital means, so as to detect and control risks early, and improve urban security capabilities. We will continue to do a good job in building construction safety, existing housing safety, gas safety, flood season safety and other work, prevent all kinds of accidents, and create a safe and stable social environment for the people.

Improve urban governance. Whether the city's work is done well, whether the people are satisfied with it, whether life is convenient, and whether the city's management and services are important criteria. It is necessary to promote local urban management departments to assume the responsibilities of the office of the Urban Management Commission, give full play to the overall coordination and supervision and service role of comprehensive law enforcement, promote information sharing and resource sharing among relevant departments of urban management, and form a joint work force. We will innovate urban management methods and means, accelerate the construction of urban transport service platforms, form a platform system of inter-connectivity, data synchronization and business coordination at the ministerial, provincial and municipal levels, promote the operation of "one-network management" in cities, and strive to build a new model of modern urban governance. Continue to strengthen the construction of urban management law enforcement teams, consolidate the results of the "strong foundation, change style, tree image" special action, and comprehensively improve the law enforcement service capabilities and levels of urban management teams.

Strengthen international exchanges and cooperation. Strengthening and deepening international exchanges and cooperation in the field of cities is an important measure to promote the sustainable development of China's cities and contribute China's strength to the cause of global habitat. It is necessary to deepen cooperation with UN-Habitat in an all-round way, give full play to the platform role of World Cities Day, support the selection of the first Global Sustainable Development City Award (Shanghai Award), and promote the better implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and global development initiatives by global cities. We will expand international partnerships in an all-round way, carry out extensive multilateral and bilateral cooperation in urban areas, establish a China-Asean construction ministers' exchange mechanism, steadily advance China-Russia cooperation in construction and urban development, and summarize and promote the experience of China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and other key international cooperation. We will further strengthen in-depth cooperation with countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road", and promote the "going out" of enterprises and construction standards in the construction field.