China will strengthen the integration of planning and land policies to support urban renewal, according to a document released recently by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The policy guidance focuses on supporting urban renewal from two aspects by planning guidance and policy integration to ensure that it plays a leading role in planning, stimulating the vitality of urban renewal, and at the same time, giving full play to the effectiveness of policy integration to break through the bottleneck of urban renewal.
In terms of urban renewal methods, the policy guidelines propose to adopt renewal methods such as protection and inheritance, rectification and improvement, renovation and upgrading, redevelopment, and micro renovation, while also clarifying their applicable conditions.
In response to the renovation of old factory areas and industrial parks, the new policies encourage transformation and upgrading to new industries, new formats, and new uses by exploring new types of industrial land.
In terms of the renewal of old commercial districts and traditional commercial districts, the policies require focus on retaining characteristic business formats, upgrading original business formats by implanting new business formats, and integrating new functions to promote the diversified development of commercial services and consumption levels.
“Some cities have turned idle and abandoned boiler rooms, coal yards, and other facilities into convenient service centers that radiate to multiple communities, introducing core needs of residents such as vegetable markets, canteens, and convenient services. At the same time, cultural and sports elements are also integrated to create libraries and sports centers in the neighborhood,” said Yang Jun, Deputy Director of the Land and Space Planning Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
In terms of the period for land use, in order to meet market demand and industrial development needs, the new policies encourage flexible determination of land transfer period and lease term in the urban renewal process by considering using less than the statutory maximum transfer period or lease term to supply industrial land, and allow for renewal as needed.
“Regional governments should actively explore differentiated planning and land policy requirements that adapt to the new characteristics of urban renewal, fully stimulate the willingness of diverse entities to renew, encourage the establishment of diverse cooperation models for urban renewal, and use national spatial planning to help promote the implementation of urban renewal,” said Yang Jun.
