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Shanghai's Old Downtown Revamped
The city has started another round of renovation covering a total of 15 million square metres of old downtown areas, according to the Municipal Construction and Management Commission.
The buildings to be renovated fall under the category of residential compounds built before 1930.
"It is important to residents that their living standards are improved and important for the city that it beautifies its image as an international centre," said Shen Zhengchao, director of the City Management Division of the commission.
Shen said the government has attached great significance to the project and is using new measures to implement the renovations.
With completion of Shang-hai's first round of new housing, which started in the early 1990s and was completed late last year, the living area per capita of local residents was improved from 4.5 square metres in 1978 to its present level of 10.2 square metres.
Shen said dangerous houses which still lie hidden in old lanes are to be dismantled because their structure and facilities do not meet the requirements of modern life.
The government is providing residents with proper compensation to move out of their old homes.
Houses in compounds which were built around the middle of last century will be renovated into flats rather than dismantled. Residents will be moved out temporarily while the houses are being upgraded.
One of the most obvious alterations will be that the flat roofs of old houses will be changed into sloping ones in order to beautify the buildings, prevent damp and reduce extreme summer and winter temperature changes in top floor flats.
According to the city plan, 1,500 buildings will be altered this year. "Buildings with special architectural characteristics or those of significance will be protected," Shen said.
Source: chinadaily.com.cn
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