Shanghai unveils 31 life improvement projects to accomplish in 2018

Shanghai has raised bars for the city, announcing 31 life improvement projects to accomplish in 2018. The city government declared the completion of projects as its prime goal this year. 

The projects cover senior care, environment, public security, traffic, medical treatment, and other areas that affect citizens’ daily lives, it announced yesterday.

The projects which the city government aims to accomplish in 2018 include increasing 7,000 beds in senior homes and opening 500 “Love Summer Care” camps for primary school students. Another 1,000 beds will be renovated for seniors suffering from dementia and 80 senior daycare service centers will be built.

The city aims to open 20 community-based care centers for young children and 1,000 “love relay stations” providing rest places for outdoor workers such as sanitation workers and traffic police assistants.

Other projects include renovation of old housing covering nearly 3 million square meters, upgrading of sewage treatment facilities and improvement of drainage systems on 11 streets in downtown Shanghai.

Furthermore, the water supply facilities for suburban households will be improved, and 2,000 service stations collecting recyclable resources will be built. Fifty road congestion spots will be eased and seven first aid stations will be constructed.

The city will also install 118 smart security check systems in various areas, and add or renovate fire prevention facilities in 80 old residential complexes this year.

It will add some 400,000 square meters of vertical greenery and will construct 200 kilometers of greenway in 2018. There will be 80 additional jogging and walking paths and 60 new or renovated sports fields by the end of this year.

Last year, the city fulfilled 10 life improvement projects in such areas as senior care, environment and urban operations. The satisfaction score among residents was 90.9, up 1.8 percentage points from 2016.

Amid a rapidly expanding elderly population, some 127 small-scale community-based senior care homes, which provided short term services, had been built in the city by the end of last year. These centers have 10 to 49 beds and mainly serve those living alone or suffering from physical disabilities. They also provide short-term care for seniors who develop illnesses and don’t have 24-hour care at home.

A newly built community-based senior care home at Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict in Huangpu District has 28 beds, and 16 seniors have been living there. It opened last December to provide medical care and use smart technology for the improved care for residents.

“With a simple click, seniors are able to talk with doctors directly and seek medical treatment, and chat with families,” said Gu Dingyun who works at the Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict work committee.

“The smart installation can provide real-time videos, allowing seniors’ children to check on their parents’ situation. It can also alert nursing workers in cases of emergency,” she said.

Peng Xiulan, 75, who lives 10 minutes’ walk away from the facility is one of the first residents here. She broke her left arm about half a month ago.

“I am very happy living here,” said Peng. “The senior home relieves the burden of my children taking care of me, and its meals are rich and nutritious and its hardware and services are both satisfactory.”

“Such community-based facilities offer a good solution for downtown areas, where there is a big demand for senior care homes, yet lack of space,” said Tao Jiming, director of the social welfare department of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. “Seniors want to stay at environments they are familiar with. Therefore, such facilities satisfy this kind of demand.”

The number of people aged 60 or above had reached 4.58 million in the city by the end of 2016, or 31.6 percent of permanent residents.

Last year, the city added 7,088 beds for seniors, alongside 81 senior daycare service centers. Another 54 senior homes have included medical treatment units.

In terms of old community renovation, more than 1,000 households in Xichengli neighborhood are the beneficiaries. The 92-year-old neighborhood in the Hengfu (Hengshan Road and Fuxing Road) historical protection zone is home to 15 cultural relics such as the former residence of artist Zhang Daqian. As a typical Laochengxiang, or Old Town, its housing units were crowded and old, with shared toilets and kitchens and shortage of necessary facilities. The renovation gave the neighborhood a brand-new look last year.

“The approach is to improve the living environment of residents but protect the historical flavor of these stone-gated houses at the same time,” said Li Sun, director of the Huangpu District Housing Management Bureau.

After the renovation, most households got private toilets. Shared kitchens, walls and roads have been refurbished. Leaking roofs have been fixed, and old doors have been replaced.