Relocation begins for last remaining North Bund neighborhood
Residents squeezed in crammed quarters at an old apartment on the North Bund in Hongkou District.
Residents from more than 6,000 households will soon begin relocating from the last remaining massive derelict neighborhood on the North Bund waterfront in Hongkou District.
The neighborhood to the south of Kunming Road stands in the core area of the Huangpu River waterfront, where a new round of development has been launched as it aims to become a "global sitting room" of the city.
Residents have been living in the crammed quarters without private toilet or kitchen for decades. They will be relocated to modern high-rises in suburban districts with cash compensation and the region will be redeveloped in line with the future vision of the waterfront.
The district government announced the official beginning of the relocation campaign on Monday morning after 98.8 percent of the residents signed up to move elsewhere. The relocation is the largest scale project in Hongkou, with the biggest investment.
It also marks the completion of the relocation process from the massive old neighborhoods in poor condition on the North Bund which was initiated in 2003.
Around 21,000 households have been relocated from the old communities on the North Bund this year, more than the total number in the last eight years, according to the relocation office of Hongkou.
Residents celebrate the official beginning of their relocation from houses in poor conditions.
Yang Fengrong, 69, has been living in a 22-square-meter room in Lintong West Community with her husband and son since 1990. During the relocation campaign, she was assigned to move to an ideal new apartment under construction near Gucun Park.
"I have always wanted to move to the park because of the good ecological environment," said Yang.
"My husband and I have been accustomed to walking along the North Bund every night. We want a new place with similar ecological condition," she added.
Yang's neighbor Cai Xiulin, 67, said he had been waiting for the relocation for over three decades. After receiving cash compensation for his 25-square-meter apartment, he can finally move to live near his son's family in north Baoshan District.
"I spend four hours for a return trip to cook for my grandson several times a week," said Cai.
"I feel happy and grateful that I am relocating on the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China," he added.
Another senior resident Chen Weiren recalled the difficult life over the last six decades in the old neighborhood – the dark and damp apartment, with cracked walls and windows that can hardly be closed.
Chen served as a volunteer to explain the relocation policies and encouraged his neighbors to sign the deals early.
Yang Fengrong, 69, poses at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the relocation campaign.
A total of 118 retirees and neighborhood committee officials comprised a relocation team to explain policies and persuade residents to sign the agreements. Retired judges also offered free legal and mediation services for residents with family disputes.
According to the blueprint for the area in the east Tilanqiao region, a large piece of historical neighborhoods will be preserved with narrow streets and small blocks. All the old houses will be protected after the residents move out for an expert panel to decide the preservation plan, the district government said.
Shanghai is to renovate another 1.1 million square meters of decrepit old residential communities by 2022 with some structures to preserved to restore the city's traditional ambiance.
About 56,000 households will benefit, either being relocated to modern communities or returning to renovated houses with private facilities or better conditions.
Residents celebrate the official beginning of their relocation from houses in poor conditions.
Another 484,000 square meters of old neighborhoods will be renovated before the end of 2025 to benefit another 17,000 households, said Yao Kai, director of the city's Housing and Urban-rural Development Commission.
The city's ongoing Jiugai campaign, or renovation of old residential communities, has become the primary solution to improve living conditions, remove shantytowns and redevelop the region to help spur the city's economic growth.
The new-look North Bund, listed as a "new engine" of growth for Shanghai, includes a central business district with high-density office buildings and commercial facilities. The riverside region, covering about 4 square kilometers, will have the same high standards as those in the Lingang Special Area and the Pudong New Area in the east of Shanghai.
About 8.4 million square meters of new construction space has been planned for the waterfront, equivalent to the total amount of urban space in Lujiazui and on both sides of Century Avenue in Pudong. These include dozens of top-level office buildings, which will house about 100 headquarters of multinational firms, international organizations and functional institutes.
Residents celebrate the official beginning of their relocation with a drum performance.
Residents take photos at the relocation ceremony on Monday.
