China Issued Opinions on Continuously Promoting Urban Renewal Actions (Part 3)

3. Strengthening supporting safeguards

3.1 Establishing and improving urban renewal implementation mechanisms.

Innovate and improve demand-oriented, project-driven urban renewal institutional mechanisms. Comprehensively carry out urban physical examination and assessment, and establish a working path for identifying problems, solving problems, evaluating effects, and consolidating and upgrading. Based on territorial spatial planning, combined with the results of urban physical examination and assessment, formulate and implement special urban renewal plans, determine the goals of urban renewal actions, key tasks, construction projects and implementation timetables, establish and improve the planning and implementation system of “special planning, area planning and project implementation program”. Strengthen the guiding role of urban design in the implementation of urban renewal projects, and clarify the design management requirements for different scales of buildings, residential compounds, communities, urban areas and cities. Continuously improve the construction and implementation management system of projects adapted to urban renewal.

3.2 Improving land use policies.

Adhere to the principle of “projects follow the planning, land elements follow the projects”, strengthen land use support, establish and improve the land space use control and planning permit system covering the whole territory and all types, unified and articulated, coordinate the new and stock of construction land, and handle the adjustment of the land space planning in accordance with the procedures and laws. Promote the mixed development and utilization of land and the reasonable conversion of land uses in accordance with the law, clarify the positive and negative lists and control requirements for the conversion of land uses and compatible uses, and improved the transition period policy for the conversion of land uses. Activate the use of stock of inefficient land, improve the mechanism for the recovery of idle land use rights, and optimize the policies for the centralized transformation of fragmented land, transfer of floor area ratio or incentives. Support the use of stock of inefficient land for the construction of affordable housing, development of industries and improvement of public service facilities. Except where state-owned land use rights grant contracts stipulate, allocation land decisions require government reclamation, or laws/administrative regulations prohibit unauthorized transfers, holders of state-owned land use rights are encouraged to redevelop underutilized land through self-initiated or transferred, equity participation, joint operation methods following prescribed procedures. Optimize the rules for land price calculation. Promote the establishment of construction land use rights on the surface of the land, above or below the ground. Improve the real estate registration system related to urban renewal.

3.3 Establishing a whole-life cycle safety management system for buildings.

Implement the main and supervisory responsibilities for the safety of housing use, strengthen daily inspections and safety check-ups of housing safety, and promptly detect and dispose of hidden safety hazards. Explore market-oriented means to innovate housing quality and safety guarantee mechanisms. Improve the policy of special maintenance funds for residential buildings, and promote the establishment of a model for raising, managing and utilizing public funds for the safety management of existing buildings.

3.4 Improving diversified investment and financing methods.

Increase support such as investment within the central budget, and support eligible projects through ultra-long special treasury bonds. The central government finance should support the implementation of urban renewal actions. Local governments should increase financial input, promote the integration and integrated use of relevant funds, and support eligible urban renewal projects through the issuance of local government special bonds under the premise of controllable debt risks, and strictly prohibit illegal and irregular debt financing. Implement tax and fee reduction and exemption policies related to urban renewal. Encourage all kinds of financial institutions to actively participate in urban renewal on the premise of legal compliance, controllable risk and commercial sustainability, and strengthen credit support. Improve market-oriented investment and financing modes, attract social capital to participate in urban renewal, and promote the issuance of real estate investment trusts (REITs), asset securitization products, and corporate credit bonds for qualified projects in the infrastructure sector.

3.5 Establishing a sustainable model of urban renewal that is government-guided, market-operated and public-participated.

Maximize the role of sub-districts and communities, and mobilize the people to participate actively in urban renewal. Implement urban management initiatives in communities. Encourage property rights owners to renew on their own, support enterprises to revitalize idle and inefficient stock assets, and give better play to the role of state-owned capital as a driving force. Guide the participation of business entities, support the participation of multi-disciplinary professional forces and service organizations in urban renewal, and improve the system of expert participation in public decision-making. Establish and improve the construction, operation and governance institutions and mechanisms adapted to urban renewal. Strengthen the construction of social risk assessment, conflict resolution and disposal mechanism for urban renewal.

3.6 Improving regulations and standards.

Accelerate the legislative work related to urban renewal, and improve the laws and regulations on urban planning, construction, operation, governance and housing management. Improve the technical standards applicable to urban renewal, and formulate and revise the standards applicable to fire safety and supporting public facilities. Strengthen the construction of scientific and technological innovation capacity for urban renewal, vigorously research and develop new technologies, processes and materials, and accelerate the popularization and application of scientific and technological achievements.

Source：<https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/202505/content_7023880.htm>

Editor & Translator: Yin Dou