This year marks the fifth anniversary of the proposal of the "People's City" concept. As the birthplace of this concept, Yangpu is witnessing the vigorous development of the digital economy and the vibrant pulse of life. Let's experience this increasingly "YOUNG" People's City together...

On August 14, Xinhua Net launched a report titled "Decoding Streets and Towns | Revisiting 228: Seeing the Workers' New Village Again, Showcasing the People's City Once More," focusing on how Changbai 228 Block transformed from a former workers' new village into today's "People's City model room." Let's take a look at the detailed report ↓

In the eyes of writers, Yangpu, which was once an old industrial base of Shanghai, was crisscrossed by "poor streets." It was "the corner of the corner, the square of the corner." The residents living in Changbai New Village Street never imagined that the former clusters of simple "20,000 households" could one day become Shanghai's new internet celebrity check-in point, public service hub, and trendsetting lifestyle landmark.

Walking into the Workers' New Village Exhibition Hall in 228 Block, the scenes of history intertwine before our eyes: This was once a workers' new village built after the liberation to solve the housing difficulties of workers for the founding of New China, carrying the struggle and memories of a generation. Under the waves of history, the "20,000 households" rose and fell with the upgrading and transformation of Shanghai's industrial economy. Now, after the metamorphosis, 228 Block has become a "People's City model room" that has emerged from history. Under the red roofs and pink walls, each brick and tile contains history, displays the present, and foresees the future.

The "20,000 Households" of Yesterday, the "New World" of Today

"Yangpu's New World" — at the entrance of the Workers' New Village Exhibition Hall in 228 Block, a visitor wrote this sigh on the message board.

In the past, our district was filled with the roar of machines, gathering numerous steel, textile, and chemical enterprises. After the founding of New China, the central government proposed to "solve the housing problem of workers in big cities." Thus, the "20,000 households" of workers' housing were born.

With the adjustment of Shanghai's industrial structure, a large number of factories in our district became history. Accompanying this, after the industrial relocation, a series of old streets formed a huge contrast with Shanghai's rapid development, becoming the "forgotten corners" of the city.

Inconvenience and difficulties became increasingly prominent. "Termites and mice often held meetings, making it hard to eat." In 2016, 228 Block was listed as a Shanghai urban renewal project, and more than 300 households of residents hoped to completely bid farewell to the days of shared kitchens and hygiene rooms.

In just 106 days, through three 100% successful acquisitions, the "20,000 households" in Shanghai came to an end. Soon after, Shanghai's guiding ideology for urban old district transformation shifted from "demolition, renovation, and preservation, with demolition as the main approach" to "preservation, renovation, and demolition, with preservation and protection as the main approach."

After several planning adjustments, the historical features and spatial characteristics of the iconic red roofs and pink walls of the "20,000 households" in 228 Block were fully preserved. In the middle is a large lawn of about 3,000 square meters. The brand-new buildings are equipped with "five suitable" functions such as public services, community commerce, talent apartments, fitness, and entertainment, which can serve the surrounding population of 100,000.

In early 2023, after the project was initially completed, Changbai New Village Sub-district distributed 1,300 survey questionnaires to surrounding community residents to listen to residents' suggestions. On the basis of preserving historical features, community canteens, clean vegetable supermarkets, affordable fitness facilities, and public green spaces all became high-frequency words selected by residents.

In the end, with the efforts of all parties, the concerns of the residents were addressed and turned into reality. While preserving the urban texture and retaining the "nostalgia," 228 Block introduced inclusive people's livelihood functions for surrounding residents, creating a "15-minute community life circle," making up for historical shortcomings, and achieving the goal of "recreating the features, reshaping the functions, and re-endowing value."

Li Fang, secretary of the Party General Branch of the No. 2 Residents' Area of Changbai New Village Sub-district (the former residents' area where 228 Block is located), introduced that as one of Shanghai's first batch of urban renewal demonstration projects, 228 Block has set out towards becoming a "People's City model room" with an organic renewal model of functional replacement, preservation, and protection.

An "Internet Celebrity Check-in Point" and a Residents' Life Circle

Walking into 228 Block, one can feel the remarkable difference between this internet celebrity check-in point and other commercial complexes:

Young people walk around the city while holding various devices to shoot vlogs. Here, you can check in and try the viral malted milk white coffee from Australia that has gained immense popularity on Xiaohongshu, and you can also taste various internet celebrity delicacies. At night, the Western restaurants, bars, and Japanese restaurants are packed with guests, and the white-collar workers from the talent apartments gather together to relax.

During the day, residents come to rest and relax around the central green space in an endless stream. The elderly gather in groups of three or five, and children run and play on the lawn. Next to it, in the Panda Canteen, a neighborly small kitchen, 100 dishes are provided every day for citizens to choose from, with 80% of the dishes priced between 6 and 15 yuan. Even before lunchtime, the elderly and surrounding white-collar workers have already formed a long queue at the door.

Sun Hui, secretary of the Party Working Committee of Changbai New Village Sub-district, mentioned a detail: At first, the store rented for the community's elderly canteen was not at a prime location. Considering that location is very important for catering, and to let the elderly walk fewer steps to dine, after discussion among multiple parties, the canteen was placed on the street. This not only brought today's customer flow to the canteen but also allowed more passing residents to find it at a glance. "Building an urban governance community where everyone participates, everyone is responsible, everyone contributes, and everyone shares is the direction of our efforts," Sun Hui said.

People of different ages can enjoy a relaxed and comfortable life in 228 Block. Behind this is the focus on both the redesign of physical spaces and the innovative iteration of software support in the process of urban renewal.

"It looks lively on the outside, but the internal mechanism is more important." A responsible person from the Changbai New Village Sub-district Office said that the experience of 228 Block lies in letting multiple interest subjects participate in governance and operation together, embarking on a new path of "commerce + public welfare."

Due to limited opening hours, some community gyms are sparsely populated on weekdays. However, the Community Sports Fitness Center in 228 Block is open until 10 pm, with a monthly card price of RMB 99. During the day, the silver-haired generation takes brisk walks on the treadmills; at night, white-collar workers gather here to "roll up their sleeves" for fitness.

Using limited government funds on the cutting edge, choosing viable business formats and high-standard operation entities, and combining them with public welfare service content to form a virtuous interaction. From branded catering and bars to cafes and gyms, the investment attraction standards of 228 Block can be benchmarked against many first-class commercial districts in Shanghai. The service quality of life has improved, yet the prices remain very people-friendly.

From the radiation scope of a 15-minute walk, in addition to the sub-district where it is located, 228 Block also covers the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, as well as the surrounding Yanji Sub-district, Dinghai Sub-district, and others, benefiting nearly 100,000 people nearby.

Li Fang said that strolling in 228 Block, seeing children running and playing freely on the central lawn, that sense of pride and happiness naturally arises.

Building a Hub in the "Four Centers," Zero-Distance Services for the People

Extending from 228, not far away, the "Four Centers" is the cultural focal point of Changbai.

"Going to the 'Four Centers' for coffee in the afternoon"—

The "Four Centers" often mentioned by the residents of Changbai New Village Sub-district is the abbreviation for the integrated body of the Changbai New Village Sub-district Community Party-Masses Service Center, the New Era Civilization Practice Center, the Community Affairs Acceptance Service Center, and the Community Cultural Activity Center.

In Li Fang's view, the key to the "Four Centers" attracting people every day is that the grassroots functional departments have opened their doors along the street. When the people come here to handle affairs, they can truly find the building easily and enter the door smoothly.

On the first floor of the Acceptance Service Center, residents can enjoy the convenient services of "one-stop acceptance," "GOVERNMENT ONLINE-OFFLINE SHANGHAI," and "one-click self-service." A 24-hour "GOVERNMENT ONLINE-OFFLINE SHANGHAI" self-service area has been added on-site, and an intelligent document cabinet is also equipped. Even outside the reception hours of the Acceptance Center, it can still effectively interact and communicate with residents who come to handle affairs, realizing a new model of "faceless processing." And the entire building, in addition to breaking through physical partitions, has also made the overall service process transparent, streamlined, and convenient.

From the perspective of citizens' experience, the reason why the "Four Centers" can make the surrounding residents "walk in, sit down, and want to come again" lies in its secret of integrating the service management functions of the grassroots government with the entertainment and leisure requirements of the surrounding residents: Coming here to process various matters, not only are the service windows open and people-friendly, and the processing procedures simplified, but also the coffee shops, caring service stations, and resting areas are all within reach. While waiting, the libraries and gyms upstairs and downstairs can provide affordable services.

"Walking into the 'Four Centers,' serving a group of people, warming a community, our objective is to build this place into a cozy home for the residents," Sun Hui said.