Minhang's 15th Five-Year Plan to Focus on Urban Renewal, New-Quality Productive Forces

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Minhang District will closely align with its development positioning as a modern central urban area and a key stronghold for new-quality productive forces.

In accordance with national and Shanghai-level directives on urban renewal, and taking into account the district's practical needs – such as the tightening supply of construction land and the urgent need to enhance spatial quality and functional amenities – Minhang will focus on the development theme of "harnessing new-quality productive forces to transform growth drivers, and optimising space to enhance quality," thereby carrying out high-quality urban renewal initiatives across the district.

It will establish a "3+3+3" modern industrial system, comprising three leading industries, three competitive industries and three emerging future industries.

The three leading industries are advanced energy equipment and green low-carbon technologies, aerospace, and biomedicine. The district will strengthen new-generation electronic information, artificial intelligence and fashionable consumer goods as its three competitive industries, while developing future space, future energy and future health as new growth engines.

Pujiang's geographical advantages

The 15th Five-Year Plan period marks a critical phase for Shanghai as it accelerates its development into a socialist modern international metropolis of global influence.

According to Minhang's urban renewal plan during the period, it plans to create an innovative, cultural and vibrant urban district.

While advancing the regeneration and refurbishment of older neighborhoods, it's taking a systematic and comprehensive approach, coordinating efforts to build good residential complexes and a favorable living environment, as well as high quality urban districts, thereby achieving a marked enhancement in the city's dynamism and vitality.

The focus is to transform Minhang into a functional hub, a zone for innovative practice and a model of livability, thereby propelling the district's high-quality development as a modern central urban area characterized by innovation, openness, ecological and cultural richness, and livability, as well as a key stronghold for new-quality productive forces.

It will spare no effort in advancing the connectivity of the Huangpu River waterfront, creating a waterfront landscape characterized by "scenic spots, linear corridors, shaded networks, forested areas and integrated spatial planning".

The 15th Five-Year Plan period also represents a strategic window of opportunity for the "Greater Pujiang" region (Pujiang Town and Pujin Subdistrict) to capitalize on the momentum and achieve leapfrog development.

In eastern Minhang, the "Greater Pujiang" regional plan identifies Pujiang Town and Pujin Subdistrict as important areas for coordinated industrial, urban and rural development. The region is expected to strengthen its role in industrial growth and technology commercialization, linking with Grand NeoBay and Shanghai's broader innovation network.

Minhang also holds a rare geographical distinction as the only district in Shanghai with territory spanning both sides of the Huangpu River. The geographical advantages, which also links to the Pudong New Area and the Yangtze River Delta region, will be fully utilized.

The basic framework of "Prosperity along the Pujiang, Livability in Pujin" will be largely established, and the strategic standing of the "Greater Pujiang" as a growth pole for eastern Minhang and a pilot zone for urban-rural integration will be significantly enhanced.

Cooperation and coordination with other downtown districts such as Pudong and the Hongqiao area will become increasingly close.

The capacity and efficiency of major transport linkages will be significantly enhanced, and the density of the regional road network has been further improved.

The region is also expected to take the lead in urban-rural integration. Minhang is advancing comprehensive rural revitalization with a focus on the region south of the Dazhi River to further accelerate the transition from a dual urban-rural structure towards integrated development, and it's expected to serve as a model of best practice for urban-rural integration within Shanghai.

On the east side, through its close link with Pudong, it will proactively link up with businesses in the region and the Zhangjiang Science City, with a focus on promoting synergy within the Pujiang-Zhoupu-Kangqiao-Hangtou urban cluster, while taking on the pilot-scale production and mass manufacturing functions of Zhangjiang Science City in sectors such as biopharmaceuticals and high-end equipment.

On the north side, the district will leverage the Hongqiao International Central Business District to establish a gateway corridor for Yangtze River Delta integration, promoting the efficient flow of resources and complementary functions across the entire district.

It will strive to create an innovative, culturally vibrant district with new office buildings that are suitable for industry development and plenty of commercial area fit for urban living at the same time.

Area of underutilized industrial land would be revitalized and old neighborhoods would also be upgraded and refurbished.

By 2030, a pattern of coordinated east-west development and innovation-driven openness will be largely established in the "Greater Pujiang" region, with significant achievements in high-quality development.

Efforts will be accelerated to establish a linkage between the Zhangjiang area and the "Greater Pujiang" region so that the commercialization process will take place in the Grand NeoBay area.

Minhang's ties with Jiao Tong University

Minhang, which hosts leading universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and East China Normal University, also places great emphasis on linking with science and technology innovation resources.

It will establish a full-chain collaborative mechanism that links universities, local government, industry parks and enterprises, thereby promoting the in-depth integration of industry, academia, research and commercial application.

Backed by the Pujiang Technology Transfer Industrial Park operated by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Technology Transfer Centre, the district will enhance functions such as proof-of-concept and pilot-scale testing platforms, whilst strengthening professional services, including project evaluation, process optimization and engineering scale-up.

A series of distinctive talent initiatives would be organized while providing regular employment guidance, supply-and-demand matchmaking sessions, and support for talent-led innovation and entrepreneurship, thereby facilitating the flow of university talent into regional enterprises.

A traditional Chinese painting titled "Peach Blossoms Fill the Courtyard in Praise of Jiao Tong University" was gifted to the university by the district just before the 130th anniversary of the founding of the university earlier this year.

It's a heartfelt tribute to the university, and also reflects the deep integration of the campus, the industry park, and the urban environment and the city, which is becoming the core engine driving urban transformation and economic development.

Universities are known to play a vital role in scientific and technological innovation, promoting deep integration of industry, academia, and research, and enabling innovative achievements to be transformed into real productive forces more quickly.

The nearly 40-year cooperation between Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Minhang District profoundly illustrates this concept.

According to Ding Kuiling, president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the city serves as the backbone of the university, and the university is an engine of urban and industrial development.

The transformation from scientific and technological innovations to real-world viable commercial solutions requires an effective and robust innovation ecosystem.

The total valuation of enterprises started by Shanghai Jiao Tong alumni and entrepreneurs and incubated in Minhang exceeds 50 billion yuan (US$7.47 billion), and an all-around university-government collaboration mechanism was put in place to ensure precise matching of innovation resources with regional needs.

Lu Fangzhou, secretary of the Minhang District Committee of the Communist Party of China, pledged further collaboration in terms of science and technology innovation and a deeper linkage between the campus, Zizhu High-Tech Park and the urban landscape.