Wujing Community Redevelopment Project Nearing Completion

The long-awaited redevelopment project at 5530 Longwu Road in Minhang District's Wujing Town will finish the final two batches of handover before the 2026 Spring Festival, benefiting 2,115 households.

The Wujing Residential Area, built in 1958, houses Shanghai Carbon Plant workers. Residents have struggled with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, limited living space and aging infrastructure after 60 years in use.

The redevelopment project, the biggest and most challenging of its kind in Minhang, aims to resolve these issues, replacing the old complex with separate kitchens and bathrooms, spacious living areas and fully equipped residential spaces.

Xu Xiangqing, 72, lived in Block 29, in one of three self-contained flats in the building.

However, as the number of residents grew, living standards for the whole block deteriorated due to issues such as rubbish accumulation on the ground floor and rodent infestations.

Though his living conditions were not the worst among the neighbors, he was the first to approve the redevelopment to improve every one's life.

He now is moving from his 90-square-meter home to a 120-square-meter flat with a customized renovation plan. Additional bathrooms and a larger kitchen were added. He will earn a new property certificate.

The nearby station for the Metro Line 23 will also make public transportation more convenient in the future.

Over 1,800 of 2,115 households must relocate temporarily for this redevelopment project.

Wujing Town authorities and the neighborhood committee have taken steps to ease residents' transition.

During the shifting, Xu lived with his son for two years. Wujing Town authorities paid moving expenses, relocation and house-moving incentives, and monthly rental subsidies.

The Ma Huifang family spent two Spring Festivals in a temporary home. Despite receiving the rental subsidy on time, she had to pay some of the rent. Since she wanted to return home sooner, she felt relieved when she got the keys to the renovated flat.

Over 50 percent of residents are 60 or older, many with mobility issues, and many have household items. Wujing government officials organized two large warehouses for furniture, groceries and other items.

The neighborhood committee has solved practical relocation and renovation issues for 83 households, and residents value their meticulous service.

"Neighborhood renovation isn't merely demolition and rebuilding; it must preserve the historical memory of old neighborhoods while providing facilities that meet modern living needs," said a Wujing government official.

The government has tailored its approach to each household and fulfilled residents' wishes.

Internal renovations meet housing needs, but supporting facility upgrades boost residents' comfort. The projects include expanding parking, improving greenery, refurbishing playgrounds and creating elderly care centers. These have energized the neighborhood.

The residential complex had just over 180 parking spaces before the renovation.

Through the strategic reallocation of public areas, the residential complex will accommodate 500 to 600 parking spaces once the renovation is complete, which will ensure more organized vehicle management in the future.

Delicate pruning and relocation work were performed on more than 1,000 camphor and osmanthus trees, each with a trunk diameter exceeding 20 centimeters, to ensure these trees would continue to embody the memories of the residents of this complex.

The children's playgrounds also underwent refurbishment so that they will become a joyful space for the young.

Public infrastructure such as the rainwater and sewage pipes and power and telecommunication cables has also been comprehensively renewed.

The communal bathhouse will be decommissioned and will be transformed into a 1,000-square-meter integrated elderly care service center.

Altogether 30 lifts will be added to the residential buildings.

A new electrical substation has been constructed to ensure a stable power supply for residents upon reoccupation.

The redevelopment project is now nearing completion, and by the first half of 2026, all the renovations for the supportive infrastructure across the complex will be completed.