Per capita floor area of Chinese urban residents exceeds 40 square meters

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) — The per capita floor space of Chinese urban residents had exceeded 40 square meters and the urban built-up area had reached 64,000 square kilometers by the end of 2023, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said Friday.
China’s urbanization rate of permanent residents hit 66.16 percent, with more than 930 million people living in urban areas by the end of last year, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development, told a press conference.
China has optimized its real estate policies, improved the housing security system and worked to meet the housing needs of all people, Ni said, adding that basic housing security has been achieved for low-income families facing housing difficulties.
The country has also implemented urban renewal initiatives to promote the high-quality development of the relevant sectors. Since 2019, China has started the renovation of 258,800 old urban residential communities, benefiting 44.34 million households and around 110 million residents, according to Qin Haixiang, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development.
At the same time, continuous efforts have been made to boost the construction of parks, green spaces and sports facilities near residential areas, making Chinese cities more livable, Qin noted.
In the future, China will establish a sustainable urban renewal model and policy regulations to create livable, resilient and smart cities for its citizens, the vice minister said. ■