After decades of sharing kitchens and bathrooms with neighbors, Zhu Guoli now lives in a newly renovated apartment equipped with a separate kitchen and a private bathroom in Huangpu District, one of Shanghai's oldest urban areas.

Zhu's home is part of an urban renewal project that has transformed the Shimin Xincun residential community in Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict.

Four residential buildings in the community, originally built in the 1950s, had serious safety concerns and lacked proper sanitary facilities. Several households used to share kitchens and bathrooms.

Under the city's urban renewal program, the old buildings were demolished and rebuilt with modern facilities, including separate kitchens and private bathrooms in apartments, elevators, an underground parking garage and an all-age activity zone. These upgrades have significantly improved living conditions for residents.

Huangpu District launched the renovation project in October 2022. The newly completed homes were delivered to residents early this year.

"The new apartments all have private bathrooms and kitchens, and the community also provides complete supporting facilities, greatly improving our quality of life. I truly feel that life holds brighter prospects ahead," Zhu said.

In the past, three households shared a kitchen and 10 households shared a bathroom, according to Zhu.

Beyond housing upgrades, the project has introduced a comprehensive service station that offers one-stop services, including community administration, property management and consultations on elderly care, legal affairs and healthcare.

According to Xia Lingxia, Party chief of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, the project set five records compared with similar urban renewal projects in Shanghai, including resident participation and overall project progress.

Huangpu has a high concentration of aging residential buildings. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the district completed a large-scale renovation of old residential areas involving over 37,000 households, despite a heavy urban renewal workload featuring great complexity and tough challenges.

Across Shanghai, urban renewal through the renovation of old neighborhoods represents a long-term initiative.

From 1992 to 2000, the city renovated 3.65 million square meters of dilapidated shanty housing. By July 2022, Shanghai had finished the large-scale renovation of old residential areas.

From 2023 to September 2025, Shanghai completed the renovations of 14,000 households that previously lacked private toilets, addressing the long-standing practice of carrying chamber pots in the old urban neighborhoods.

Shanghai's urban renewal efforts reflect a broader national push to upgrade aging housing to improve residents' living conditions.

China has pledged to build modernized cities for its people, with the renovation of old residential communities being an important part of this effort.

Under China's urban renewal plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), released by the State Council in May, the country aims to build its cities into places that ensure a high quality of life for the people by 2030.

The plan outlines concrete targets for this period, including the renovation of 500,000 units of dilapidated urban housing, 4,000 shanty towns and 115,000 old urban residential communities.