How to advance urban renewal projects in a densely built-up area with limited land resources has always been a challenge to Luohu, the first district founded in Shenzhen.

The urban renewal projects must be conducive to maintaining the warmth of the home, memory of the city, humanistic care for the people and beauty of nature, noted Luo Yude, district Party chief, adding that the use of space and land must be efficient, multi-functional and low-carbon focused.

In recent years, the district has been trying to improve the overall bearing capacity of its urban area and increase the turnout per unit area of land through constantly improving its institutional system, optimizing services, and creating fresh urban space. It has explored a new path of land use in a densely built-up area, making its reconstruction of the old city more sustainable.

Luohu covers an area of 78.75 square kilometers, of which the built-up area is 35.08 sq. km., and the rest a nature reserve. In its built-up area, old industrial, commercial, and residential areas and villages cover 8.3 sq. km.

This means the district only has 0.31 sq. km. of vacant land that can be used for new projects.

And due to the limited land, some enterprises have shown an increasingly strong desire to relocate to other places where there is enough land for their expansion.

“We have to seek increment from the stock, and pursue development from urban renewal,” said Chen Leifeng, chief of Luohu District Bureau of Urban Planning and Land Resources.

Following the instruction of the municipal authorities, he said, Luohu started large-scale urban renewal projects in 2015, and between 2017 and 2018, the district formed a new project administrative system, and publishing detailed regulations on implementation.

It piloted efficient land use projects in 2019, and explored new ways on natural resources management last year.

Luohu combines urban renewal projects with shantytown renovation endeavors so that all relevant work, ranging from pollution treatment and flood control to pipe network reconstruction and transportation facility upgrading, are being carried out at the same time.

Over the past five years, Luohu has formed a new development pattern featuring a headquarters economy corridor, international consumption service core zone, cultural ecological leisure zone, Shenzhen-Hong Kong port economic belt, Dawutong emerging industrial belt and Hongling emerging industrial belt.

At the same time, Luohu has conducted ecological restoration in the Bijiashan and Qingshui rivers and Dawang Reservoir, and the construction of a sponge city.