Shanghai, September 2 (Xinhua) — "We've been waiting and waiting for this day, and now we've finally chosen our own home. I'm so excited!" Aunt Zhang, who originally lived in Pengyi Residential Quarter in Pengpu Xincun Subdistrict, told reporters with a big smile on the 2nd that she and her old neighbors had just selected their new homes.

　　On the 2nd, at the launch ceremony of the lottery-based home selection for residents of the old housing complete-set renovation project in Pengyi Residential Quarter, Jing'an District, Shanghai, 2,110 households who had been resettled elsewhere during the transition selected their homes in an orderly manner. The new homes will be completed in the first half of 2025, and Pengyi Residential Quarter will become the largest demolished-and-rebuilt high-rise residential quarter in Shanghai.

The launch ceremony for the lottery-based home selection by residents of the old housing complete-set renovation project in Pengyi Residential Quarter, Jing'an District, Shanghai, was held on the 2nd.

　　It is understood that Pengyi Residential Quarter, whose construction began in 1958, is the birthplace of the entire Pengpu Xincun area. It originally had 40 old residential buildings and is currently the non-complete-set old housing quarter in all of Shanghai with the largest building volume, the largest number of resident households, the most complex circumstances, and the highest renovation difficulty among non-complete-set demolition-and-reconstruction projects. "From the day the old houses were torn down, I would go around near the construction site every so often to see how the buildings were coming along, just waiting to move back as soon as possible!" said Aunt Zhang. Now, Aunt Zhang and her old neighbors' dream is about to come true.

On September 2, residents happily discussed their future lives in front of the planning map.

　　It is reported that the demolished-and-rebuilt Pengyi Residential Quarter will, in addition to 17 new high-rise elevator residential buildings, also include a two-story underground parking garage with nearly 1,700 parking spaces; a six-story community nursing home with 172 beds, which will make it the largest demolished-and-rebuilt high-rise residential quarter in Shanghai. The quarter will also include a newly built community comprehensive service complex of more than 20,000 square meters integrating multiple functions; a newly built pedestrian overpass will lead directly to the subway station. After the housing is renovated for exclusive use, residents can enjoy housing reform policies: converting rented public housing into post-sale property-rights housing.

　　The Pengpu Xincun Subdistrict in Jing'an District said on the same day that Pengpu Xincun, built from the 1950s to the 1960s and including several residential quarters such as Pengyi Residential Quarter, originally had 102 non-complete-set old public housing buildings and is one of the earliest workers' new villages built in Shanghai. Back then, in order to solve housing for more workers, several households lived together in one apartment, resulting in shared kitchens and bathrooms. After years of change, the buildings are now long neglected and lack maintenance, and aging infrastructure such as sewers has brought great inconvenience to residents' lives.

　　It is understood that the Pengyi Residential Quarter project officially began construction on December 22, 2021. Xin Tieniu, a resident of Pengyi Residential Quarter, told reporters on the 2nd that three years ago the quarter was dilapidated, crowded and messy, with bumpy ground and corridors piled with clutter; residents had to arrange a "schedule" with their neighbors in advance to use the kitchen and bathroom.

On the 2nd, residents came one after another to select their homes.

　　During interviews, reporters learned that since the launch of complete-set renovation work in 2005, government departments in Jing'an District, Shanghai, have focused on livelihood challenges such as "the elderly, the young, the old, and the remote," and have continuously explored and innovated models for renewing and renovating old housing in light of actual conditions. Previously, Pengsan Residential Quarter in the jurisdiction of Pengpu Xincun Subdistrict tried the "demolition and reconstruction" approach in its renovation. It is reported that through "demolition and reconstruction," residents can not only live in new homes but also continue to be neighbors with old friends. In terms of the exterior appearance of the new homes, the design units and others maintained the style and preserved the era imprint of the "workers' new village."

　　The Pengpu Xincun Subdistrict said on the same day that Pengyi Residential Quarter originally had 282 types of apartment layouts, and even after consolidation there were still 94 types. The design units and the subdistrict spent a year discussing together and made nearly 20 major revisions before the final version was settled.

　　It is reported that Pengyi Residential Quarter is the last non-complete-set residential quarter in Pengpu Xincun Subdistrict. With the completion of the new homes in Pengyi Residential Quarter next year, non-complete-set old housing in the Pengpu Xincun area will completely disappear, and the subdistrict's old housing renovation will come to a successful conclusion.