Qingdao makes great strides in urban renewal

BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

Qingdao city in East China's Shandong province recently held a news conference to highlight its achievements in urban renewal and construction.

Over the past two years, Qingdao has renovated historical areas, constructed transportation infrastructure and implemented a total of 2,157 projects. Among the major transportation infrastructure projects it has implemented are the Jiaozhou Bay second tunnel and the Chongqing Road Expressway.

These projects have brought positive changes to the city's appearance and enhanced people's sense of happiness. In fact, Qingdao has been named "China's Most Livable City" for four consecutive years.

Over the past two years, Qingdao has carried out 135 infrastructure projects worth 421 billion yuan ($59.05 billion) in investments. Key projects include the middle line of the Jinan-Qingdao Expressway and the Qingdao-Lanzhou Expressway (Shuangbu to Hetao section). 

The city has started construction of more than 20 main roads and completed projects such as the Tanghe Road-Anshun Road, and the widening of Nanjing Road and the transformation of Fuzhou South Road. Nearly 60 dead-end roads have been connected, making the city's road network more accessible. The operating mileage of the subway in Qingdao has reached 318 kilometers, ranking 10th in the country. 

The construction of the Guanlu Reservoir, a long-anticipated strategic water diversion project, has commenced. The reservoir will have a capacity of 210 million cubic meters and help solve the city's water shortage problem. 

Qingdao has been making concerted efforts to protect historical areas, transform old cities and villages, and become a park city.

The core area of the historical district, which covers 2 square kilometers, has undergone protection, renovation and utilization. Qingdao has renovated 350,000 square meters of old buildings, improved key roads such as Zhongshan Road and Taiping Road, and used underground space to build parking lots. Fifteen old street areas such as Yinyu Lane and Pichaiyuan have introduced new business formats and become new landmarks for urban tourism. The highest daily passenger flow in historical areas exceeded 300,000 this year.

The city has also upgraded nearly 800 old residential areas. For example, the relocation of the Zhangcunhe area, the largest urban village in the main urban area, was completed in just one and a half years. Qingdao has also renovated 60 mountain parks in the urban area and built riverside greenways and parks such as botanical garden and Huiquan Square.