“Research on the Renewal of Old Residential Areas in Beijing”with UCD as Lead Author Wins First Prize

Recently, winners of the 2021 Beijing Excellent Urban-Rural Planning Award have been unveiled, and the "Research on the Renewal of Old Residential Areas in Beijing" compiled by UCD-affiliated Beijing Institute of Residential Building Design & Research Co., Ltd.(BRDR) has been awarded first prize for 2021 Beijing Excellent Urban-Rural Planning.

The renewal of old residential areas is the kernal integral part of urban renewal actions practiced by China. The "Research on the Renewal of Old Residential Areas in Beijing" jointly compiled by BRDR and the team of teachers headed by Huang He from Tsinghua University originated from the research on the guidelines for comprehensive renovation of old residential areas in Xicheng District, Beijing. The book,in a systematical way and by dint of scientific research, mainly deals with and sums up problems cropping up in the renewal of old residential areas in Beijing and related solutions in practice.

In recent years, the renewal and renovation of old residential areas has gradually become an important topic in China's urban development. At the end of 2017, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development launched renovations of old urban residential areas on a trial basis in 15 cities including Xiamen and Guangzhou. Since 2019, the central government has repeatedly boosted renovation of old residential areas, and cities across the country have actively started relevant work.

Since Beijing unveiled the Opinions on Comprehensive Renovation of Old Residential Areas in Beijing in 2012, the renovation and renewal of old residential areas on the trial basis has entered into the stage of taking place across the board. To sum up the existing experience and meet the growing demand for renewal and renovation, the Research on the Renewal of Old Residential Areas in Beijing has been eventually made into a book since 2017 after continuous practice follow-up and systematic compilation, becoming a first officially published research book in the country that surveys the past and present of old residential areas of a city.

In terms of overall thinking, the book observes the changes in residence and living space from the perspective of urban development and evolution. From the systematized frame of “Clearing up historical process-Cognizing period and law-Studying and Judging current demand-Drawing on practice and cases”, the book places the renewal of old residential areas in Beijing in the vertical historical process and horizontal domestic practice, trying to provide certain systematic thinking and exploration for the current work.

In renovating old residential areas, BRDR has been continuously making explorations and achieved fruitful results. BRDR strives to serve urban renewal and rural construction with high-quality design capabilities, and adheres to the spirit of pioneering and innovation to boost the high-quality development of cities.