The 143 Block redevelopment project in Hongkou District held a ceremony to mark the achievement of its house expropriation signing rate on June 18.
Li Qian, the Party secretary of Hongkou, attended the ceremony and announced that the project achieved a high signing rate of 99.09 percent.
Officials, volunteers and residents jointly pressed the button to signify the beginning of a new life for over 400 households.
The atmosphere was lively with drums and gongs as residents cheered and congratulated each other, celebrating the occasion with promises to reunite in their new homes.
"The sun has finally shone on us! With the transparent and fair housing expropriation policy, we residents feel reassured," said a resident, highlighting the community's satisfaction with the redevelopment policy.
The 143 Block in Jiaxing Road Subdistrict is bordered by Yuezhou Road to the east, Gaoyang Road and Wuhua Road to the south.
With 440 households occupying a total residential area of about 20,000 square meters, all houses are listed as dilapidated shikumen (stone-gate) standard, characterized by issues like cracking and leaking, presenting significant safety hazards.
Early this year, the block formally initiated the first round of intent inquiry for expropriation. Staff and community workers engaged deeply with residents, explaining policies, gathering feedback, optimizing plans, and organizing communication sessions to ensure a thorough understanding and support for the redevelopment.
Despite the high private property ratio of 86.36 percent and 80 percent shared property ownership, creating family disputes, the district's redevelopment command center adopted a "three-step" approach to address these challenges:
First, encouraging residents to temporarily set aside family disputes and sign the agreements early; second, assisting in mediating family conflicts post-agreement; and third, guiding unresolved disputes through legal channels.
"Private property ownership here is high, and shared ownership conflicts are common. Each family has its unique challenges. The government's initiative to improve our living conditions is a tremendous opportunity we shouldn't miss," said resident Zhang Huimei, who signed the compensation agreement promptly and chose monetary compensation.
Elated by the project's success, she and her 97-year-old mother have been busy house-hunting while helping neighbors understand the benefits of the redevelopment.
About 80 percent of the households in 143 Block faced family disputes. The district has been exploring ways to "unlock" these issues, ensuring residents' rights to information, participation, and supervision, and encouraging self-service and mutual assistance among the community.
This shift from passive to active participation has aligned government efforts with public needs, achieving a mutual goal.
Notably, a local resident, Aunt Daiping, played a key role in promoting the policy despite her own family disputes over shared property.
With the mediator's help, she and her siblings balanced their shares, completed the agreement, and she shared her experience to help others with similar issues.
The district's redevelopment command center noted that residents' active involvement not only enhances the process but also supervises and improves government work.
Following the successful agreement at 143 Block, the district will continue to support residents through relocation services and keep them informed.
Activities like family photo sessions and collecting memorabilia from the old homes will help preserve memories for the community.
Hongkou regards urban redevelopment as a significant livelihood project, a driver of development, and a key to unlocking city resources, the district government said.
Moving forward, the district will continue to lead with strong party governance, seek policy support, engage deeply with residents, and expedite small-scale redevelopment projects to improve living conditions, ensuring more residents share in the city's development benefits.