Beijing recently released its key practical projects for the public in 2014, with "striving to improve residents' housing conditions" topping the list of ten major projects. Building on the construction and acquisition of 162,000 affordable housing units and the completion of 85,000 units in 2013, Beijing will further improve housing conditions for low- and middle-income families this year by building 70,000 affordable housing units and completing 100,000 units.

 

　　With tight deadlines and heavy tasks, the city is being pushed to innovate its construction and management methods. In 2013, faced with the task of starting construction on 160,000 units and completing 70,000 units of affordable housing, Beijing simplified the bidding procedures for affordable housing projects to ensure that "land is supplied and construction starts in the same year." During construction, it vigorously promoted green, energy-saving and environmentally friendly housing, implemented grid-based management of affordable housing quality and safety, and applied differentiated supervision to construction enterprises based on their performance.

 

　　In the allocation process, starting April 19, 2013, Beijing unified applications for low-rent housing, affordable housing, price-capped housing and public rental housing into "affordable housing" applications, achieving a major shift in the form of support from "sales-oriented" to "rental-oriented." As of December 25 of that year, the city had publicly allocated and sold a total of 47,000 affordable housing units, including 12,118 public rental units, 12,621 affordable housing units and 22,482 price-capped units, with all 16 districts and counties completing their allocation tasks for the year.

 

　　Only by ensuring fairness can the public be satisfied. Beijing strictly reviewed eligibility for affordable housing and stepped up investigations and penalties. Through eligibility reviews throughout 2013, it terminated the affordable housing registration eligibility of 10,335 households that did not meet the conditions. This year it will further intensify its crackdown on fraudulent renting and purchasing and will publicly expose such cases through the media.

 

　　Moving in is not enough; residents must live well. Beijing has successively introduced policies, established a dynamic supervision model, improved community property services and ensured the lawful and compliant use of public rental housing. It has also simultaneously addressed issues such as schooling for children, medical care and social security for public rental housing families, so that residents can live with peace of mind and confidence.

 

　　In 2014, Beijing will further enhance residents' sense of safety and comfort by carrying out comprehensive renovation, including energy-saving insulation, seismic reinforcement and public area improvements, as well as simple building renovation, in old residential communities totaling 10 million square meters. At the same time, it will carry out shantytown renovation and environmental improvement in the six urban districts, improve municipal and public service facilities, and launch 108 projects; in rural areas, it will complete seismic and energy-saving renovation of 80,000 rural homes.