<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/OG7r7EouT0UQNsgtu6PfZzwmf204NBmN6nr10_doYUbk8AA/641?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/OG7r7EouT0UQNsgtu6PfZzwmf204NBmN6nr10_doYUbk8AA/641"/>
Recently, the topic of some places in Hubei changing the name of the &#34;Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau&#34; to &#34;Housing and Urban Renewal Bureau&#34; has attracted attention online. What considerations are behind the change from &#34;Housing Construction&#34; to &#34;Housing Renewal&#34;?
In May 2024, Hubei Province launched a reform of the housing construction department, and within a month, all 17 cities (prefectures) and provincial directly administered counties in the province completed the name change, achieving full coverage of the &#34;Housing Renewal Bureau&#34; across the province.
A relevant person in charge of the Hubei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development introduced that this adjustment aims to further coordinate urban renewal work and promote the transformation of urban construction methods from &#34;scale expansion&#34; to &#34;quality improvement and smart growth.&#34; The Hubei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development had previously adjusted and established a Housing Security and Urban Renewal Division.
China's urbanization is shifting from a rapid growth phase to a stable development phase, and urban development is transitioning from a stage of large-scale incremental expansion to a stage focused on improving and enhancing existing stock.
&#34;Urban development is shifting from extensive expansion to intensive development, focusing on solving issues such as aging in old urban areas and infrastructure,&#34; said Chen Shuyun, president of the Hubei Provincial Housing Reform and Development Research Association. The standards and processes suitable for large-scale development during the incremental expansion phase are no longer fully compatible with current needs, and the institutional reform from &#34;Housing Construction&#34; to &#34;Housing Renewal&#34; is aimed at addressing these pain points.
The 14th Five-Year Plan outlines the need to promote high-quality urban renewal, conduct urban health checks, accelerate the construction of complete communities, and improve the implementation mechanism for urban renewal.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/Oa2YZ2aEy4p_JD_sQfg5dm7V8twtLTpPycI_--NnSYHVgAA/641?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/Oa2YZ2aEy4p_JD_sQfg5dm7V8twtLTpPycI_--NnSYHVgAA/641"/> A comprehensive parking building newly built on vacant land in the Zhiyin Dongyuan community in Hanyang District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province. (Photo provided by the interviewee)
As a megacity, Wuhan has a resident population of over ten million and is one of the earliest industrial cities laid out in China after the founding of the People's Republic. A large number of old factories and communities are distributed throughout the city.
In November 2025, Wuhan City implemented the &#34;Five Reforms and Four Improvements&#34; action plan to accelerate high-quality urban renewal, clearly stating that it will take three years to promote the &#34;Five Reforms&#34; of existing buildings, old communities, old blocks, old factory areas, and urban villages in a coordinated manner, aiming for the &#34;Four Improvements&#34; of good houses, good communities, good neighborhoods, and good urban areas.
&#34;After the name change, the focus of urban work has shifted from incremental construction to improving existing stock. The next step will be to use the 'Five Reforms and Four Improvements' as a starting point to promote urban renewal, business revitalization, and governance innovation,&#34; said Zhang Zhuo, secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Wuhan Housing and Urban Renewal Bureau.
In the past, local housing construction bureaus in Hubei focused more on approval supervision, engineering construction, etc., with the main responsibility being urban development &#34;from nothing to something.&#34; Now, the Housing Renewal Bureau has been assigned functions such as coordinating urban renewal, housing security, municipal maintenance, and historical and cultural protection
Taking Wuhan as an example, the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau has integrated the responsibilities of the former Housing Security and Property Management Bureau and the Urban and Rural Construction Bureau, unifying the management of housing security, real estate market regulation, urban renewal, and the renovation of old communities. This aims to solve the long-standing issues of multi-department coordination difficulties and slow approvals for matters such as installing elevators and exterior wall renovations in old communities.
Chen Shuyun believes that this functional integration breaks the previous fragmented governance of &#34;separation of construction and management,&#34; which is conducive to the simultaneous advancement of hardware renovation and software improvement.
At the construction site of the dilapidated housing renovation project in the southern area of Hubei University, two buildings have been topped out, and workers are engaged in the construction of interior partition walls, outdoor pipeline laying, and basement pipeline installation. Previously, the Hubei University dilapidated housing renovation project was included in the first batch of dilapidated housing renovation projects in Wuhan, and residents are about to move into new homes on the original site.
Thinking about moving into a new home with an elevator, 75-year-old retired teacher Mr. Huang is filled with joy. He and his wife live in an old house from the 1980s and 1990s, and over the years, various problems have arisen.
The reporter learned that since the name change, housing and urban development bureaus across Hubei have prioritized people's livelihood needs and are fully promoting the strengthening of supporting projects.
A set of data shows the effectiveness: by 2025, Wuhan City will have completed the renovation of 258 old urban communities; during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Hubei Province will have renovated a total of 18,400 old urban communities, with over 10,000 elevators installed and updated, benefiting 2.7 million households.
Urban renewal is not only a livelihood project but also contains enormous demand potential. Implementing key tasks such as the renovation of old urban communities, old street areas, old factories, and urban infrastructure updates can significantly drive investment and consumption.
Xuan'en County in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, located deep in the Wuling Mountains, has been entirely developed into a 4A-level scenic area. The local government has adopted a &#34;micro-renewal, gradual&#34; strategy, integrating greenery into gaps, and promoting the renovation of old communities alongside scenic area enhancements.
&#34;The urban renewal action has revitalized the urban landscape, providing a better experience for tourists,&#34; said a relevant person in charge of the Enshi Housing and Urban Renewal Bureau. Through this action, Xuan'en has added nearly 80,000 square meters of open green space and built and renovated 15 &#34;pocket parks,&#34; with over 3,500 shared parking spaces for government agencies.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/O7cv56WBWbjTUpvhhJeE7Gw7hYp8_5UQh9WWh0ov2Xt5gAA/1000?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/O7cv56WBWbjTUpvhhJeE7Gw7hYp8_5UQh9WWh0ov2Xt5gAA/1000"/> On July 19, 2025, citizens and tourists watch cultural performances by the Gongshui River in Xuan'en County, Hubei Province (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (photo by Chen Xukai)
Looking nationwide, urban renewal actions are frequent in various cities.
In February 2026, Beijing released the first batch of urban renewal project lists for 2026, totaling 1,321 projects with a planned investment of 104.95 billion yuan. Guangzhou recently held an investment negotiation meeting for urban renewal projects in the first quarter, focusing on promoting 39 urban renewal projects with a total investment of nearly 30 billion yuan. In 2025, urban renewal groups such as Sichuan Urban Renewal Group and Zhejiang Construction Investment Urban Operation Group were successively established
&#34;The brand has changed, and the concepts, functions, and styles must be updated simultaneously.&#34; Chen Shuyun stated that promoting urban renewal with high quality is more important to streamline internal functions, establish a dedicated agency for urban renewal, balance functional adjustments and capability transformations, and promote &#34;physical integration&#34; and &#34;chemical fusion,&#34; writing a &#34;new article&#34; on urban renewal. (Reporters Gong Liankang, Zhang Yang)

Hubei Province recently renamed the "Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau" to the "Housing and Urban Renewal Bureau" to shift urban construction from scale expansion to quality improvement. This move aims to address the changes in the urbanization development stage, focusing on solving the problems of aging old towns and infrastructure. Wuhan City has also introduced an urban renewal action plan, clearly stating the goal of promoting the renovation of old buildings and communities within three years, aiming for high-quality urban renewal

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Financial Focus | From "Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau" to "Housing and Urban Renewal Bureau": A One-Character Change Reflects New Ideas in Urban Construction