Released by the State Council of China in May 2026, the “15th Five-Year National Urban Renewal Plan (2026–2030)” is the country’s first dedicated national medium- to long-term plan for urban renewal. Every five years, the central government issues an overarching “Five-Year Plan” that outlines national economic and social development goals and serves as the primary blueprint for 2026 to 2030. The urban renewal plan acts as a thematic, sector-specific extension of this primary document, translating the broader national goals into targeted action for urban and rural construction.
First introduced as a concept in 2020, urban renewal has since evolved from a regional pilot programme into a formal national strategy. This plan indicates a policy shift away from sprawling, large-scale urban land expansion, aiming instead to improve existing spaces. By focusing on the renovation of ageing residential communities, industrial zones, and urban villages, the plan seeks to develop more liveable, resilient, and smart cities over the next five years.
Key targets
To standardise urban renewal work across the country, the plan establishes ten measurable targets intended to be achieved by 2030. These span residential safety, ecological health, municipal infrastructure, urban resilience, and smart governance, including:
- Ecological restoration: Upgrading and expanding 20,000 hectares of urban parks and green spaces.
- Disaster readiness: Constructing or comprehensively retrofitting 50,000 urban emergency shelter sites.
- Smart governance: Achieving a digital coverage rate of over 95% for fundamental urban housing and infrastructure data.
Green and low-carbon transition
A green and low-carbon transition forms a central strategic pillar of this new plan. Unlike earlier renovation policies that focused primarily on physical infrastructure upgrades, this plan aims to integrate ecological and decarbonisation objectives into all phases of urban renewal. It encourages large-scale energy-efficient retrofits for existing buildings and the low-carbon transformation of urban spaces, while seeking to phase out outdated, high-energy, and heavily polluting urban facilities.
The strategy prioritises the ecological restoration of urban water systems, wetlands, and fragmented green corridors to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems. Sponge city technologies are expected to be deployed during community overhauls, road upgrades, and park renovations to help mitigate urban flooding and curb urban heat island effects. Furthermore, the policy supports repurposing idle industrial land for green industry development, aligning with China’s broader goals to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Urban resilience as a core principle
Urban resilience is framed as a core principle for urban renewal. To address safety hazards stemming from ageing municipal pipelines and deteriorating buildings within existing built-up areas, the plan mandates risk inspections and rectification work for infrastructure and residential structures. It seeks to bolster urban flood control, drainage, and multi-hazard prevention systems, alongside the scaled-up construction of standardised emergency shelters and disaster-resilient public facilities.
By utilising city-wide digital safety monitoring platforms, local governments aim to deliver real-time risk alerts, dynamic oversight, and rapid emergency responses. These measures are designed to strengthen the overall capacity of cities to withstand extreme weather events, infrastructure failures, and unforeseen safety emergencies.
Implementation mechanisms and pilot practices
Local urban renewal implementation plans and annual work schedules are expected to align with the national plan, which serves as the guiding framework. Provincial and municipal authorities are required to develop localised roadmaps and project pipelines. Renovation projects targeting older residential communities and obsolete industrial zones will be registered in a national management system to qualify for central government policy incentives and financial support.
Following the rollout of initial urban renewal pilot programmes from late 2021 onwards, Xiamen and Xi’an – both participating cities under IKI’s Urban-Act project – were formally appointed national urban renewal pilot cities in 2025. A further 15 cities were selected in May 2026 to develop local approaches to urban renewal. Moving away from a uniform, one-size-fits-all model, each city’s focus is tailored to its unique geographical, economic and social context. For instance, Shenzhen focuses on urban village regeneration, while Changchun prioritises the renewal of ageing factory areas. Meanwhile, cities like Quanzhou and Kunming aim to balance urban renewal with cultural heritage conservation and ecological protection constraints, respectively.
Outlook
As the overarching framework for urban renewal, the “15th Five-Year National Urban Renewal Plan (2026–2030)” outlines the country’s approach to improving its existing urban built stock. It seeks to improve urban ecological conditions, disaster prevention capabilities, and smart governance, while advancing broader climate and environmental strategies. Over the coming years, provincial and municipal governments are expected to release detailed implementation rules and project arrangements. Ultimately, these efforts aim to foster the development of more liveable, green, and resilient urban environments by 2030, laying the groundwork for China’s longer-term vision of modernising its cities by 2035.
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