Shanghai to transform ghetto neighborhoods

A total of 1,334 households have consented to programs that will transform the downtown ghetto neighborhoods where they live, the Huangpu District government told city legislators.

The government aims for 8,000 households by the end of this year and considers progress well under way.

As of last year, 65,000 households in the district had no toilets and relied on chamber pots.

The government plans to "fundamentally" solve the toilet problems by the end of 2025 and also breathe new life into old Shanghai-style residential houses.

Such projects entail a lot of investment and also a legal commitment to sustainable development of historical buildings, according to Hong Jiliang, vice head of the district government.

Zhu Sihuan, a deputy of Shanghai People's Congress who works as an official of a residents' committee in Hongkou District, added: "Passages wide enough for fire engines and ambulances should be provided in the transformation of the neighborhoods."

Huang Chen, another deputy who is a professor at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, proposed that the renovation projects should take into consideration garbage sorting issues in line with the city's forthcoming regulations.