Integrated communities give elderly residents comfort, purpose

Viable future

Zhao Dong, deputy head of the Zhejiang Provincial Urban and Rural Planning and Design Institute, said the sustainability of operations is important to the future of integrated communities.

Zhejiang leads the promotion of the integrated community program, as it has the most pilot communities, with the majority of them more developed than others.

The province also has rich experience accumulated through previous provincial projects in residential living environments.

Zhao said it is important to have a scientific approach to urban development by taking into account the layout of public amenities, maximizing the use of resources and alleviating operational pressures.

This holistic approach should also be applied to the running of an integrated community, which can be transformed from a nonprofit to a commercial organization or reduce operating costs through collaboration with private enterprises.

Xianghu Community in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan district is looking at ways to minimize the costs of the services they provide.

The community has a canteen equipped with cooking facilities. The canteen operator is exempt from paying the rent, but in exchange, they have to provide subsidized meals for the elderly.

Zhao said community canteens can expand their operations to provide food delivery services to nearby areas.

Xianghu Community earns additional revenue by charging a 100-yuan entrance fee for visitors who are curious and want to learn from the operation.

"Government, companies, communities and residents should join hands for a promising future," Zhao said.

limenghan@chinadaily.com.cn