China's cities are undergoing an unprecedented transformation: high-speed urbanisation combined with technology and green solutions are putting comfort and quality of life at the forefront.

At the forefront of this transformation is Shanghai, which has become a model of people-centred urban development through the regeneration of old neighbourhoods, the digitisation of public services and the building of '15-minute communities'. President Xi Jinping declared back in 2019 that "cities are built by the people and for the people" - and it is this idea that guides national urban policy today.

As of 2019 alone, China has reconstructed nearly 280 000 residential communities, postavila 130 000 výtahů a vytvořila nearly 50,000 city parkswhich has improved living conditions for 120 milionů lidí.

Shanghai is developing two digital networks: one for administrative services and one for citywide management. The city has deployed online medical services, digital accessibility for the elderly i intelligent systems for electric bike safety control. This digital infrastructure provides not only convenience but also crisis prevention.

At the national level, China is strengthening the concept of "zdravého města", which went from a pilot to a national scheme in 2024. The aim is to create resilient, green and smart cities with a real focus on quality of life for residents.

Outside of Shanghai, cities in the western part of the country are also developing dynamically, with nine of the eleven new cities built since 2011 located in this region, bringing China's more balanced urbanisation napříč regiony.

Zatímco urbanisation since 1949 has increased from 11 % to 67 %, China has also relaxed the rules on residency registration in cities of up to three million inhabitants to encourage the transfer of rural populations to cities.

S ambicí do roku 2030 to fundamentally advance urban renewal, China introduced new guidelines this year that target infrastructure upgrading, service development, improved security, cultural heritage protection and efficient use of urban space.

CMG