Changsha to host World Cities Day forum

The Urban Renewal Forum of High Quality Development of China's Cities (Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Metropolitan Area) will be held in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province. This forum will mark the opening of the World Cities Day's celebration event.

Keynote speeches and dialogues will focus on the forum theme “High-quality Urban Development”, with over 300 government officials, academics, experts, and representatives of enterprises and industries attending.

Attendees will discuss key issues related to national urban renewal and share the metropolitan area's experiences in sustainable urban development, innovative urban governance and improvement of human settlements.

The forum will also showcase Hunan's continuous efforts and achievements in urban renewal, especially in the cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan. 

Changsha has so far rebuilt 18.97 million square meters of shantytowns, enabling nearly 400,000 local residents to live in new houses. During the 13th Five -Year Plan period (2016-20), Zhuzhou rebuilt 84,700 households in shantytowns and installed elevators for more than 150 communities, improving life for over 12,000 families. During the same period, Xiangtan also renovated shantytowns and old communities, benefiting over 100,000 families.

Before and after of the East area of Friendship Store, Furong district, Changsha. [Photos provided to Chinadaily.com.cn]

The Changsha Urban Human Settlements Index BlueBook will also be released during the forum.

World Cities Day is an annual United Nations observance day that falls on Oct 31, aiming to push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing the challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.