Community involvement

The Shanghai Urban Public Space Design Promotion Center was one of the first city bodies to promote the concept of micro-renewal. The center also highlights good practices at the Shanghai Urban Space Art Season that it has been organizing every two years since 2015. Last season's theme was "15-minute community life circle-people's city "that featured designs for community service facilities and amenities that cater to residents' needs in living, working, relaxing, studying and elderly care.

"Micro-renewal projects provide opportunities for people to practice local governance. By inviting grassroots participation, the people-centered approach of urban planning can focus more on local needs," says Wang.

Free-Down Space, formerly an empty air-defense basement in the Hongxian residential neighborhood in Changning district, is one good example of community involvement.

Zhang Huan, a member of the social organization Big Fish Community Building and Development Center, has been leading this community's micro-renewal project since 2019. Last year, the organization turned the space into a multifunctional activity zone of 1,100 square meters. Featuring bright colors, the basement is now partitioned into areas, including a reading room, cafe, children's room and spaces that host art studios and startup offices.

Zhang Lingdi, a housekeeper who has been living in the neighborhood for nearly 30 years, is among those who have leased a space there-she uses it for Ayi's Home, a platform for her peers to rest, share job information and organize activities.