Shanghai inspired by Xi's vision on urban governance

When President Xi Jinping first put forward the concept that “cities are built by the people and are for the people” during his visit to Shanghai in 2019, few people anticipated the profound impact it would have on urban development and governance in this bustling metropolis.

Over the past five years, this vision has been transformed into concrete actions, leading to significant results in the provision of affordable housing and equitable public services and a more responsive handling of public complaints.

In a recent response to members of a conference program in Shanghai, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reaffirmed his view that more residents should be encouraged to adopt and implement the concept of a people-centered society. city.

He stressed the need to enable more residents to actively participate in urban development and governance, jointly build beautiful and harmonious cities, and strive for a better life.

Founded in 2020, the core lecture program includes retirees who served as civil servants, military officers, experts and teachers, as well as role models. Its mission is to share stories from the past, promote the Party's innovative theories and highlight ongoing urban changes, all in response to Xi's call for better urban governance.

Noting in his response that it was a very meaningful initiative, Xi urged participants to continue sharing meaningful stories from their daily lives.

The group's members, with an average age of 66, have given more than 2,600 talks to a total audience of more than 280,000 people in communities, schools, businesses and commercial areas.

Members said they were extremely inspired by Xi's response, saying the letter gave them new impetus to continue the work to better tell stories to more people.

Jiang Defu, a retired professor and member of the group, said he has given dozens of lectures to people from all walks of life in communities, campuses and business districts.

Li Junying, another member of the group and a former faculty member of the college affiliated with Shanghai Sports University, said she had given lectures in more than 30 primary and secondary schools, encouraging young people to strengthen their skills. beliefs and pursue their dreams.

“I believe that what I have done throughout these years is worthwhile and extremely meaningful. I will always remain true to my original mission and dedicate myself more to helping raise the younger generation,” he said. -she declared.

The program also embodies broader measures taken by Shanghai to improve public welfare and enable greater public participation in urban affairs.

The city has stepped up efforts to establish a tiered rental housing supply system for new residents, youth and frontline workers, providing more than 500,000 units of affordable rental housing, according to an article published Friday by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CCP.

At the same time, 832 parks were built to respond to residents' desire for a better living environment.

As part of broader measures to strengthen popular democracy overall, Shanghai has established 36 local stations to gather public opinion on legislative affairs, as well as more than 1,280 offices where residents can easily reach political advisers .

In the future, the city will encourage deeper dialogue with residents on initiatives to improve livelihoods and broaden engagement to further involve people in urban development and management, thereby turning their ideas into “keys d’or” for effective municipal governance, the committee said.

Contact the writers at zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn