Page 82 - JCAU-5-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism The role of planning

Table 1. Overview of regeneration projects in two approaches on industrial land in four districts in Shanghai (Putuo, Jing’an,
Hongkou, Yangpu) 2000–2020
Key features Regeneration approach
Comprehensive Incremental
Number of projects 208 187
Land size of all projects 1042 ha 375 ha
Average plot size of projects 5 ha 2 ha
Average floor area ratios of projects 3.0 2.2
Average floor numbers of projects 19 5
Dominant new functions Commodity housing, office, commerce Office, commerce (particularly economic hotels)
Implementation strategy Demolition and redevelopment Refurbishment and renovation
Description High-rise buildings, either dense agglomeration Dense and heterogeneous agglomeration of
or embedded in park-like green areas, sometimes small-scale offices, renting of space to individual
additional retail tenants, and sometimes creative uses
Source: The authors, 2023

state enterprises occupied a large scale of industrial land Meanwhile, the land designated for industrial purposes
in the inner city of Shanghai. Thus, on industrial land not undergoes a formal conversion to commercial use, as
occupied by the local government, a formal redevelopment regulated by the statutory plan. The shift to commercial
project follows a series of formal procedures aligning with use grants the land higher building height allowances,
urban planning. increased floor space, and a higher FAR compared to its
First, the industrial land should be reclaimed by the previous industrial use. Post-redevelopment, the once-
local government, compensating the de facto landowners formal industrial site, typically characterized by groups of
as the first-hand land (sheng di). Subsequently, this land mid-rise buildings, transforms into high-rise buildings in
undergoes preparation for further reuse in accordance accordance with regulatory planning. Land developers are
with the municipal urban plan. This preparation involves obligated to adhere strictly to the technical requirements
the demolition of existing physical structures, as well as the affiliated with each land parcel, as stipulated in both the
establishment of road systems, utilities (water, electricity, regulatory plan and the land leasing contract.
drainage, heating, telecommunication, and gas), and 4.1.2. The case of Red Rooster Commercial Office Buildings
land leveling — a process collectively known as “seven (1151 Zhenbei Road, Putuo District, Shanghai)
connections and one leveling” (qitong yiping), or in some
cases, “five connections and one leveling.” The resulting Located at Zhenbei Road 1151, Putuo District, the site
1
land, ready for the new round of construction, is deemed was formerly home to the Shanghai Changzheng Printing
second-hand land, referred to as mature land (shu di). In the Plant. After the factory closed, the land was transferred to
case of profitable land use, the land use right is transferred Shanghai Red Rooster Development Company through
to commercial users through a transparent market-driven bidding. The conversion of land use from industrial to
bidding and auction process, with a maximum usage period office and commercial use was subject to strict adherence
of 40, 50, or 70 years. In cases where a state enterprise seeks to urban planning regulations, as emphasized in the
to redevelop the land it occupies for profitable use based Planning and Design Requirements on Land Transfer for
on formal procedures, the only avenue is to sell it to the Plots of Transferred State-owned Land Use Rights.
government or its representatives in exchange for land In 2017, the new project received approval from the
compensation. Subsequently, the enterprise can participate Shanghai Putuo District Planning and Land Management
in the bidding and auction process to repurchase the land. Bureau (SPPLMB) (Figure 1). Detailed provisions from
Thus, this type of land transforms from free use with an urban planning authorities covered various aspects,
unlimited period to a limited period, incurring significant
land transfer fees. including land size, floor area, FAR, building height,
building color, material, and setbacks from the road. The
1 For example, refer to Article 4 of the 2017 Land Banking project encompasses a land area of 6258 m², with a floor
Management Measures (Tudi Chubei Guanli Banfa) issued space of 10,000 m² and an FAR of 1.6. Specific building
jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the regulations apply, including a maximum building height of
Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China. 24 meters. The proportion of green area to the total land

Volume 5 Issue 4 (2023) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0433