Over 2,000 households benefit from urban renewal

Zhao Qiming could hardly wait to move back into his newly refurbished home when he received the key on Sunday, nearly four years after leaving to make way for renovations.

The 72-year-old's household is among about 2,110 preparing to move into apartment buildings in Pengpu No 1 Village, part of Pengpu New Village, one of Shanghai's earliest residential compounds for workers.

Built in the 1950s in what is now Jing'an district, Pengpu New Village was once seen as a status symbol for residents there, housing only model and outstanding workers. But as families grew and infrastructure aged, the residents found shared kitchens and bathrooms increasingly inconvenient.