China to boost urban renewal with unified land-use mapping system

China will strengthen urban renewal efforts through a centralized spatial planning system aimed at optimizing resource management and preserving historical areas, said Zhang Bing, chief planner of the Ministry of Natural Resources on Tuesday.

China unveiled a set of guidelines earlier on Thursday which is designed to achieve key progress in the country's urban renewal campaign by 2030. They also aim to improve safety conditions, enhance service efficiency, elevate living environments, develop business models, and preserve cultural heritage.

Zhang outlined several specific support measures during a State Council Information Office (SCIO) press conference, highlighting a "whole lifecycle" approach to land use and data-sharing across government departments.

"By establishing the 'one map' unified spatial database integrated with natural resource management and territorial spatial planning, we will intensify the investigation of existing resource assets, figure out their quantity, ownership and utilization. And we will meet the requirement of "old cities cannot be demolished again", carry out targeted investigations on spatial elements of natural, cultural and historical aspects within the city to form a unified base map and data base. On the 'one map' system, we will push for a whole lifecycle management on land survey, ownership registration, rights and interests, urban planning, usage regulation and law enforcement, streamline data sharing among departments, truly realize the management of assets, the use of resources, and the revitalization of cities, and support urban renewal actions," he said.

The ministry pledged closer collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to address policy gaps, saying that efforts will be made to identify challenges early and enhance policy support to ensure the urban renewal plans are implemented.

China to boost urban renewal with unified land-use mapping system

People in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre recalled the horrible scenes of an air strike on Thursday night, saying that the civilians suffer the most in the war.

After the Lebanese and Israeli governments announced a conditional ceasefire, the Israeli military carried out rounds of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, as unresolved disagreements between Israel and Hezbollah continued to stall ceasefire efforts.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported on Friday that Israeli airstrikes hit several locations in southern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people and wounding 15 others.

Ahmad al-Hsein, who runs a restaurant in Tyre, was on the scene when the strike came. He said all the civilian facilities in the area were severely damaged.

"We were here during the air strike, carrying out our humanitarian work, which is a small thing compared with what's happening. We were providing food to the people here, and during the air strike we were here in the restaurant. A civilian facility, a bank, was targeted, and the restaurant, which is also a civilian facility, was affected. There's nothing else. The entire impact was on the area around Jabal Amel Hospital. We don't know what the target was, there’s nothing there. All the wounded are civilians, and the casualties are civilian," he said.

Mahmoud Srour, a displaced from Teir Harfa, helped clear up the debris on the street following the strike.

"The air strike took place at around 22:30. As you can see, the scale of the destruction is immense. They targeted Bank Audi; there's nothing left here, they targeted a bank. The damage is very extensive. This is a civilian area; there are shops and a restaurant, and the bank is located here. Thank God, we were in the shop when the air strike happened, and chaos ensued. Thank God we were not hurt. There were no fatalities here, but there are wounded," he said.

Civilians recall horrible air strike in southern Lebanon