The living space per capita of Chinese urban residents will exceed 40 square meters and the built-up urban area will reach 64,000 square kilometers by the end of 2023, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on Friday.

The urbanization rate of China’s permanent residents has reached 66.16 percent, and more than 930 million people lived in urban areas by the end of last year, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development, said at a press conference.

China has optimized its real estate policy, improved the housing security system and worked to meet the housing needs of all people, Ni said, adding that basic housing security has been achieved for low-income families in housing distress.

The country has also implemented urban renewal initiatives to promote the high-quality development of related sectors. Since 2019, China has begun renovating 258,800 old urban residential areas, benefiting 44.34 million households and about 110 million residents, said Qin Haixiang, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development.

At the same time, efforts are being made to promote the construction of parks, green spaces and sports facilities near residential areas to improve the quality of life in Chinese cities, Qin noted.

In the future, China will introduce a sustainable urban renewal model and policies to create livable, resilient and smart cities for its citizens, the vice minister said.