Seven residential areas, with a total floor area of 928,000 square meters, are now under construction, some of which are located in the old urban areas, said Li Ming, vice director of the Bureau of Land Resources & Housing Management of Guangzhou and member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Guangzhou Municipal Committee. A variety of measures, including a low-rent apartments program, will be taken to provide housing for low-income people. Moreover, 15 new residential areas are to be established. 

Since last year, seven new residential area construction projects, totaling 770,000 square meters of floor area and 8859 apartments, have been approved by the municipal government and will be completed before the end of 2008.

The apartment structure, price and qualification of buyers will follow the No. 37 Document of the State Council, and the area of each apartment will be less than 90 square meters. 

The seven residential areas are: Phase II Tongde Residential Area of Baiyun District, Phase II Tatang Residential Area of Haizhu District, Zhongshan Ba Road and Dangen Xin Road of Liwan District, Wansong Residential Area of Haizhu District, an area of Guangzhou Textile Co., Ltd, the new area of Taian Garden of Tianhe District, and Jinshazho E area.

The Bureau also maintains 380 apartments in Yuexiu District, Liwan District, Haizhu District, Tianhe District, Baiyun District, and Huangpu District. All the apartments are now in good condition and can be used.
The Bureau is now selecting another 15 areas as the locations for new residential areas. After the locations are approved by the planning authority and the Development and Reform Commission of Guangzhou, construction will begin.

From 2006 to 2010, 40,000 low-rent and affordable apartments, with a floor area of 3.15 million square meters, are to be built in six districts, including Haizhu, Tianhe and Yuexiu, accounting for 35 percent of the housing for low-income people of the city. 

Editor: Yan