Chongqing—For 33 years, 55-year-old Deng Liangping has lived in Xingjiaqiao Community in Chongqing. Rain once meant worrying about leaks at home. Coming back each day meant climbing seven flights of stairs. Today, his kitchen and bathroom have been renovated, an elevator has been installed, and some neighbors who once moved away have even returned.

Deng's experience reflects a broader shift taking place across Chongqing. As the city puts more emphasis on improving existing urban spaces rather than simply expanding outward, aging residential communities, idle factories, and neighborhood backstreets are being renovated or put to new uses. Sometimes the change is as practical as a new elevator. Elsewhere, an old factory complex becomes home to companies again, or a quiet neighborhood lane draws people back after dark.

Making older neighborhoods easier to live in

Xingjiaqiao took shape in the 1990s. As the buildings and infrastructure aged, residents faced problems ranging from mold-stained, peeling walls to tangled overhead wiring and a shortage of parking spaces. Some eventually chose to move elsewhere.

Fifty-three residential buildings have been upgraded. The community has added 45 elevators, 445 parking spaces, and two neighborhood parks. The project has also included renovations to some residents' kitchens and bathrooms. New community services include a canteen, senior care, and after-school care for children.

Residents choose dishes at the community canteen in Xingjiaqiao Community, Liangjiang New Area. (Photo/Wang Jiaxi, Visual Chongqing)

Residents were also involved in decisions about the renovation. In some cases, they contributed part of the cost themselves. Elevator installation alone cost about 21 million yuan, with residents covering 48.5 percent of the total. Residents on lower and upper floors did not always agree on whether elevators should be installed or how the cost should be shared. Community meetings gave them a forum to discuss the plans, oversee construction, and work out long-term maintenance.

The changes extend beyond the buildings themselves. A former grain depot has been converted into a community service center. Its elderly care facility receives more than 300 visits a day, while the community canteen serves about 400 meals daily. Residents over 60 can eat there for around seven to eight yuan a meal.

For Deng, urban renewal is not an abstract planning term. It means no longer worrying about leaks when it rains and no longer having to climb seven floors just to get home.

When old factories find new uses

Another part of Chongqing's urban renewal story is unfolding in spaces once used for manufacturing.

At Sanlang Park No. 6, mature ficus trees still rise between red-brick factory buildings, and an old water tower remains in place. The roughly 40,000-square-meter site was once used for industrial production before manufacturing moved out and the buildings fell idle.

People relax at Sanlang Park No. 6 in Liangjiang New Area. (Photo/Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)

Today, former workshops have been converted into offices, shared event spaces and presentation venues. More than 140 companies now operate at the site, together generating nearly 1.2 billion yuan in annual output.

For the companies that moved in, the appeal is not simply the industrial look. Tenants are drawn to the high ceilings and large, adaptable interiors, which can be configured for offices, meetings, or events as needed. The site is also close to an established cluster of technology companies, making meetings and collaboration easier.

The old water tower still stands, and the red-brick workshops remain. What has changed is who uses these spaces and what now happens inside them.

Bringing an old alley back to life

On the evening of Sept. 16, guitar music drifted from a small theater in Yinghua Lane. Several young people arriving after work were on their way to evening classes. It is a scene that would have been difficult to imagine only a few years ago, when the neighborhood was struggling with aging infrastructure and younger residents were gradually moving away.

Before the renovation began, local officials collected residents' views through neighborhood meetings, surveys and home visits. Local authorities also used relatively low rents to attract long-term private investment and new businesses.

Ma Zhongwei, Party secretary of Wulidian Subdistrict CPC Committee, said the project attracted 8 million yuan in private investment and now generates about 3.4 million yuan in annual rental income.

But renovated buildings alone did not bring the neighborhood back to life.

Designed for young people with limited free time during the workweek, the night school has offered 108 courses and received more than 4,000 course registrations. Many classes do not take place in conventional classrooms. A bar can host a cocktail-making lesson, a pottery shop can become a ceramics classroom, and a cafe can turn into a hands-on space for learning pour-over coffee.

The arrangement allows learning, neighborhood life, and small businesses to overlap. Students may stay for a drink or purchase class, while businesses benefit from the added foot traffic. What was once mainly a residential lane now stays active well into the evening.

Urban renewal goes beyond buildings

According to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the city has brought 7.4 million square meters of idle commercial properties and aging industrial buildings back into use.

Chongqing's urban renewal plans also include a citywide backstreet renewal initiative known as Shancheng Houxiang. Rather than relying on wholesale demolition and rebuilding, it focuses on small, site-specific upgrades to older lanes while preserving their local character. The city is encouraging new businesses and activities, including cultural and creative ventures, neighborhood dining and performances, with the aim of turning underused backstreets into active spaces for everyday life, culture, tourism and small businesses.

An elevator in Xingjiaqiao, a new office inside an old factory, and guitar music drifting through Yinghua Lane may have little in common at first glance. What connects them is that people are choosing to live, work, and spend time in these spaces again.

Back in Yinghua Lane, the guitar music drifting from a theater offers a simple measure of that change. For a neighborhood that had gradually grown quieter, one of the clearest signs of renewal is simply that the alley is busy again after dark.