Chengdu: The Happiness Formula of a Megacity

During the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, how will a megacity usher in the new era? Chengdu has lived up to the expectations by developing “Ten Projects for a Better Life” (the “Ten Projects”). “A Better Life” means essential, systematic and in-depth integration, presents the most meaningful happiness formula for the city and shows the new trend for urban development.

Chengdu witnessed the bringing-up of the initiative of building a garden-like city, and it has now become a demonstration area for such cities. It prioritizes the livelihoods, thinks globally and sets a good example as an ideal dwelling place where everyone lives a happy and better life.

From the perspective of the residents and tourists, this is the happiness formula of a megacity.

Happiness

Chengdu’s Happiness, Happiness of Everyone

Chengdu has an agency named Happiness Office. The employees are specially called “Citizen Observers”. This February, 40 citizens were appointed. They took office and now serve as Chengdu’s “Happiness Observers” or “Happiness Perceivers”.

Yang Yifan, Deputy Director of the International Research Institute on Aging at Southwest Jiaotong University, has become a member of the Observation Group of the All-Age Friendly and Inclusive Society Construction Project. After taking office, he pays more attention to the life of the aged and disabled, observes and studies their living state, which has already become a daily routine of his own life.

“Citizen Observers” are also “Project Supervisors”. Recently, several observers have jointly visited a number of schools and hospitals. They got first-hand information of the development of the “Ten Projects”, offered helpful suggestions and provided guidance and support for continuous improvement.

Happiness is the subjective feeling about daily life. The voices “City Observers” have heard, the demands they have learned about and the advice they have collected help the individuals in the city live a better life.

The “Ten Projects” are intended specifically to meet the needs of citizens for a better life. They may be related to the whole nation. The project of Building a Smart and Resilient Safe City requires the coverage rate of earthquake monitoring and early warning information should exceed 65 percent. They may be related to the everyday life of individuals. A great many projects deal with the residents’ salary, the competitiveness in terms of living costs, public services and urban commuting. They are all intended to make the government’s kindness and help reach all the natural and legal persons settling down here.

This well echoes the research of Wei Xiang, a professor at the Institute of Financial and Economic Strategy, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He noted that three indicators of Chengdu showed a dramatic increase in 2020, including “The City’s Image in the Eyes of the Masses”. The reason is that the numerous changes taking place in urban development are well-received and exactly meet the needs of the public.

This year, Chengdu plans to renovate 50 old and shabby areas and reconstruct 313 old residential quarters after categorization. The projects will take in the helpful advice of the residents, and they will have the chances to assist in formulating, revising and improving the plans. After the renovation is accomplished, the residents will be invited to witness the delivery of the projects. The “Ten Projects” include various measures to improve the livelihoods, and they are related to salary, housing, education, health and a lot more. Fundamentally, they are not just enthusiastic slogans but real measures to create a better life. A large amount of payment is made full use of and finally translates into the happiness of Chengdu. Chengdu’s happiness is happiness of everyone.

Niceness

The City’s Dramatic Development Supported by the Masses

On April 8, Chengdu held the first awarding ceremony of “City for Humanity Awards”.

“City for Humanity Awards” is designed for cities and architecture, and it was initiated by Life Week. The journal chose Chengdu as the hosting place because the city boasts rich culture and a fervent cultural atmosphere. The Land of Abundance that has existed for thousands of years witnesses the carefree life of the residents and showcases its booming cultural and creative industries featuring elegance, fashion, liveliness and vitality.

Niceness is about everything you may see, touch and feel. An increasing number of people rush to Chengdu and recognize it as the most livable place by choosing to settle down here. The stronger recognition means greater support for the further development of today’s Chengdu.

At the hill of the snow-covered mountain rests a garden-like city. Chengdu is the only megacity in China with the view of the snow-covered mountain measuring more than 5000 meters in height. In addition, there is lush vegetation, represented by Tianfu Greenway. It is the green axis of happiness, connecting urban with rural communities, going through Linpan Rural Settlement in West Sichuan and showcasing the amazing landscapes on the land. Here, beauty is fully presented in every minute of the leisurely life.

During the Spring Festival this year, the entrepreneur Xiong Lu stayed in Chengdu to make signature tours of its various parks. “This city is advancing and changing every day. Now we should stop to enjoy every moment of happiness”. So far, Chengdu has built and opened greenways extending for more than 4000 kilometers, and those places have witnessed the appearance of diverse scenarios and brand new lifestyles. Obviously, the happiness of the city is tangible in every way.

Benefit sharing and stronger recognition reveal the crucial changes of the city building concepts and development strategies. Chengdu has fully fulfilled the promise of “Better City, Better Life”.

But Chengdu has a lot more to accomplish. It will vigorously host major international sports events like FISU World University Games, encourage doing sports, taking part in competitive activities and developing healthy lifestyles, establish the world’s longest Tianfu Greenway where citizens can enjoy riding and walking and feel the vitality of the Jade Boutiques, improve the transportation network integrating rail transit and greenways for the convenience of daily life and environmental protection, build more innovation centers to help citizens fulfill their dreams of entrepreneurship and innovation, and create the world’s largest urban park system to deepen the sense of happiness for everyone...

Chengdu will build the emotional bonds by offering a rich array of engaging activities, giving meaning to everyday life and helping everyone feel the warmth of the city. It will live up to the expectations and benefit from stronger recognition, thus entering a new stage of impressive development.

Life

Core Strengths and Unique Features of a Livable City

Some experts believe that the “Ten Projects” have further highlighted the core strengths and unique features of Chengdu as a livable city.

The project of Reducing Living Costs is intended to improve the livelihoods by adjusting the supply and demand system, stabilizing the prices, enhancing the quality of services and keeping the ratio of housing prices to salary at the lower level of major cities around the nation. Chengdu is being designed as a highly competitive megacity of China in terms of living costs.

The “Ten Projects” symbolize brand new exploration. The newness means Chengdu has the opportunities to take the lead in specific areas, especially those concerned with “life”. But the newness also means the trial will be the first of its kind and that the city’s governance and management will face great challenges.

The “Ten Projects” are devoted to promoting co-building and sharing via marketization. Creating the great variety of scenarios, in particular, shows the specific methods of developing relations between men and cities in future cities.

Chengdu has been vigorously promoting the development of scenarios all these years. The Scenario Theory comes from Daniel Aaron Silver, and he noted that scenarios highlight the re-orientation of the multiple urban functions in the overlapping of space and individual lives. The construction of new scenarios will not only enhance the citizens’ sense of belonging to the city but also stimulate their creativity for the city’s further development.

In essence, the “Ten Projects” will bring new scenarios of consumption upgrade. Specific scenarios have been emerging in an endless stream, and they are about life aesthetics, commuting, smart and personalized life. Moreover, Chengdu will regularly publish the Better Life Application Scenario and Opportunity List, encouraging the public to contribute to the investment, building and management of the “Ten Projects”. The city’s potential will be further tapped when the government leads the way, market participants play a key role and the commercialization logic is fully adopted.

Recently, Chengdu has released the first Better Life Application Scenario and Investment Opportunity List. It includes 152 specific scenarios and 422 messages on supply and demand. Viewers may have different interpretations of the list. Some believe the government has kept its promise of creating a better life for the citizens, some note that high-quality social and economic development is fully combined, and others observe that enterprises will witness great growth in the vast markets waiting to be explored.

In all, the opportunities created by the “Life Scenarios” will eventually translate into the core strengths and unique features of Chengdu. Every tourist and resident right here will have a deeper sense of belonging and engaging in the inclusive and friendly environment.