Situated in Guali township in Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan district, Qicai Community is one of the first batch of 24 future community pilot projects in Zhejiang province. Right at the heart of Guali’s new town area, the project is expected to draw a total investment of 5 billion yuan, with a planned construction area of about 79 hectares.

The project has been designed to fully tap into the resources and opportunities provided by the Hangzhou Airport Economic Demonstration Zone, which is close by, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which will see the further internalization of Hangzhou, and the upgrading and transformation of Guali’s traditional industry, which is driven by the development of digital economy in Hangzhou and Xiaoshan. Eventually, efforts will be devoted to building Qicai Community into a model of future community for China’s transit-oriented development (TOD) satellite towns.

At the start, it was clearly proposed that residents’ perception of happiness and sense of gain for their future life should serve as the final evaluation criteria for the project’s success, which became the basis for the planners to design the design. To that end, seven indicators, called “happiness touch points”, were set up: neighborhood memories, learning and growth, medical care and health, everyday life services, innovation and entrepreneurship, green and low-carbon as well as community cohesion. Happiness services have been provided to residents around these “touch points”.

As one of the first pilot future community projects in successful operation, the biggest highlight of Qicai Community is the land use policy innovation and practice under the model of “Bus TOD Comprehensive Development”. Using this model, the community organically integrates in one single area bus stations, shopping malls, civic centers, housing and so on.

For example, an open-air bus station has been transformed into a neighborhood center, with a bus terminal at the bottom floor, three floors of parking above, as well as a cinema, a rooftop fitness center, a swimming pool and a senior citizens’ center. Without leaving the neighborhood, one is able to enjoy shopping, watching movies and working out without worrying about traffic.

On the fifth floor of the neighborhood center, a community smart public service center has also been set up, which runs 24/7 for 365 days a year. It even tops the “one-stop public service”, widely available all throughout Zhejiang’s public service system. This also shows that the community has put its focus on further improving the government’s public service.

The neighborhood center seen in Qicai Community is based on the model in Singapore. Where it differs from the original model and has innovated upon is that it has highly integrated seven aspects that meet the demand of community residents for a good life, namely public services, smart governance, transportation, innovation and entrepreneurship, neighborhood sharing, culture and education, sports and health, in a 100,000 square-meter one-stop community neighborhood complex. Within a 15 minutes’ walking distance, the neighborhood center covers the whole community. Through the center, a series of issues that have been besetting the residents, such as difficult access to transport for senior citizens and to public services after working hours have been tackled.

Qicai Community in Guali township of Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan district is among the first Zhejiang’s 24 future community pilot projects. This photo shows the community’s neighborhood complex, which is modeled after Singapore’s neighborhood centers

Now, the manual service counters of Qicai Community’s public service center open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. all year round. A total of 89 items can be handled through these counters, including entrepreneurship and innovation, social security and medical insurance, citizen card, etc. There are also eight self-service machines, through which 172 items can be handled independently.

In addition, through innovative digital governance and deep integration of online and offline management, Qicai Community tries to enhance residents’ happiness and sense of gain. Via the two WeChat mini-programs that the community launched, for instance, residents are able to check real-time car parking and act according. More than that, they also provide information on public toilets, public bicycles, government affairs, food and accommodation, buses and flights, as well as maps and one-click navigation. Indeed, residents can earn points for volunteer services, garbage sorting and online learning on the apps and exchanges merchandise through the online mall.

At present, with the second phase kickstarting, Qicai Community will focus its development on digital entrepreneurship and industrial integration, catering to the demands of 5G-era digital entrepreneurs for diversification and integration on work, life and learning.   

Editor: Huang Yan