In May of this year, the Bajiao Zhili Linli community convenience complex, transformed from a long-idle old boiler house in the Bajiao sub-district of Shijingshan District, officially commenced operations.
This industrial structure, dormant for over two decades, has undergone an organic renewal, evolving into a one-stop community service hub while preserving its industrial historical character, marking a notable achievement in developing the 15-minute convenience life circle for older residential areas.
Bajiao Zhongli is an older community with an early construction date, featuring a dense population and a high proportion of elderly residents.
It has long faced public service gaps, including scattered convenience facilities, a scarcity of public activity spaces, and insufficient amenities for both seniors and children.
The community's boiler house, built in 1987, had been unused and vacant for an extended period after being decommissioned.
This situation not only represented inefficient use of state-owned assets but also posed safety hazards, requiring annual maintenance funds and presenting a persistent governance challenge for the community.
To revitalize underutilized resources and directly address residents' needs, the Bajiao sub-district took the lead in coordination.
The operating unit implemented a scientific plan, adopting an approach focused on micro-renovations and precise upgrades, avoiding large-scale demolition and construction to give the idle space a new lease on life.
The transformation process emphasized the adaptive reuse of the industrial heritage.
The original 45-meter chimney was preserved with a 4-meter base to create the "Furnace Side Time" landscape square, while the interior of the chimney was converted into distinctive retail shops.
The site is divided into a convenience service station, a children's activity area, and dedicated zones for seniors and children, implementing a system of time-sharing and multi-purpose use for public spaces to balance heritage preservation with practical functionality.
The complex features diverse formats across its floors.
The first floor focuses on daily essentials, with a senior-friendly cafeteria offering low-salt, low-sugar meals alongside stalls featuring various regional cuisines.
A convenience market provides fresh produce at affordable prices, and services like haircuts, key duplication, and small repairs are all available, allowing residents to shop for groceries, dine, and handle daily errands right downstairs.
The second floor hosts children's fitness classes, art studios, and after-school care, addressing childcare challenges for dual-income families.
The third floor contains a community theater, library, and study rooms with views of the Shijingshan Amusement Park ferris wheel, enabling regular hosting of concerts and community performances to meet residents' cultural and leisure needs.
Following its launch, the project has demonstrated significant social benefits, successfully activating state-owned assets that had been dormant for years and attracting over 20 businesses to complete the convenience service ecosystem.
Its services cover a radius of 1.5 square kilometers, directly serving more than 7,700 residents and benefiting over 20,000 people in the surrounding area, effectively addressing the community's service gaps.
This project has been selected as one of the first national pilot programs for community-embedded services and one of the first joint-review urban renewal projects in Shijingshan District, forming a replicable practical model for renovating old factory buildings and revitalizing idle assets.
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