The existence of urban villages has been hampering the development of Jining city, but that problem will be settled in a few years as the government has come out with a revamp plan.

The urban village refers to residential area with low living standards on both the outskirts and the downtown segments of the city. Farmers who lose the right to use rural lands often inhabit urban villages.  

In the case of Jining, more than 60,000 people live in 29 urban villages in Beihu new district. The poor living infrastructure has long been a headache for authorities who have been working to improve the situation.

Since 2008, the government has been carrying out a big revamp project in the area. It has demolished old earthen houses and planned three indemnificatory housing plots in the district.

At present, 98 residential buildings occupying an area of 1.46 million square meters are under construction, with an investment of 968 million yuan. Of the new resdence, 38 will be all set for 13,000 families in 13 villages, with each one owning an area of 70 square meters on average.