孟晓苏：城市，让生活更美好

Group 1 - The central theme of the recent "Central Urban Work Conference" emphasizes the importance of urban development for improving people's lives, highlighting the slogan "People's city built by the people, for the people" [2][9] - The conference marks a significant decision-making event in China's urban development, with only two such meetings held under the central government since the reform and opening up [2][3] - Urbanization in China has been unprecedented in scale and speed, with 694 cities and 27 cities projected to exceed a GDP of 1 trillion yuan in 2024, contributing significantly to the national economy [3][4] Group 2 - The improvement of urban infrastructure and public services is a key focus, with an emphasis on enhancing living conditions, education, and healthcare, particularly in county-level cities [4][6] - The housing sector has seen remarkable achievements, with over 430 billion square meters of urban housing valued at approximately 430 trillion yuan, representing a significant portion of urban residents' wealth [6][7] - A large-scale urban housing security system has been established, providing over 68 million units of affordable housing, addressing the housing needs of 170 million people [7] Group 3 - Urban development goals include innovation, livability, beauty, resilience, civilization, and intelligence, reflecting the aspirations of the people for a better life [5][6] - The urbanization rate has increased from 53% in 2012 to 67% in 2024, with a projected 2 billion rural residents expected to migrate to urban areas, indicating a shift towards a more integrated urban-rural development model [8][9] - The construction industry plays a crucial role in urban development, with a significant workforce of over 70 million, primarily composed of migrant workers, contributing to the urban landscape [9][10]