BEIJING, Dec. 25 -- China will advance urban renewal projects, aiming to complete the renovation of old urban residential communities built before the end of 2000 by the year 2025, said the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on Wednesday.

In 2024, 56,000 projects were newly launched to renovate old urban residential communities, over 25,000 elevators were added to existing buildings, more than 500,000 parking lots were built, and 2,254 facilities for elderly care were constructed, data from the ministry showed.

By 2025, work should be done to update and renovate the aging gas pipelines that have been identified and significantly reduce the occurrence of black and odorous water bodies in county-level urban areas.

Besides, the country will continue the construction and renovation of underground tunnels, the renewal of municipal facilities, urban household waste classification, and the building of pocket parks and urban greenways, as well as the construction of elderly care facilities and child-friendly spaces in urban residential areas.

It will also promote the development of digital homes, smart residential areas, intelligent housing construction management, urban operation management service platforms, and intelligent municipal facilities, according to the ministry.