1. Research Background
1. Digital technology is an important means for modern urban community construction and governance.
Currently, digital reform has become a new direction for modern urban development and is one of the cores of “future community” construction. The deep integration of digital technology and community construction enriches the tools and means of community governance. For example, applying high-tech such as the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence to community services throughout the life cycle makes living environments greener and more low-carbon; introducing intelligent monitoring systems for comprehensive monitoring of public security, environment, traffic, etc., promptly identifying and addressing various safety hazards; providing personalized service support to communities, such as online education, remote medical care, e-commerce, etc., to meet the diverse living needs of residents.
In addition, the application of digital technology promotes the innovative development of embedded service facilities in communities, constructing information platforms for intelligent management, providing new models and methods for the construction, operation, and governance of facilities, and offering more diverse, efficient, and refined daily life services to community residents.
2. The practical experience of building “future communities” in Zhejiang Province is gradually enriching.
The construction of future communities is an important grasp for efficiently promoting urban renewal. The concept of “future community” was first proposed by the Zhejiang provincial government in 2019. In March of the same year, the “Pilot Work Plan for Future Community Construction in Zhejiang Province” was officially issued, proposing a people-centered design framework, emphasizing the synergy of hardware upgrades and software quality enhancement, covering various urban life scenarios, providing standards for future community construction work, and better promoting the transition of future communities from concept to implementation and practice. Currently, the pilot work for future communities in Zhejiang Province is progressing steadily, leading the nation in the practice of future community construction, and the work in various counties and districts within the province is still progressing steadily. As the practical experience of future community construction gradually enriches, it is also gaining widespread attention from scholars in various disciplines, gradually conducting research on public service supply models, characteristics of community construction and governance models, and local design of communities.
3. Various places are actively carrying out practical construction of embedded service facilities in communities.
In November 2023, the National Development and Reform Commission, together with relevant departments, jointly researched and formulated the “Implementation Plan for the Construction of Embedded Service Facilities in Urban Communities” (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Plan”), aiming to promote the extension of public service projects to cover entire communities, gradually filling the gaps in high-quality living community services, improving the urban community service system, and enhancing the ability of urban communities to support people’s beautiful lives.
Currently, some communities have begun construction practices. Based on existing experiences and construction models, to gradually promote embedded service facilities in more cities and communities, the practice must incorporate more innovative experiences. Among them, Zhejiang Province has already implemented pioneering practices combined with the construction of “future communities”, fully utilizing digital technology as support, integrating the concept of “four combinations” into public service supply, providing valuable reference experience for the promotion of embedded service facilities in urban communities.
2. Concept Definition
1. Future Community
Future communities can be summarized as new urban functional units centered around people’s needs for a better life, focusing on the core of “people-oriented” by creating diverse scenarios. The “Pilot Work Plan for Future Community Construction in Zhejiang Province” defines future communities as: “Centered on the people’s aspirations for a better life, guided by humanization, ecologicalization, and digitization as value orientations, and based on harmonious co-governance, green intensification, and intelligent sharing as basic connotations, constructing nine major scenarios of future neighborhoods, education, health, entrepreneurship, architecture, transportation, low-carbon, service, and governance, creating a new type of urban functional unit with a sense of belonging, comfort, and futurism.”
2. Embedded Service Facilities in Communities
Embedded service facilities in communities refer to functional facilities and adaptive services embedded in community public spaces through new construction or renovation, providing services at residents’ doorsteps. The “Implementation Plan” points out that embedded service facilities in communities provide one or more services such as elderly care, community meal assistance, housekeeping convenience, health services, sports and fitness, cultural leisure, and children’s recreation for community residents. These facilities are characterized by flexibility, convenience, and inclusiveness, which is of great significance for improving community governance levels and meeting the diverse needs of residents.
3. Experiences of Building Embedded Service Facilities in “Future Communities” with Four Combinations
1. Combining Hardware Upgrades and Software Optimization
As China’s urban development model shifts from “incremental expansion” to “stock optimization”, the basic construction of various physical facilities in cities is largely completed, and urban residents have higher demands for government governance and public services, highlighting the importance of synchronously improving the quality of urban facilities and modernizing and digitizing governance levels.
In the construction practice of Taizhou’s future communities, Huangyan Jiangcheng future community deeply roots cultural heritage, creating a beautiful life community with “high-level party building, deep governance, and warm services”. Addressing the pain points of residents’ living support, over 15,000 square meters of existing space has been revitalized, creating a “comprehensive neighborhood center”, a “comprehensive red governance system”, and a “24/7 healthy living axis” to achieve a multi-point supporting spatial pattern. The neighborhood center of Jiangcheng Community covers an area of approximately 2,800 square meters, with the first floor equipped with functions such as a resident reception hall, a common prosperity workshop, and a daytime care area, providing residents with a space for convenient services and neighborhood interactions; the second floor includes functions such as a happiness classroom, a fitness room for the public, a nursery station, and an elderly calligraphy and painting room. Outdoors, centered around the riverside sports park, the “green park + greenway” project is promoted, renovating and upgrading the 3043-meter health walking path along the river, updating the activity square area of 4542 square meters, adding fishing platforms, smart walking paths, and other facilities, creating a shared composite community activity and interaction base for residents.
In terms of intelligent management, Jiangcheng future community is equipped with digital devices such as flow analysis, age-friendly equipment, AED emergency rescue facilities, and surveillance for various public spaces like the neighborhood center, community health service station, and community entrances, gradually building a governance ecosystem for smart communities, strengthening the integration of online and offline service scenarios. Community residents can enjoy various services such as neighborhood activity registration, property repair, and interest class reservations through mini-programs. According to statistics from December 2023, Jiangcheng future community has launched a total of 45 applications, including 15 digital social applications, with a cumulative registered user base of 3,002 people, driving an average daily foot traffic of 210 people in offline space scenarios, achieving significant results in the community’s digital operation work.
Furthermore, while enhancing both software and hardware, Jiangcheng future community also focuses on building the spiritual home of community residents, adhering to community cultural cultivation, and promoting the “Harmonious Jiangcheng” brand. It insists on protecting the original Song Dynasty culture, orange culture, and Huangyan martial arts culture of the community, showcasing and promoting the new era of “cohesive culture”, reshaping classic memories and historical appearances. By the end of 2023, Jiangcheng future community has organized nearly 60 neighborhood activities, including small orange lamp handicraft making, Lingyun martial arts film festival, wooden flower plan, bubble party, and happiness market.
2. Combining Livelihood Security and Sustainable Development
Providing high-quality, balanced, and sustainable public services for community residents, exploring the future community long-term operation mechanism of “public welfare + micro-profit”, guiding and encouraging multiple entities such as markets, social organizations, and individual residents to participate in community public affairs, and promoting the project-based operation and diversified development of community cultural, educational, and social autonomy activities.
Many communities in Zhejiang have explored the “public welfare + micro-profit” future community partner operation model, carrying out market-oriented, multi-channel value-added services for residents, forming a long-term construction path for future communities that is “replicable in model, controllable in cost, and circulatable in funds”. Specifically, by establishing a model of “government-led – free/low-cost use of public space – operating revenue feedback”, the government initially provides certain subsidies, and third-party cooperative institutions utilize low-cost public spaces provided by communities to operate in a graded manner using business models such as “universal + compensation”, promoting project-based operations of various types of activities such as cultural sports, education training, and social autonomy, exploring gradual increases in service revenue from property value-added services, community public areas, and community shopping malls. Additionally, many communities have achieved self-sustainability through public welfare venture capital, external performances, resident crowdfunding, honorary rewards, and external operations.
For example, to help a large number of foreign merchants in the community integrate into the community family, Cilun Community established the first community-level immigration service station in 2021 by leveraging municipal resources, providing over ten services such as foreign enterprise registration, housing guidance, and visa processing. At the same time, focusing on the high-frequency needs of residents’ daily lives, it provides comprehensive, multi-faceted services with commercial value and livelihood functions, such as childcare, public welfare courses, elderly dining, medical health, employment support, living services, and logistics delivery.
Another example is the Donghu future community, which has explored a co-creation and joint operation model of “government guidance + joint venture company implementation + market-oriented operation”, conducting comprehensive operation and maintenance management of future community spaces both online and offline. A joint venture company was established by a state-owned company and Greentown Group, with the government guiding the operation goals to achieve profitability while focusing more on livelihood needs and public service demands. In actual operations, offline commercial activities such as elderly canteens, gym rentals, and rooftop photovoltaic power generation for libraries have been opened, as well as digital revenue projects represented by the “Beautiful Donghu” mini-program for online group purchases.
3. Combining Online Empowerment and Offline Activities
Emphasizing the widespread application of digital technology in community operations and services, leveraging the unique empowering role of digital technology, breaking through the time and space constraints of physical facilities, and utilizing online space to achieve “integrated integration” of originally “scattered layouts” of offline spaces. Through big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other means, continuously exploring the informatization, digitalization, and intelligentization of community governance services, constructing a governance system of “village-residence-grid-micro-grid (such as hallways, buildings)”, and building integrated smart governance platforms and other hardware facilities to achieve precise policies and scientific governance.
In recent years, Yiwu City has continuously promoted digital transformation in urban community governance and service supply: on the one hand, promoting platform interoperability and “integrated landing”, improving the digital collaborative level at the governance end. Yiwu City has opened up systems such as 96150, 12345, “Zheli Visit”, and four platforms for grassroots governance (comprehensive governance work, comprehensive law enforcement, market supervision, and convenient services), fully connecting the “Zheli Future Community Online” application, comprehensively docking with various characteristic applications such as Clean Yiwu, Healthy Yiwu, Credit Yiwu, and Smart Yiwu, achieving cross-scenario service landing such as “Urban Brain + Future Community”, creating future community application scenarios integrating user ends, operation ends, service ends, and governance ends.
On the other hand, accelerating the realization of “smart quick handling” and “reducing burdens and increasing capabilities”, enhancing the digital accessibility of user ends. Relying on the interconnected and smooth operation of platforms, various beneficial government services reach grassroots masses directly, forming a one-stop entrance and one-click direct access. The diverse needs of the masses can be summarized, intelligently perceived, wisely judged, and precisely met, which helps improve the quality and efficiency of community management services and promote the high-quality development and construction of future communities. For example, the “Future Community” smart service platform in Jimingshan Community covers eight major scenarios and 58 applications, allowing residents to make online appointments, participate in discussions, register for activities, and reserve happiness classrooms for high-frequency matters. Cilun Community has also set up modules on the community smart platform for contacting the masses, volunteer activities, and finding the community when needed, allowing residents to report demand issues on their mobile phones, achieving functions such as community service appointments, information resource sharing, and feedback on supervision situations. At the same time, electronic display screens are set up in each grid for residents to check the progress of matters in real-time. This also helps community cadres achieve “reducing burdens and increasing capabilities”: through data sharing, data empowerment, and data errands, greatly reducing reports and meetings, improving work efficiency and service precision, allowing community cadres to devote more energy to serving residents and solving difficulties.
4. Combining Party Building Leadership from “Top-down” and Multi-entity Participation from “Bottom-up”.
Community construction relies on the collaborative participation of various social forces. In the practice of future communities in Zhejiang, multiple mechanisms have been established to strengthen social collaboration and public participation, fully leveraging the roles of party members, property companies, social organizations, and other social forces, stimulating residents’ participation in public affairs, mediating neighborhood disputes, and supervising community work, providing theoretical, mechanistic, organizational, and material guidance and support for building a new pattern of community co-construction, co-governance, and sharing.
Based on the “Zheli Grid Connect Hearts” application platform, residents and the community party general branch, with the community party general branch as the center and the neighborhood committee as the leader, support the participation of community workers, party members, resident representatives, volunteers, and property management in establishing a “team service” model, scientifically dividing the community into 4 grids and 40 micro-grids, further exploring the “grid + digital” governance model. On this basis, Minhe Community continuously deepens the “one member, five posts” party member linkage mechanism, fully leveraging the advantages of many party members and resident backbones, excavating and cultivating grassroots micro-governance forces to participate in community co-construction, actively guiding residents to cooperate efficiently and effectively in completing various community tasks, enhancing the leading role of party members and the participation rate of residents, achieving self-management and self-service for residents.
In response to the high proportion of floating populations, the large number of commercial streets, the complexity of community forms, and the difficulty of governance in the jurisdiction, Yiwu City’s Choucheng Street Cilun Community relies on community resident discussion points, bamboo forest discussion corners, and neighborly homes to extend the discussion function from the community to alleys and courtyards. According to the requirements of “one issue, one discussion; urgent issues, urgent discussions”, the micro-grid leaders publish discussion projects monthly, regularly holding hallway roundtable meetings and resident discussion meetings, guiding residents to discuss and solve neighborhood problems together, creating a strong atmosphere of “everyone discussing issues, everyone helping with difficulties”. In addition, Cilun Community has also pioneered the establishment of a team of community affairs supervision liaison officers in the city, selected from community “two representatives and one committee”, party member representatives, resident representatives, building leaders, volunteer backbones, and merchant representatives. These liaison officers assist the community supervision liaison station in collecting integrity information, helping with communication, supervising work styles, and promoting integrity knowledge. Liaison officers also fully participate in the monthly work evaluation of community grid staff, evaluations of community cadres every six months, year-end assessments, and evaluations for awards and recognitions, and they have a certain degree of say in these processes.
4. Potential Challenges Ahead
1. Data Privacy Faces Security Risks
Digital and intelligent community service facilities involve a large amount of personal information and privacy data of residents. If data protection measures are inadequate, it may lead to risks of data breaches and privacy violations. For example, during APP registration and service appointments, sensitive information such as medical records and financial status may be leaked. Moreover, community digital governance relies on various information systems and internet platforms, which may suffer from data loss, tampering, or illegal access due to hacker attacks or improper operations by internal personnel.
2. Disconnection Between Technology and Community Construction and Governance
If facility construction and governance overly pursue the use of technological means while neglecting residents’ psychological needs, it may lead to a “technical-only” approach, detaching from reality. On one hand, the application of digital technology may remain superficial, failing to be deeply integrated into the entire process of community governance, leading to the emergence of the “digital divide” and “technological burden” phenomena. For example, excessive reliance on online systems and big data analysis for resolving neighborhood disputes gradually shifts the judgment of right and wrong from humans to machines, diminishing trust between people and between people and technology. Over time, this may render “people-oriented” as mere rhetoric, significantly deviating from the original intent of future community construction. On the other hand, governance concepts may lag behind, and some community governance officials may still use traditional management methods without fully utilizing digital technology to enhance governance effectiveness, leading to a mismatch between technology and governance goals.
3. Insufficient Technology and Professional Talent
Although digitalization and intelligence are future trends, some communities currently lack sufficient technical applications. For example, insufficient funding may lead to inadequate technical support, preventing the smart transformation of communities from starting or progressing slowly; issues such as compatibility, stability, and data processing capabilities of smart devices may affect the normal operation of service facilities, even causing dissatisfaction and complaints from residents. In addition, the digital transformation of embedded service facilities in communities requires professional technical personnel for planning, design, implementation, maintenance, and governance. Currently, most communities lack such composite talents.
4. Alienation of Neighborly Relations
Compared to traditional familiar communities, modern neighborly relations often see residents living in the same neighborhood with little interaction. Moreover, the development of emerging technologies such as 5G and big data has made modern community residents’ interactions and lifestyles more “networked”, often reducing neighbors to mere “online neighbors”. Additionally, the rise of services such as online shopping, food delivery, and online repairs has made people more reliant on these services, reducing the dependence on neighborly mutual assistance and decreasing the frequency of face-to-face interactions. These factors collectively lead to a sense of alienation in community interactions, which contradicts the original intention of awakening a warm neighborly social circle in the future community construction scenario.
5. Conclusion
The digital reform of embedded service facilities in “future communities” is a new trend in community construction and governance development. This article combines the rich construction experience of the “four combinations” of future communities in Zhejiang Province to explore how digital technology can effectively integrate into community construction and governance. To provide more practical references and respond to future challenges, it requires the joint efforts of the government, enterprises, social organizations, and residents to create a harmonious, intelligent, and livable community environment.
(Ni Tong, China Center for Urban and Small Town Reform and Development, Planner
Qin Wang, China Center for Urban and Small Town Reform and Development, Engineer
Chen Yihan, China Center for Urban and Small Town Reform and Development, Project Assistant)