The Central Urban Conference, the first high-level event of its kind in a decade, was held in Beijing on July 14–15, 2025. The meeting was chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping and accompanied by members of the Politburo Standing Committee. The main topic of discussion was a fundamental shift in the approach to urbanization: away from horizontal urban growth and megaprojects and toward improving the quality of the urban environment, reviving existing neighborhoods, increasing resilience, and protecting against climate risks. Key decisions at the conference included a strategic shift from large-scale expansion to high-quality development, reviving old neighborhoods, reducing the number of “ghost towns,” green and low-carbon transformation, limiting supertall buildings, and strengthening measures to protect against floods and natural disasters. The conference outlined seven key areas of reform: a modern urban system, innovative cities, cozy and convenient cities, green and low-carbon cities, reliable and sustainable cities, cities of tradition and culture, smart and efficient cities. This event marked the end of the era of quantitative growth due to development and the transition to a policy of improving the quality of the urban environment, environmental sustainability and social inclusion. Sources: https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/china-promote-renewal-urban-villages-dilapidated-houses-2025-07-15/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_31184945?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202507/content_7032083.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_city?utm_source=chatgpt.com