Historical Review and Experiential Insights of the Party’s Leadership in Urban Work

With the urbanization rate surpassing 60% for the first time in 2019, China has entered the middle-to-late stage of urbanization, a new phase in which the economy, society, culture, space, and organization are all undergoing transformation, requiring a re-examination of the characteristics and main influencing factors of urbanization development. Urban work involves planning, construction, governance, and other aspects; as rich as urban life is, so complex is urban work. Faced with new changes, how to accurately grasp the profound connotation of the important concept of the people’s city [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022, at which Xi Jinping delivered based on a summary of the historical experience of the Party’s urban work, integrate it throughout the entire process of urban work, and explore a new path for the modernization of urban governance is an urgent proposition of the times that must be addressed.

随着2019年城镇化率首次突破60%，我国开始进入城镇化中后期，这是一个经济、社会、文化、空间、组织等都在发生变革的全新阶段，需要重新审视城镇化发展特征与主要影响因素。城市工作涉及规划、建设、治理等各方面，城市生活有多丰富，城市工作就有多复杂。面对新变化，如何在总结党的城市工作历史经验基础上，精准把握人民城市重要理念的深刻内涵并将其贯穿于城市工作全过程，探索城市治理现代化新路，是当下亟须回答的时代命题。

Regarding research on the Party’s urban work, existing achievements are mainly concentrated in two dimensions: the century-long history of the CPC and the seventy-year history of New China. In terms of the century-long Party history, some scholars have reviewed the course of the Party’s leadership in urban work during the periods of the New Democratic Revolution, socialist revolution and construction, and socialism with Chinese characteristics, summarizing experiences such as upholding and consolidating the guiding position of Marxism, exploring and recognizing the special laws of China’s urban development, adhering to and firmly establishing the fundamental position of being “people-centered,” and grasping and following the principle of “seeking truth from facts.” Other scholars, based on an analysis of the four stages of “capturing cities through revolution, prospering cities through industry, enriching cities through the economy, and governing cities for the people,” argue that persisting in adapting Marxist urban theory to the Chinese context is a valuable experience. Still others, by reviewing the century-long Party history, propose that future urban work should combine the universal laws of urban development with regional heterogeneity, and integrate the new round of new-type urbanization construction with the important concept of the people’s city, digital transformation, regional integration, and rural revitalization practice. In terms of the seventy-year history of New China, some scholars, in conjunction with the strategic deployment of the 19th National Congress of the CPC, suggest that future urban development should focus on building national central cities, small and medium-sized cities, smart cities, and characteristic towns. Some scholars have summarized historical features such as concept upgrading, subject strengthening, behavioral shifts, ecological turnaround, and goal transformation, and have proposed optimization suggestions for urban work based on the principle of matching governance plans with specific environments, taking the government’s inclusive and open attitude as the foundation, taking the collaboration of governance subjects as the process, and taking meeting the diverse governance demands of the public as the driving force. Other scholars have focused on the four National (Central) Urban Work Conferences [2]2 Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Talks” (南巡讲话) refer to a series of speeches delivered by the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping during his inspection tour of southern China in early 1992, which reaffirmed the course of market-oriented reform and opening up after a period of political uncertainty following the 1989, analyzing the evolutionary process and future direction of urban governance modernization from five dimensions—concept, goal, subject, path, and means—and summarizing experiences such as upholding the Party’s leadership, adhering to a problem-oriented approach, keeping pace with the times, and persisting in reform and innovation.

关于党的城市工作研究，现有成果主要集中于百年党史和七十年新中国史两个维度。百年党史方面，有学者梳理了新民主主义革命、社会主义革命与建设、中国特色社会主义时期党领导城市工作的历程，总结了坚持和巩固马克思主义指导地位，探索和认清中国城市发展的特殊规律，恪守和站稳“以人民为中心”的根本立场，把握和遵循“一切从实际出发”等经验；也有学者基于“革命夺城、工业兴城、经济富城、人民治城”四个阶段分析，认为坚持推进马克思主义城市理论中国化是宝贵经验；还有学者通过梳理百年党史，认为未来城市工作应将城市发展普遍规律与地区异质性相结合，将新一轮新型城镇化建设与人民城市重要理念、数字化转型、区域一体化和乡村振兴实践相结合。在新中国七十年史方面，有学者结合党的十九大战略部署，提出未来城市发展要在建设国家中心城市、中小城市、智慧城市、特色小镇等方面用力；有学者归纳出理念升级、主体强化、行为转向、生态扭转和目标转换等历史特征，总结了以治理方案匹配特定环境为原则、以政府持有包容开放心态为基石、以治理主体协作为过程以及以满足公众多元治理诉求为动力的城市工作优化建议；还有学者聚焦四次全国（中央）城市工作会议，从理念、目标、主体、路径和手段五个维度出发，分析了城市治理现代化的演进历程和未来走向，并总结了坚持党的领导、坚持问题导向、坚持与时俱进、坚持改革创新等经验。

Building on existing research, efforts can be made to deepen the study, construct a theoretical analysis framework based on the important concept of the people’s city, and establish criteria for selecting historical materials. In this regard, this paper focuses on the seventy-five-year time dimension since the founding of New China, guided by Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the important concept of the people’s city, using Xi Jinping’s systematic thinking as the analytical method guide, and combining the public policy “formulation—implementation—evaluation” flow chart to construct a three-dimensional analytical framework for the important concept of the people’s city. By reviewing the important meetings and documents of the Party concerning urban work since the founding of New China, and on the basis of summarizing the Party’s experience in urban work, this paper aims to provide a reference for the modernization of urban governance in the New Era.

在已有研究基础上，可着力于深化研究，构建基于人民城市重要理念的理论分析框架，建立起史料选择标准。对此，本文聚焦新中国成立七十五年这一时间维度，以习近平关于人民城市重要理念的重要论述为指导，以习近平总书记系统思维为分析方法指引，结合公共政策“制定—执行—评估”流程图谱，构建人民城市重要理念三维分析框架，通过对新中国成立以来党关于城市工作重要会议和文件的梳理，在总结党的城市工作经验基础上，为新时代城市治理现代化提供借鉴。

I. An Analytical Framework for the Party’s Leadership in Urban Work

一、党领导城市工作的分析框架

The important concept of the people’s city is the fundamental guideline for the Party’s leadership in urban work in the New Era. Shanghai is an international metropolis with the largest urban population in China and deep global

人民城市重要理念，是新时代党领导城市工作的根本遵循。上海是全国城区人口规模最大且深度链接全球的国际大都市，习近平对上海的指示和要求对于理解人民城市重要理念意义深远。2019年，习近平在上海考察时强调：人民城市人民建，人民城市为人民。2020年，习近平在浦东开发开放30周年庆祝大会上的重要讲话指出：要提高城市治理现代化水平，开创人民城市建设新局面；要坚持广大人民群众在城市建设和发展中的主体地位，探索具有中国特色、体现时代特征、彰显我国社会主义制度优势的超大城市发展之路。2023年，习近平在上海考察时再次强调：要全面践行人民城市理念，充分发挥党的领导和社会主义制度的显著优势，充分调动人民群众积极性主动性创造性；要把增进民生福祉作为城市建设和治理的出发点和落脚点，把全过程人民民主融入城市治理现代化，构建人人参与、人人负责、人人奉献、人人共享的城市治理共同体。习近平关于人民城市重要理念的重要论述系统回答了城市工作谁领导、依靠谁、为了谁等重大命题，为我们深入系统分析党领导城市工作的历程经验指明了方向。

In December 2015, Xi Jinping pointed out at the Central Urban Work Conference: “Urban work must establish a systems-thinking approach, starting from the many elements, structures, and functions that constitute a city, conducting in-depth research and thorough planning on major issues concerning urban development, and systematically advancing all aspects of work.” The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022, at which Xi Jinping delivered elaborated on the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the fifth of which is “must uphold systems thinking.” In specific analysis, guided by Xi Jinping’s important discourses on the important concept of the people’s city, and based on the classic public policy “formulation—implementation—evaluation” systems analysis framework, a three-dimensional analytical framework for the important concept of the people’s city should be constructed.

2015年12月，习近平在中央城市工作会议上指出：“城市工作要树立系统思维，从构成城市诸多要素、结构、功能等方面入手，对事关城市发展的重大问题进行深入研究和周密部署，系统推进各方面工作。”党的二十大报告阐释习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想世界观和方法论，第五个就是“必须坚持系统观念”。在具体分析中，要以习近平关于人民城市重要理念的重要论述为指导，基于经典公共政策“制定—执行—评估”系统分析框架，构建起人民城市重要理念的三维分析框架。

Within the three-dimensional analytical framework of the important concept of the people’s city, building the people’s city is the major policy direction for urban work determined by the Party Central Committee, constituting the policy formulation link; determining the major strategy of “the people’s city is built by the people,” and upholding the principal position of the broad masses of the people in urban construction and development, is the instrumental strategy for policy implementation; maintaining the strategic resolve that the people’s city serves the people, and taking the enhancement of people’s well-being as the starting point and ultimate goal of urban construction and governance, is the basic yardstick for policy evaluation; under the leadership of the Party, closely adhering to the people-centered development thought, and maintaining the dynamic balance of the people’s city being built by the people and serving the people, best reflects the Chinese characteristics, contemporary features, and institutional advantages of China’s urban work.

在人民城市重要理念三维分析框架中，建设人民城市是党中央确定的城市工作大政方针，是政策的制定环节；确定“人民城市人民建”的重大方略，坚持广大人民群众在城市建设和发展中的主体地位是政策执行的工具要略；保持人民城市为人民战略定力，把增进民生福祉作为城市建设和治理的出发点和落脚点是政策评估的基本标尺；在党的领导下，紧扣以人民为中心发展思想，保持人民城市人民建，人民城市为人民的动态平衡，最能体现我国城市工作的中国特色、时代特征、制度优势。

II. Historical Review of the Party’s Leadership in Urban Work Since the Founding of New China

二、新中国成立以来党领导城市工作的历史回顾

The Communist Party of China is the product of the integration of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese workers’ movement. Cities are the birthplace of the Party and, moreover, the practice field that demonstrates the Party’s leadership capability. Since the founding of New China, our Party has carried out a series of effective innovative reform explorations around various aspects of urban work within the specific arena of the city. Combining the three-dimensional analytical framework of the important concept of the people’s city, and following the historical stage divisions of the “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century” [2]2 Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Talks” (南巡讲话) refer to a series of speeches delivered by the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping during his inspection tour of southern China in early 1992, which reaffirmed the course of market-oriented reform and opening up after a period of political uncertainty following the 1989, through a review of the Party’s important meetings and documents concerning urban work, the Party’s experience in urban work can be further summarized.

中国共产党是马克思列宁主义同中国工人运动相结合的产物，城市是党的诞生地，更是彰显党的领导能力的实践场。新中国成立以来，我们党围绕城市工作的各个块面，在城市这个特定场域开展了一系列卓有成效的创新改革探索。结合人民城市重要理念三维分析框架，按照《中共中央关于党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验的决议》的历史阶段划分，通过对党关于城市工作重要会议和重要文件的梳理，可以进一步总结党的城市工作经验。

(I) The Period of Socialist Revolution and Construction

（一）社会主义革命和建设时期

At the beginning of the founding of New China, the urban work led by our Party faced many difficulties: in terms of urban takeover, important cities such as Chongqing and Guangzhou had not yet been liberated; in terms of urban management, years of war had brought the urban economy to the brink of collapse. In response, the People’s Liberation Army continued to liberate cities such as Guangzhou, Guilin, Nanning, and Chongqing. At the same time, our Party also mobilized grain and other materials nationwide, enabling major cities to uniformly adopt measures such as suspending loans and recovering loans according to contract, levying taxes, and freezing capital injections to stabilize market prices. During this period, our Party formulated the general policy of stabilizing urban production. The practice of cities represented by Shanghai using the law of value in a market economy to curb price surges consolidated the Party’s leading position in the cities and accumulated experience for the Party’s urban work relying on the broad masses of the people. In 1953, China began implementing the First Five-Year Plan, concentrating efforts on industrialization and accelerating the socialist transformation of various economic sectors, transforming consumer cities into producer cities. However, along with large-scale industrialization and the impact of the decline in agricultural output from 1959 to 1961, the inability of agricultural products to meet the increase in urban population became a new problem. In 1962, the First Urban Work Conference was held, analyzing the problems existing in urban work and proposing that the solution was first to restore normal production; only when industrial labor productivity increased and effectively supported agriculture and the market would living standards improve. Subsequently, the Central Committee issued the “Directive on Several Issues Concerning Current Urban Work,” which, on the basis of clearly implementing the policy of adjustment, consolidation, filling out, and raising standards, made multiple provisions on several specific issues of urban construction work: striving to complete the current year’s capital construction plan; adopting methods of graded responsibility and mass supervision to promptly dispose of backlogged materials and prevent losses of housing and materials; properly resettling currently idle labor and students unable to continue their studies in large and medium-sized cities; adjusting the establishment of cities and towns, reducing urban suburbs, and completing the plan to reduce the urban population; gradually improving municipal construction in large and medium-sized cities; and improving various management systems in accordance with the principle of centralized unification and graded management.

新中国成立伊始，我们党领导的城市工作面临诸多困境：在城市接收上，重庆、广州等重要城市并未解放；在城市管理上，连年战乱使城市经济濒临崩溃。对此，人民解放军继续解放广州、桂林、南宁和重庆等城市，同时，我们党也在全国调集粮食等物资，使各大城市统一采取停止贷款和按约收回贷款、开征税收、冻结资金投放等措施，稳定市场物价。这一时期，我们党制定了稳定城市生产的总方针，以上海为代表的城市，运用市场经济价值规律平抑涨价风暴的实践巩固了党在城市的领导地位，为党依靠广大人民群众的城市工作积累了经验。1953年，我国开始执行“一五”计划，集中力量进行工业化建设和加快推进各经济领域的社会主义改造，变消费城市为生产城市。然而，伴随着大规模工业化建设以及受1959—1961年农产品产量下降影响，农产品难以满足城市人口增量成了新问题。1962年，第一次城市工作会议召开，分析了城市工作中存在的问题，提出解决办法是首先恢复正常生产，只有工业劳动生产率提高了，有效支援农业和市场以后，生活才会改善。之后，中央下发《关于当前城市工作若干问题的指示》，在明确贯彻执行调整、巩固、充实、提高的方针基础上，对城市建设工作的若干具体问题做出多项规定：力争完成今年的基本建设计划；采取分级负责和群众监督的办法，迅速处理积压物资，防止房屋、物资损失；妥善安置目前大中城市闲散劳动力和不能就学的学生；调整市镇建制，缩小城市郊区，完成减少城镇人口计划；逐步改善大中城市的市政建设；按照集中统一、分级管理原则，改进各种管理体制等。

In 1963, to strengthen centralized and unified management of cities and resolve prominent contradictions in urban life, the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council held the Second Urban Work Conference. While affirming the achievements of urban work at that time in areas such as science, culture, education, health, and municipal construction, it pointed out that industrial production was always the center of urban work, requiring further efforts in industrial adjustment; striving to do commercial work well to better serve production and life; actively carrying out family planning; continuing to strictly control population; and strengthening urban management. The “Summary of the Second Urban Work Conference” emphasized that Party committees and people’s committees at all levels, while continuing to work hard on rural work, must further strengthen leadership over urban work, continuously improve work, manage cities well, and fully leverage the role of cities in socialist construction. In 1972, in response to the problems of an overly long capital construction front in the national economy and an excessive increase in the number of employees, the “Report on Several Issues in the Current National Economy” proposed actively increasing production, focusing on agriculture and basic industries, especially raw materials industries; strictly controlling the scale of capital construction; and strictly controlling the number of employees. Overall, during this period, the Party’s urban work achieved considerable success, basically completing the transformation from consumer cities to producer cities.

1963年，为加强对城市的集中统一管理和解决城市生活的突出矛盾，中共中央、国务院召开第二次城市工作会议，在肯定当时城市工作在科学、文化、教育、卫生和市政建设等方面取得成绩的前提下，指出工业生产始终是城市工作中心，需进一步做好工业调整工作；努力做好商业工作，更好为生产和生活服务；积极开展计划生育；继续严格控制人口，加强城市管理工作等要求。《第二次城市工作会议纪要》强调各级党委和人民委员会，在继续努力做好农村工作的同时，必须进一步加强对城市工作的领导，不断改进工作，把城市管理好，充分发挥城市在社会主义建设中的作用。1972年，针对当时国民经济基建战线过长以及职工人数增加过多的问题，《关于当前国民经济中几个问题的报告》提出要积极增加生产，抓好农业和基础工业，特别是原材料工业；要严格控制基本建设规模，严格控制职工人数。总体而言，在这一时期，党的城市工作取得了不小成就，基本完成从消费城市到生产城市的转型。

From the founding of New China to the eve of reform and opening up, the main policy task of our Party’s leadership in urban work was to enhance urban production and resolve the problem of imbalance between city size and population. Policy implementation mainly drew on the experience of the Soviet Union, adopting planned economy management methods, and carrying out urban work based on the ideas of “management” and “adjustment.” The result of policy evaluation was that urban industry had progressed and developed, but greater vitality and potential remained to be unleashed, and urban development urgently required ideological emancipation and strategic adjustment.

从新中国成立到改革开放前夕，我们党领导城市工作主要政策任务是提升城市生产，解决城市规模与人口不协调问题。政策执行主要借鉴苏联经验，采用计划经济管理方法，基于“管”和“调”的思路开展城市工作。政策评估结果是城市工业进步发展，更大活力和潜力有待释放，城市发展亟须思想解放和战略调整。

(II) The New Period of Reform and Opening Up and Socialist Modernization

（二）改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期

Entering the new historical period, the main task of the Party’s urban work adjusted to follow the national strategy of developing the economy, resolving the prominent contradictions in the country’s economic and social development by developing the urban economy. During this period, the Central Committee promptly adjusted the guidelines for urban work, and urban work entered a period of multi-dimensional comprehensive development. In March 1978, the State Council held the Third National Urban Work Conference in Beijing. The “Opinions on Strengthening Urban Construction Work” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”) formulated at the conference for the first time clarified the need to “raise awareness of the importance of cities and urban construction,” pointing out that “cities are the centers of our country’s economy, politics, science, technology, culture, and education, playing a leading role in socialist modernization. Urban construction is the foundational work for forming and perfecting the multiple functions of cities and exerting their central role.” The “Opinions” specified seven tasks for urban construction: raising awareness of the importance of cities and urban construction, adhering to the coordinated development of urban construction and the economy; establishing a reasonable urban system, taking a path of planned development; doing a good job in urban planning and strengthening planning management; reforming the urban construction system to enhance vitality and improve efficiency; strengthening urban infrastructure construction to create a good investment environment and living environment; managing and using urban construction funds well to fully realize investment benefits; and urban governments concentrating efforts on doing a good job in urban planning, construction, and management. In terms of policy implementation, the Central Committee made it clear that urban work must follow the mass line, by mobilizing and relying on the broad masses of street cadres and residents to do a good job in public security, youth education, environmental sanitation, and other work, and to run various undertakings serving production and life well. This conference proposed a series of guidelines and policies for urban rectification work, marking a new starting point for our Party’s urban work.

进入新的历史时期，党的城市工作的主要任务跟随国家战略调整为发展经济，通过发展城市经济解决国家经济社会发展的突出矛盾。这一时期，中央及时调整城市工作方针，城市工作进入多维度的全面发展期。1978年3月，国务院在北京召开第三次全国城市工作会议，会议制定的《关于加强城市建设工作的意见》（以下简称《意见》）首次明确了应“提高对城市和城市建设重要性的认识”，指出“城市是我国经济、政治、科学、技术、文化、教育的中心，在社会主义现代化建设中起着主导作用。城市建设是形成和完善城市多种功能、发挥城市中心作用的基础性工作”。《意见》明确了城市建设的七项任务：提高对城市和城市建设重要性的认识，坚持城市建设与经济协调发展；建立合理的城镇体系，走有计划发展的道路；搞好城市规划，加强规划管理；改革城市建设体制，增强活力，提高效益；加强城市基础设施建设，创造良好的投资环境和生活环境；管好用好城市建设资金，充分发挥投资效益；城市政府要集中力量搞好城市的规划、建设和管理。在政策执行方面，中央明确城市工作必须走群众路线，通过发动和依靠广大街道干部和居民群众，搞好社会治安、青少年教育、环境卫生等工作，办好各项为生产、为生活服务的事业。这次会议提出城市整顿工作一系列方针政策，是我们党城市工作的新起点。

At the end of 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party was held, making the major strategic decision to shift the Party’s work center to socialist modernization and implement reform and opening up. In 1982, the 12th National Congress of the Party established the general policy of promoting economic system reform with cities as the focus. Urban ownership reform and urban opening up opened a new pattern, and the vitality of various urban entities was unprecedentedly released. In 1992, Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Talks” [2]2 Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Talks” (南巡讲话) refer to a series of speeches delivered by the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping during his inspection tour of southern China in early 1992, which reaffirmed the course of market-oriented reform and opening up after a period of political uncertainty following the 1989 spurred a new upsurge in urban economic reform; the 14th National Congress of the Party established the overall strategy of building a socialist market economy system, and subsequent measures such as urban housing reform further released urban vitality. In 2002, the 16th National Congress of the Party established the general program of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Coordinated development between urban and rural areas and between regions achieved outstanding results in urban social construction focused on improving people’s livelihoods. During this stage, the Central Committee formally approved in 1979 the implementation of special policies and flexible measures in the foreign economic activities of Guangdong and Fujian, and decided to establish special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xiamen, and Shantou; subsequently, economic and technological development zones were gradually established in 14 port cities such as Dalian, Shanghai, and Ningbo, as well as the establishment of the Suzhou Industrial Park, the promotion of Pudong’s development and opening up, and the establishment of the Tianjin Binhai New Area. Systematic measures such as deepening institutional reform, expanding opening up, and balancing the economy and people’s livelihoods were all new explorations in urban work during this period.

1978年底，党的十一届三中全会召开，作出把全党工作中心转移到社会主义现代化建设上来并实施改革开放的重大战略决策。1982年，党的十二大确立了以城市为重点推进经济体制改革的总方针，城市所有制改革、城市对外开放打开了新格局，城市各主体活力空前释放。1992年，邓小平“南方谈话”推动城市经济改革新一轮高潮；党的十四大确立了建立社会主义市场经济体制的总体战略，随后城市住房改革等举措进一步释放了城市活力。2002年，党的十六大确立了全面建设小康社会总纲领，城乡之间、区域之间协调发展，以改善民生为重点的城市社会建设取得突出成效。在这一阶段，中央于1979年正式批准广东、福建在对外经济活动中实行特殊政策、灵活措施，并决定在深圳、珠海、厦门、汕头试办经济特区；此后又在大连、上海和宁波等14个港口城市逐步兴办经济技术开发区，以及设立苏州工业园区、推进浦东开发开放、建立天津滨海新区等。深化体制改革、扩大对外开放、平衡经济与民生等系统举措，都是这一时期城市工作的新探索。

From the convening of the Third National Urban Work Conference to the eve of the 18th National Congress of the Party, the main policy task of our Party’s urban work was to develop the urban economy and resolve the principal contradiction in the economic and social development of the primary stage of socialism. Policy implementation mainly involved a series of policies such as urban opening up, new area development, and urban economic system reform to stimulate the initiative of various urban entities. The result of policy evaluation was the stimulation of vitality in urban economic and social development, with cities, as the main engine of China’s economic development, undertaking more important tasks in the national strategy.

从第三次全国城市工作会议召开到党的十八大召开前夕，我们党城市工作的主要政策任务是发展城市经济，解决社会主义初级阶段经济社会发展的主要矛盾。政策执行主要是通过城市开放、新区开发、城市经济体制改革等一系列政策，激发城市各主体的积极性。政策评估结果是激发城市经济和社会发展活力，城市作为我国经济发展的主要引擎，在国家战略中承担更为重要的任务。

(III) Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Enters a New Era

（三）中国特色社会主义进入新时代

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the pace of all-round urban development has already been set in motion. The strategic objectives of the Party’s urban work during this period have been to focus on resolving the contradiction between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development, to better enhance the people’s sense of gain and satisfaction, to achieve high-quality development of cities, and to promote the modernization of urban governance. The Central Conference on Urbanization held in 2013 emphasized putting people first, advancing people-centered urbanization, and improving the quality of the urban population and residents’ living standards. In 2015, the “National Conference on Urban Work” was upgraded to the “Central Conference on Urban Work,” reflecting that the Party’s attention to urban work had reached a new height. Xi Jinping emphasized at the conference that cities are the places where all kinds of factors of production and economic and social activities are most concentrated in our country. To finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and accelerate modernization, we must grasp the city as the “locomotive,” grasp the laws of development, promote a new type of people-centered urbanization, unleash the greatest potential of expanding domestic demand, and effectively resolve various “urban diseases.” The conference pointed out that urban construction must: first, respect the laws of urban development; second, coordinate the three structures of space, scale, and industry to improve the overall nature of urban work; third, coordinate the three links of planning, construction, and management to improve the systematic nature of urban work; fourth, coordinate the three driving forces of reform, science and technology, and culture to enhance the sustainability of urban development; fifth, coordinate the three layouts of production, living, and ecology to improve the livability of urban development; sixth, coordinate the three main bodies of government, society, and citizens to increase the enthusiasm of all parties in promoting urban development. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasized: relying on city clusters and metropolitan areas to build a pattern of coordinated development of large, medium, and small cities, and advancing urbanization construction with counties as important carriers. Adhere to the principle that the people build the city for the people, and the city serves the people; improve the level of urban planning, construction, and governance; accelerate the transformation of the development model of megacities and super-large cities; implement urban renewal actions; strengthen urban infrastructure construction; and build livable, resilient, and smart cities.

党的十八大以来，城市全方位发展步伐已然迈开，着力解决好人民日益增长的美好生活需要和不平衡不充分发展之间的矛盾，更好提升人民群众的获得感和满意度，实现城市高质量发展，推动城市治理现代化是这一时期党的城市工作的战略目标。2013年召开的中央城镇化工作会议强调要以人为本，推进以人为核心的城镇化，提高城镇人口素质和居民生活质量。2015年，“全国城市工作会议”升格为“中央城市工作会议”，体现出我们党对城市工作的重视达到新高度。习近平在会上强调，城市是我国各类要素资源和经济社会活动最集中的地方，全面建成小康社会、加快实现现代化，必须抓好城市这个“火车头”，把握发展规律，推动以人为核心的新型城镇化，发挥扩大内需这一最大潜力，有效化解各种“城市病”。会议指出，城市建设一要尊重城市发展规律；二要统筹空间、规模、产业三大结构，提高城市工作全局性；三要统筹规划、建设、管理三大环节，提高城市工作的系统性；四要统筹改革、科技、文化三大动力，提高城市发展持续性；五要统筹生产、生活、生态三大布局，提高城市发展的宜居性；六要统筹政府、社会、市民三大主体，提高各方推动城市发展的积极性。党的二十大报告强调：以城市群、都市圈为依托构建大中小城市协调发展格局，推进以县城为重要载体的城镇化建设。坚持人民城市人民建、人民城市为人民，提高城市规划、建设、治理水平，加快转变超大特大城市发展方式，实施城市更新行动，加强城市基础设施建设，打造宜居、韧性、智慧城市。

Entering the New Era, Xi Jinping has attached great importance to urban work, pointing out: “To do a good job in urban work, we must adapt to the new situation of urban work, the new requirements of reform and development, and the new expectations of the people, adhere to the people-centered development thought, and adhere to the principle that the people’s city serves the people.” As the place where factors of production and economic and social activities are most concentrated, urban work has continuously achieved new breakthroughs under the unified leadership of the Party committee and the joint management of the Party and government. In terms of leadership, it emphasizes strengthening and improving the Party’s leadership over urban work; in terms of value orientation, it emphasizes adhering to the principle that the people build the city for the people, and the city serves the people; in terms of goals and paths, it emphasizes taking the path of urban development with Chinese characteristics; in terms of ideas and methods, it emphasizes “one respect, five coordinations”; in terms of bottom-line requirements, it emphasizes placing ecology and safety in a more prominent position; in terms of cultural foundation, it emphasizes coordinating the protection, utilization, and inheritance of historical culture; in terms of governance model, it emphasizes promoting the modernization of the urban governance system and governance capacity. Overall, urban work in the New Era has gradually enabled cities to break free from unbalanced development states such as emphasizing construction over governance, speed over quality, the present over the long term, and development over protection, moving towards all-round balanced development, continuously creating new prospects for urban development with Chinese characteristics. The modernization of urban governance characterized by refinement and precision has become the main direction of effort in contemporary urban work in our country.

进入新时代，习近平高度重视城市工作，指出：“做好城市工作，要顺应城市工作新形势、改革发展新要求、人民群众新期待，坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，坚持人民城市为人民。”作为要素资源和经济社会活动最集中的地方，城市工作在党委统一领导、党政齐抓共管之下不断取得新突破。在领导力量上，强调加强和改善党对城市工作的领导；在价值指向上，强调坚持人民城市人民建、人民城市为人民；在目标路径上，强调走中国特色城市发展道路；在思路方法上，强调“一个尊重、五个统筹”；在底线要求上，强调把生态和安全放在更加突出的位置；在文化根基上，强调统筹历史文化保护、利用、传承；在治理模式上，强调推进城市治理体系和治理能力现代化。总体来说，新时代城市工作逐渐使城市脱离重建设、轻治理，重速度、轻质量，重眼前、轻长远，重发展、轻保护等不平衡发展状态，向着全方位平衡发展迈进，不断开创中国特色城市发展新局面，以精细、精准为特征的城市治理现代化成为当代我国城市工作的主要努力方向。

Since the convening of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the main policy task of the Party’s urban work has been to promote the modernization of urban governance and achieve high-quality development within the overall framework of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity. Policy implementation mainly takes the implementation of the important concept of the people’s city as the starting point, continuously promoting innovation in governance means, governance models, and governance concepts. The result of policy evaluation is the gradual construction of a systematic, balanced, coordinated, and efficient governance system.

党的十八大召开以来，党的城市工作的主要政策任务是在国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的总体框架之下，推进城市治理现代化，实现高质量发展。政策执行主要是以贯彻落实人民城市重要理念为抓手，不断推动治理手段、治理模式、治理理念创新。政策评估结果是逐步构建起系统平衡、协同高效的治理体系。

III. Experiential Insights from the Party’s Leadership over Urban Work since the Founding of New China

三、新中国成立以来党领导城市工作的经验启示

Reviewing the historical process of the Party’s leadership over urban work since the founding of New China, although the focus of policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation differed in each period, two key words run through it: one is the people, and the other is development. In summary, adhering to the Party’s leadership, adhering to putting the people first, adhering to seeking truth from facts, and adhering to pooling wisdom and strength are the experiential insights of the Party’s leadership over urban work.

回顾新中国成立以来党领导城市工作的历史进程，虽然每个时期政策制定、执行和评估侧重点有所不同，但有两个关键词贯穿其中：一是人民，二是发展。总结来看，坚持党的领导、坚持人民至上、坚持实事求是、坚持凝心聚力，是我们党领导城市工作的经验启示。

(I) Adhering to the Party’s Leadership

（一）坚持党的领导

Adhering to the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and is also the primary experience of the Party’s leadership over urban work. In the practice of urban work, our Party has always placed Party building in an important position and continuously strengthened the Party’s overall leadership over urban work. In 1951, the “Key Points of the Resolution of the Enlarged Meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee” explicitly stated the first two points regarding urban work: First, all Central Bureaus, Sub-Bureaus, and provincial, municipal, and district Party committees must hold two urban work conferences this year, with an agenda as notified by the Central Committee, and submit two special reports to the Central Committee; Second, strengthen the Party committee’s leadership over urban work and implement the resolution of the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee. [3]3 The Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the CPC, held in March 1949, decided that the Party’s work focus should shift from the countryside to the cities and that the Party must rely on the working class to manage and build the cities. During the period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, our Party strengthened its overall leadership over urban work by reinforcing the construction of laws and regulations. Deng Xiaoping emphasized: “A country must have state laws, and a Party must have Party rules and regulations. The Party Constitution is the most fundamental Party rule and regulation. Without Party rules and regulations, state laws are difficult to guarantee.” [4]4 This quote is from Deng Xiaoping’s speech “Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, and Unite as One in Looking to the Future” (December 13, 1978), which served as the preparatory speech for the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee. Following the requirements of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, the Party Central Committee successively issued a batch of important intra-Party regulations, which became an important measure to strengthen Party building from the perspective of laws and regulations, making urban work more standardized. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core adhered to combining ideological Party building with institutional Party governance, and integrating governing the Party according to regulations with governing the Party with virtue, further consolidating the Party’s overall leadership over cities. The Central Conference on Urban Work emphasized: To do a good job in urban work, it is necessary to strengthen and improve the Party’s leadership. Party committees at all levels must fully recognize the important status and role of urban work. Main leaders must personally take charge, establishing and improving a pattern of urban work with unified leadership of the Party committee and joint management of the Party and government.

坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义的最本质特征，也是党领导城市工作的首要经验。在城市工作实践中，我们党始终把党的建设放在重要位置，不断加强党对城市工作的全面领导。1951年，《中共中央政治局扩大会议决议要点》关于城市工作的前两条就明确提出：第一，各中央局、分局、省市区党委今年必须召开两次城市工作会议，议程如中央所通知，向中央作两次专题报告；第二，加强党委对城市工作的领导，实行七届二中全会决议。在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设时期，我们党通过强化法规建设加强对城市工作的全面领导。邓小平强调：“国要有国法，党要有党规党法。党章是最根本的党规党法。没有党规党法，国法就很难保障。”按照党的十一届三中全会要求，党中央接连发布一批重要党内法规，成为从法规制度上加强党的建设的重要举措，城市工作更加规范。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，以习近平同志为核心的党中央，坚持思想建党与制度治党相结合、依规治党与以德治党相统一，党对城市的全面领导更加巩固。中央城市工作会议强调：做好城市工作，必须加强和改善党的领导，各级党委要充分认识城市工作的重要地位和作用，主要领导要亲自抓，建立健全党委统一领导、党政齐抓共管的城市工作格局。

(II) Adhering to Putting the People First

（二）坚持人民至上

Being people-centered, relying on the masses to build a “people’s city,” is a main line that has never changed since the founding of the Party, and it is also the most important experience of the Party’s leadership over urban work. Uniting and relying on the masses is a magic weapon for the Party’s victory in the revolution. After the founding of New China, our Party placed greater emphasis on uniting the masses and relying on them for socialist urban construction. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, a main feature of our Party’s unity with the masses was fully mobilizing and relying on them. For example, the Party Central Committee’s 1951 “Instructions on Cleaning Out Counterrevolutionaries in Transportation and Other Enterprises and Carrying Out Democratic Reforms in These Enterprises” required all localities to mobilize and rely on the working masses to carry out or further complete necessary democratic reforms. During the period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, after the Third National Conference on Urban Work, our Party reintegrated and activated dispersed political resources such as Party members within society through community Party building. Under circumstances such as changes in social structure, it maintained leadership over urban grassroots society and, in this process, achieved the policy goal of “relying on the people, for the people.” In the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, our Party places greater emphasis on the policy precision of urban work and on uniting and relying on the masses. In 2015 and 2019, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee successively issued the “Opinions on Improving the System for Party Cadres to Directly Contact the Masses” and the “Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Urban Grassroots Party Building Work,” further improving the specific system for leading cadres to directly contact the masses, and making strengthening the construction of grassroots Party organizations and strengthening the connection between grassroots Party organizations and the masses the focus of current urban grassroots Party building work.

以人民为中心，依靠人民群众建设“人民城市”，是自党成立起便从未改变的主线，也是党领导城市工作的最主要经验。团结和依靠群众，是党领导革命胜利的法宝。新中国成立后，我们党更加重视团结群众，依靠群众进行社会主义城市建设。在社会主义革命和建设时期，我们党团结群众的一个主要特征就是充分发动和依靠群众，如党中央1951年《关于清理交通等企业中的反革命分子和在这些企业中开展民主改革的指示》，要求各地发动和依靠工人群众，进行或进一步完成必要的民主改革。在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设时期，第三次全国城市工作会议后，我们党通过社区党建重新整合和激活分散在社会内部的党员等政治资源，在社会结构发生变化等情况下，保持了对城市基层社会的领导，并在此过程中实现了“依靠人民、为了人民”的政策目标。在中国特色社会主义新时代，我们党更加重视城市工作的政策精准性，更加重视团结和依靠群众，2015年和2019年，中共中央办公厅先后印发《关于完善党员干部直接联系群众制度的意见》和《关于加强和改进城市基层党的建设工作的意见》，进一步完善领导干部直接联系群众的具体制度，把加强党的基层组织建设和加强基层党组织同人民群众的联系作为当下城市基层党建的工作重心。

(III) Adhering to Seeking Truth from Facts

（三）坚持实事求是

The diversity and complexity of cities determine that the Party’s urban work must be more precise and meticulous. In the course of work, clarifying the questions of whom urban work relies on and what principal contradiction it resolves constitutes the primary guideline of the Party’s experience in urban work. Although during the 75-year course of struggle the strategic priorities and policies of our Party’s urban work have undergone many changes, each time policy adjustments were made accurately and promptly on the basis of seeking truth from facts and actual work needs. In the period of socialist revolution and construction, in 1951 Mao Zedong’s reply to the Southwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee’s “Report on the Urban Work Conference” stressed: Your first urban work conference achieved results, very good; if possible, before May 1 of this year, please convene another urban work conference to conduct in-depth research on urban work, mainly trade union work, the direction of leadership over industry and commerce, and the question of urban political power, and to make certain decisions, so as to prepare materials for the Fourth Plenary Session’s discussion of trade union work. [5]5 The 20th National Congress of the CPC: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in October 2022, which set the strategic direction for the New Era. In the period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the 1978 “Opinions on Strengthening Urban Construction Work” emphasized reforming the urban construction system to enhance vitality and increase efficiency; stressed doing a good job of urban planning and management, establishing a rational urban system, and taking the path of planned development. In the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made an overall plan, through major strategic deployments such as the construction of central cities, the development of Xiongan New Area, and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Chengdu-Chongqing dual-city economic circle, and has continuously promoted the modernization of urban governance around the strategic goal of continuously enhancing the people’s sense of gain and satisfaction.

城市的多元性和复杂性决定了党的城市工作要更加精准精细，在工作中厘清城市工作依靠谁、解决什么主要矛盾的问题，是党的城市工作经验的首要遵循。虽然在75年奋斗历程中，我们党城市工作战略重点和政策发生了多次变化，但每次都基于实事求是，立足实际工作需要准确及时做出的政策调整。在社会主义革命和建设时期，1951年，毛泽东对中共中央西南局《关于城市工作会议报告》的复示就强调：你们的第一次城市工作会议开得有成绩，甚好；假如可能的话，在今年五月一日以前，请你再召开一次城市工作会议，对城市工作，主要是对工会工作，对工商业的领导方向，和对城市政权问题，加以深入研究，并做出某些决定，为四中全会讨论工会工作准备材料。在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设时期，1978年《关于加强城市建设工作的意见》强调要改革城市建设体制增强活力，提高效益；强调搞好城市规划管理，建立合理的城镇体系，走有计划发展的道路。在中国特色社会主义新时代，以习近平同志为核心的党中央统筹布局，通过中心城市建设，雄安新区开发，粤港澳、京津冀、长三角、成渝双城经济圈建设等重大战略部署，围绕不断提升人民群众获得感和满意度的战略目标，持续推动城市治理现代化。

(4) Persisting in Pooling Strengths and Cohering Hearts

（四）坚持凝心聚力

The Communist Party of China is a political party that serves the people wholeheartedly. In the course of struggle spanning more than one hundred years, uniting all forces that can be united and cohering the joint force of urban revolution and construction is the primary starting point of the Party’s experience in urban work. In the period of socialist revolution and construction, in October 1949, Mao Zedong, in transmitting the “Report on the Circumstances and Experience of Holding Conferences of Representatives from All Walks of Life in Various Cities of North China,” pointed out: I am now transmitting to you a report given to me on October 29, 1949, by Comrade Bo Yibo, Secretary of the North China Bureau; this report summarizes the main experience of the conferences of representatives from all walks of life held in various cities of North China, and is written clearly and explicitly, and can serve as a model for all such conferences or people’s congresses; therefore, please study it carefully and have it printed and distributed to all Party cadres for study. [6]6 "Locomotive" (火车头): A metaphor for the leading or driving force in development, commonly used in Chinese political discourse. In the period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, with the deepening of reform and opening up and the sustained development of the socialist market economy, China’s social life underwent extensive and profound changes, and the diversification of social and economic components, organizational forms, interest distribution, and employment modes would further develop. Our Party timely put forward the “Three Represents” important thought, systematically resolving the question of what kind of Party to build and how to build it. [7]7 The “spirit of the nail” is a metaphor used by Xi Jinping to describe the persistence and tenacity needed to carry out work steadily and thoroughly, like driving a nail into a board. After the 14th National Congress of the CPC established the goal of building a socialist market economy, the institutional design of coexistence of multiple forms of ownership made the urban economy more dynamic, and the legal guarantee for various urban subjects to build a people’s city based on the concept of joint contribution, joint governance, and shared benefits became more solid. In the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that urban development must

中国共产党是全心全意为人民服务的政党，在百余年奋斗历程中，团结一切可以团结的力量，凝聚城市革命和建设的合力是党的城市工作经验的首要抓手。在社会主义革命和建设时期，1949年10月，毛泽东在批转《关于华北各城市召开各界代表会议的情形和经验的报告》中指出：现将华北局书记薄一波同志一九四九年十月二十九日给我的一个报告转发给你们；这个报告总结了华北各城市所开各界代表会议的主要经验，写得清楚明确，可为一切各界代表会议或人民代表会议所取法；因此，请你们认真研究一下，并且印发给全党干部研究。在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设时期，随着改革开放深入和社会主义市场经济持续发展，我国社会生活发生了广泛而深刻的变化，且社会经济成分、组织形式、利益分配和就业方式多样化将进一步发展，我们党适时提出“三个代表”重要思想，系统解决了建设什么样的党和怎么建设党的问题。党的十四大确立建设社会主义市场经济目标后，多种所有制共存的制度设计使得城市经济更加活跃，城市各主体基于共建共治共享理念建设人民城市的法治保障更加坚实。在中国特色社会主义新时代，习近平多次强调，城市发展要善于调动各方面积极性、主动性、创造性，集聚促进城市发展正能量。要坚持协调协同，尽最大可能推动政府、社会、市民同心同向行动，使政府有形之手、市场无形之手、市民勤劳之手同向发力。构建人人参与、人人负责、人人奉献、人人共享的城市治理共同体。

IV. Path Selection for People's City Construction Oriented toward Chinese-Path Modernization

四、面向中国式现代化的人民城市建设路径选择

The 20th National Congress of the CPC [5]5 The 20th National Congress of the CPC: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in October 2022, which set the strategic direction for the New Era. laid out the grand blueprint for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. Cities are the places where China's various factor resources and economic and social activities are most concentrated. On the new journey of the New Era, we must grasp the city as this "locomotive." [6]6 "Locomotive" (火车头): A metaphor for the leading or driving force in development, commonly used in Chinese political discourse. Combining the basic experience of the Party's urban work since the founding of New China and the three-dimensional analytical framework of the important concept of the people's city, the author believes that the path selection for people's city construction oriented toward Chinese-path modernization can proceed from the following three aspects.

党的二十大擘画了以中国式现代化全面推进中华民族伟大复兴的宏伟蓝图，城市是我国各类要素资源和经济社会活动最集中的地方，新时代新征程必须抓好城市这个“火车头”。结合新中国成立以来党的城市工作基本经验，以及人民城市重要理念三维分析框架，笔者认为，面向中国式现代化的人民城市建设路径选择可从以下三方面着手。

(I) Grasping the Era Mission of People's City Construction in Policy Formulation

（一）政策制定上把握人民城市建设的时代使命

The era value of the important concept of the people's city is to construct a complete set of work systems commensurate with the level of economic and social development at the time. Marxism holds that productive forces determine relations of production and generate the corresponding political superstructure. In the major transformation process of human political civilization, the technological revolution promotes a qualitative leap in productive forces, driving changes in urban governance models. During the First Industrial Revolution, large-scale machine industry gave rise to the practical need for standardized operations. To adapt to the need for large-scale production brought by machines, large populations gathered in cities, leading to severe "urban diseases." However, constrained by the shackles of classical liberal thought, cities represented by Britain championed the "night watchman" government concept, and urban governance did not form a system. The Second Industrial Revolution intensified the exploitation and binding of humans by machines. The transportation revolution represented by the automobile enhanced the government's capacity for taxation and control and amplified the driving effect of cities on surrounding areas. The increase in complexity made establishing stable order the primary task of cities, and establishing a bureaucratic government became the goal of urban governance at that time. During the Third Industrial Revolution, the invention of computers and information and communication technology promoted the emergence of a service-oriented economy and more refined specialization, bringing about the problem of fragmentation in management and services. Establishing a holistic government became the main pursuit of urban governance. From a historical perspective, China had been in a stage of learning and catching up in governance during the first three industrial revolutions. As one of the global leaders in digital transformation, the oncoming Fourth Industrial Revolution brings a rare opportunity for China. It is precisely the right time to stimulate the wisdom of the people to share a digital future and explore the Chinese path of urban work. The important concept of the people's city is an accurate response to this need of the times.

人民城市重要理念的时代价值是构建与当时当下经济社会发展水平相适应的一整套工作体系。马克思主义认为，生产力决定生产关系并产生与此相对应的政治上层建筑。在人类政治文明重大转型过程中，科技革命推动生产力质的飞跃，带动城市治理模式的变革。第一次工业革命时期，大机器工业催生了标准化作业的实际需求，为适应机器带来的规模化生产需要，大量人口集聚到城市并由此导致严重的“城市病”，但囿于古典自由主义思想束缚，以英国为代表的城市推崇“守夜人”政府理念，城市治理并未形成体系。第二次工业革命加剧了机器对于人的剥削和绑定，以汽车为代表的交通革命增强了政府征税和控制能力，并放大了城市对于周边地区的带动效应，复杂性提升使建立稳定秩序成为城市首要任务，建立科层制政府成了当时城市治理目标。第三次工业革命时期，计算机和信息通信技术的发明促进服务型经济的产生以及更加精细的专业细分，由此带来管理和服务的碎片化问题，建立整体型政府成了城市治理的主要追求。从历史维度来看，前三次工业革命我国一直处于治理的学习和追赶阶段，而作为数字化转型的全球引领者之一，迎面而来的第四次工业革命为我国带来难得的机遇，激发人民之智共享数字未来，探索城市工作的中国道路正当其时，人民城市重要理念正是对这一时代需要的准确回应。

Implementing the important concept of the people's city and exploring the Chinese path of modernizing urban governance is a new mission entrusted to the Communist Party of China by the times. From the perspective of historical trends, we urgently need to summarize and review the struggle history and wisdom crystallization of the Party's leadership over urban work since the founding of New China on the basis of a clear understanding of the current situation, so as to clarify future development opportunities. From the perspective of current challenges, China is experiencing the largest-scale urbanization, the fastest-aging population, and the most powerful digitalization process in history. Urban work practice has in fact entered the "no-man's land" of human history. Doing a good job of path planning and drawing experience from history has become an indispensable lesson at present. From the perspective of future practice, on the new journey of the New Era, implementing the important concept of the people's city and continuously enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security requires drawing wisdom for urban work in the New Era from the historical changes of the Party's urban work based on basic experiences such as "adhering to the Party's leadership, adhering to the people being supreme, adhering to seeking truth from facts, and adhering to uniting hearts and gathering strength." It is necessary to grasp the key of "built by the people, for the people" and strive to open up a new realm of urban civilization.

贯彻人民城市重要理念，探索城市治理现代化的中国道路，是时代赋予中国共产党的新使命。从历史趋势看，我们亟须在认清当下形势的基础之上，总结梳理新中国成立以来党领导城市工作的奋斗历程和智慧结晶，以此明确未来发展机遇。从当下挑战看，我国正经历历史上从未有过的最大规模的城市化、最快速度的老龄化、最强力度的数字化进程，城市工作实践在事实上进入人类历史的“无人区”，做好路径规划，从历史中汲取经验成为当下必不可少的功课。从未来实践来看，在新时代新征程上，贯彻落实人民城市重要理念，不断提升人民群众的获得感、幸福感和安全感，需要基于“坚持党的领导、坚持人民至上、坚持实事求是、坚持凝心聚力”等基本经验，从党的城市工作历史变迁中汲取新时代城市工作的智慧，抓住“人民建、为人民”这个关键，争取开创城市文明新境地。

(II) Determining the Ideas and Methods of People's City Construction in Policy Implementation

（二）政策执行上确定人民城市建设的思路方法

The practical orientation of the important concept of people’s cities provides an action guide for urban work in an era of changes unseen in a century. Marxism holds that theoretical problems must be resolved through practice; without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary practice, and once theory grasps the masses, it too becomes a material force. Entering the New Era, China has entered a new stage in which cities lead development, but urban development faces increased external uncertainty and the risk of global economic weakness and recession. This also requires that China’s urban work, guided by the important concept of people’s cities, grasp the fundamental attributes of people’s cities, seize the key of joint contribution, joint governance, and shared benefits, and explore and open up a new realm of urban civilization under socialist conditions; focus on what the people need and want, and better satisfy the people’s aspirations for a better life; grasp the vital signs of people’s cities, closely adhere to the essentials of being more attentive, more refined, and more scientific, and blaze a new path of governance modernization that conforms to urban characteristics and laws; grasp the strategic mission of people’s cities, clarify the city’s own advantages, positioning, and mission, integrate the city’s functional role with national and regional development strategies, and continuously enhance the city’s capacity; grasp the spiritual character of people’s cities, vigorously promote urban qualities rooted in but transcending the city itself, and strive to enhance the city’s soft power and competitiveness; grasp the main force of people’s cities, maximize the mobilization of the people’s initiative, creativity, and activity, make the people active participants in, biggest beneficiaries of, and ultimate evaluators of urban development, and build a social governance community of joint contribution, joint governance, and shared benefits.

人民城市重要理念的实践指向，为处于百年未有之大变局时代的城市工作提供了行动指南。马克思主义认为，理论问题要通过实践去解决，没有革命的理论就没有革命的实践，理论一经掌握群众，也会变成物质力量。进入新时代，我国进入城市引领发展新阶段，但城市发展面临外部不确定性增加、全球经济陷入疲软衰退的风险，这也要求我国城市工作需以人民城市重要理念为指引，把握人民城市的根本属性，抓住共建、共治、共享这个关键，探索和开拓社会主义条件下城市文明的新境界；聚焦人民群众所需所想，更好满足人民群众对美好生活的向往；把握人民城市的生命体征，紧扣更用心、更精细、更科学这些要略，走出一条符合城市特点和规律的治理现代化新路子；把握人民城市的战略使命，明确城市自身优势、定位、使命，将城市功能发挥同国家和区域发展战略融合在一起，不断提升城市能级；把握人民城市的精神品格，大力弘扬源于本城高于本城的城市品质，着力提升城市软实力和竞争力；把握人民城市的主体力量，最大限度调动人民群众的积极性、主动性、创造性，让人民群众成为城市发展的积极参与者、最大受益者和最终评判者，打造共建共治共享的社会治理共同体。

Implementing the important concept of people’s cities, the goal of policy execution is to provide an action guide for opening up a new situation in urban work in China’s New Era. First, at the macro-strategic level, clarify the city’s functional positioning, grasp the fundamental attribute of the city as an economic life community, and deeply understand the people-oriented value, vital signs, strategic mission, spiritual character, and main force of people’s cities; combine domestic and international development situations, regional economic and social characteristics, and the city’s own resource endowments to precisely determine its own functional positioning, and strive to build a new socialist modern city. Second, at the meso-tactical level, deepen the understanding and grasp of the regularity and systematic nature of urban work, and through implementing systematic governance, promptly build a governance system that coordinates and organically links economic governance, social governance, and urban governance; at the same time, better strengthen institutional supply, build a system of institutions that is complete, scientific, standardized, and effective, and further improve timeliness, targeting, and integration. Third, at the micro-policy level, focus on the carriers and levers that matter to the people’s sense of happiness and satisfaction, take the implementation of people’s wellbeing projects as a breakthrough, always keep policy attention closely on the people’s livelihood issues, and better satisfy the people’s aspirations for a better life; carry forward the spirit of the nail [7]7 The “spirit of the nail” is a metaphor used by Xi Jinping to describe the persistence and tenacity needed to carry out work steadily and thoroughly, like driving a nail into a board., do a good job on every people’s wellbeing project, continuously study and respond to the people’s new demands, and put into practice the report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC’s call to “build livable, resilient, and smart cities.”

贯彻人民城市重要理念，政策执行目标是为我国开创新时代的城市工作新局面提供行动指南。一是在宏观战略层面，明确城市功能定位，把握城市作为经济生活共同体的根本属性，深刻认识人民城市的人本价值、生命体征、战略使命、精神品格、主体力量；要结合国内外发展局势、区域经济社会特点以及城市自身资源禀赋，精准确定自身功能定位，着力打造社会主义现代化新城市。二是在中观策略层面，深化对城市工作规律性、系统性认识和把握，通过实施系统治理，尽早构建起经济治理、社会治理、城市治理统筹推进和有机衔接的治理体系；同时要更好强化制度供给，构建系统完备、科学规范、运行有效的制度体系，进一步提高及时性、针对性、集成性。三是在微观政策层面，聚焦事关人民群众幸福感、满意度的载体和抓手，以实施民心工程为突破口，将政策的关注点始终紧扣人民群众民生问题，更好满足人民群众对美好生活的向往；要发扬钉钉子精神，办好每一项民心工程，不断研究回应群众新需求，将党的二十大报告“打造宜居、韧性、智慧城市”落到实处。

(III) Clarify the value orientation of people’s city construction in policy evaluation

（三）政策评估上明确人民城市建设的价值导向

The subject position of the important concept of people’s cities is to uphold the people’s central position in urban construction and development, and to explore a new theoretical framework for urban work evaluation. Marxism holds that the state has a distinct class character, and state power always serves the interests of the ruling class. The important concept of people’s cities is to establish the people’s subject position in urban work, always relying on the people and acting for the people. From the perspective of for whom urban work is done, since the rise of the Greek polis, urban development has gone through stages such as the bureaucratic city, the autocratic city, and the capitalist city. Most of these urban development models ignore the feelings of the people living in them. The practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era must break through historical limitations and clarify the attribute of the people’s city in urban development; this is the historical logic of the important concept of people’s cities. From the perspective of who leads urban work, since the rise of relevant theories, polycentric governance has long faced the problem that governance order is difficult to achieve in the absence of organized leadership. Party leadership, as the core essence of urban governance, plays a commanding role in urban governance and promotes the realization of good urban governance order; this is the practical concern of the important concept of people’s cities. From the perspective of how urban work is carried out, entering the New Era, China’s principal social contradiction has undergone a major transformation. Emphasizing fairness and justice in development, breaking down various barriers in development, and solving the development problems of marginalized groups have become important tasks of current development. As a concentrated embodiment of modern civilization, cities must explore new models of fairness and justice in development and explore a new realm of urban civilization; this is an important yardstick for evaluating the implementation of the important concept of people’s cities.

人民城市重要理念的主体立场是坚持人民在城市建设和发展中的中心地位，探索城市工作评估的全新理论框架。马克思主义认为，国家具有鲜明的阶级属性，国家权力始终是为统治阶级的利益服务的。人民城市重要理念就是要在城市工作中确立人民的主体地位，始终做到依靠人民、为了人民。从城市工作为了谁来看，自古希腊邦政治兴起以来，城市发展经历了官僚的城市、独裁的城市、资本的城市等阶段，这些城市发展模式大多忽略身处其中人民的感受，而新时代中国特色社会主义实践要突破历史局限，在城市发展中明确人民城市属性，这是人民城市重要理念的历史逻辑。从城市工作由谁领导来看，自相关理论兴起以来，多元治理一直面临在缺乏组织领导下治理秩序难以实现的问题，而党的领导作为城市治理的核心要义，在城市治理中发挥了统领作用，推动了良好城市治理秩序的实现，这是人民城市重要理念的现实关怀。从城市工作怎么开展来看，进入新时代，我国社会主要矛盾已经发生重大转变，强调发展中的公平、正义，破除发展中的种种壁垒，解决边缘人群的发展问题成了当下发展的重要任务。城市作为现代文明的集中体现，要在发展中探索出公平正义的新模式，探索城市文明新境地，这是评判人民城市重要理念贯彻情况的重要标尺。

Implementing the important concept of people’s cities requires always keeping in mind the people’s central subject position in urban work, and continuously strengthening the people-centered value orientation in policy evaluation. In terms of whom urban development relies on, establish a clear subject position, carry out urban work under Party leadership through the joint efforts of the whole society, give play to the active role of various social subjects in urban work, stimulate the vitality of the whole society, insist on discussing the people’s affairs more with the people, and ensure that everyone participates in matters concerning everyone; insist that citizens are the main body of urban construction and development, respect citizens’ right to know, participate in, and supervise urban development decisions, and encourage enterprises and citizens to participate in urban construction and management through various means. In terms of for whom urban development is carried out, closely adhere to the background of the era in which China’s principal social contradiction has already transformed, uphold the fundamental value orientation of putting the people’s interests first, keep in mind the Party’s fundamental purpose, insist on responding to the people’s calls, so that the people have a greater sense of gain in their lives, and create a better life for the people; insist on shifting the focus of governance and services downward, place more high-quality resources, services, and management in communities, better provide precise and refined services for community residents, earnestly handle all matters, big and small, for the people, and enable the people to enjoy more fruits of development and reform.

贯彻人民城市重要理念，要在城市工作中时刻牢记人民群众的中心主体地位，不断强化以人民为中心的政策评估价值导向。在城市发展依靠谁方面，要确立鲜明的主体立场，在党的领导下依靠全社会的共同努力开展城市工作，在城市工作中发挥社会各主体的积极作用，激发全社会的活力，坚持群众的事情同群众多商量，大家的事情人人参与；坚持市民是城市建设、城市发展的主体，尊重市民对城市发展决策的知情权、参与权、监督权，鼓励企业和市民通过各种方式参与城市建设、管理。在城市发展为了谁方面，要紧扣我国社会主要矛盾已经发生转化的时代背景，坚持人民利益至上的根本价值取向，牢记党的根本宗旨，坚持民有所呼、我有所应，让人民群众在生活中有更多的获得感，为人民创造更加美好的生活；坚持治理和服务重心下移，把更多优质的资源、服务、管理放到社区，更好为社区居民提供精准化、精细化服务，切实把群众大大小小的事情办好，让群众享受更多发展改革成果。

(Author’s bio: Xue Zelin, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Political Science and Public Management, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences; Chief Expert of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Innovation Engineering Team “Digital Transformation and Mega-City Governance Innovation”; Researcher at the Shanghai Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)

（作者简介：薛泽林，上海社会科学院政治与公共管理研究所副研究员、上海社会科学院创新工程团队“数字化转型与超大城市治理创新”首席专家，上海市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心