FIELD:
Strategic｜Insight｜Community｜Urban Renewal
CLIENT:
Yongzhi Industrial Co., Ltd.
TEAM:
Lijia Xiao, Han Bao
YEAR:
2022
DIMENSION:
17380m²
STATUS:
Planning Proposal
Yongde Bazaar
about.
Revitalizing an underutilized building in Shanghai’s Wujing area into Yongde Bazaar – a community-centered lifestyle hub. Guided by the “15-minute neighborhood” policy, the proposal integrates user research, spatial planning, and business strategy to create a mixed-use center that blends daily needs with cultural and leisure elements, making it both practical for residents and inspiring as a local destination. This proposal was formally submitted to the local government for consideration.
story.
Located on Yongde Road in Shanghai, the building had long remained underutilized, and the project set out to bring it back into active use. The project began with extensive user research, including 287 survey responses distributed to nearby residents around the building site and on-site observation, to understand age distribution, occupations, consumption habits, and unmet needs. Analysis revealed that while the neighborhood had basic amenities, it lacked diversity, quality, and spaces for leisure and cultural engagement.
Guided by the “15-minute community lifestyle hub” vision and the Neighborhood Unit concept of self-sufficient living, the planning adopted a layered approach — a 5-minute driving circle for convenience, 10-minute walking circle for community services, and 15-minute living circle for comprehensive needs.
detail.
Preliminary Floor Planning
Floor | Type of Business | |
|---|---|---|
B1F | Parking, charging stations, and car services | |
1F | Fresh market, food court, and daily convenience services | |
2F | Imported supermarket, restaurants, and beauty services | |
3F | Hotel or flower market combined with community services | |
4F | Rooftop basketball court, themed café, and flower art space | |
Questionnaire Design
To capture authentic community needs, a structured questionnaire was designed and distributed directly to residents living near the project site. The survey received 287 valid responses and covered four dimensions:
Demographics – age, gender, occupation, income, and community affiliation.
Consumption Habits – daily meal spending, breakfast preferences, dining categories of interest (e.g., local cuisine, hotpot, bakery, Western).
Lifestyle and Retail Needs – business types within a 10-minute walk, preferred supermarket scale and brands (Yonghui, Freshippo, imported supermarkets), convenience store brands (FamilyMart, Lawson, 7-11), beverage and dessert brands (HeyTea, Coco, Yi Dian Dian, Manji, Xishu Paopao).
Community Services and Leisure – demand for banks, pharmacies, community canteens, gyms, beauty/hair salons, pet clinics, children’s playgrounds, basketball courts, and hotels.
The questionnaire was designed to balance quantitative data (spending levels, frequency, brand choices) with qualitative insights (desires for leisure and cultural spaces), ensuring planning decisions were grounded in resident needs.
User Research Insights (287 respondents)
Demographics
Age: Majority between 25–45 years old (≈60%), mainly young professionals and young families.
Gender: Female-majority sample (~58% women vs 42% men).
Occupation: ~60% corporate employees, followed by students, retirees, and freelancers.
Income & Spending
75% earn 5,000–15,000 RMB monthly, indicating stable middle-income purchasing power.
Dining budgets: breakfast mostly under 20 RMB, lunch around 20–60 RMB, dinner often 40–80 RMB.
Top Demands (within 10-min walk)
Restaurants (≈88%), fresh markets (≈63%), supermarkets (≈62%), retail shops (≈61%), cafés (≈67%).
Leisure demand includes fitness centers (≈58%), cinemas/KTV (≈60%), and community canteens (≈66%).
Supermarket & Convenience Preferences
Scale: Strong preference for large supermarkets (≈75%) over smaller formats.
Brands: FamilyMart (≈85–90%) is the top convenience store brand, while imported/discount supermarkets (≈70%), Yonghui (67%), and Freshippo (60%) rank highest among supermarket choices.
Food & Beverage Preferences
Breakfast: strong demand for milk/coffee/bakery items (85%+), with traditional soy milk/youtiao (≈65%) still popular.
Dining: most favored categories are local cuisine (≈83%), hotpot (≈68–75%), bakeries (≈60%), and Sichuan cuisine (≈70%).
Drinks: high preference for HeyTea, Yi Dian Dian, Coco (each ~50–65%).
Desserts: Manji, Xishu Paopao, Fresh Xianshan are most recognized.
Community Services
Residents expect nearby facilities including banks (≈90%), pharmacies (≈70%), dry cleaning (≈45%), beauty/hair services (≈55–60%), and pet clinics (≈40%).
Leisure & sports: demand for gyms (60%), indoor children’s play (52%), and basketball courts (35%).
Hospitality
If adding hotel options, preferences lean toward mid-range brands such as Motel (65%), Jinjiang Inn (54%), and GreenTree Inn (57%), showing demand for affordable, practical stays.
Key Insight: Across both surveys, residents expressed a strong need for a balanced ecosystem — affordable daily essentials (markets, local restaurants, healthcare) combined with upgraded lifestyle experiences (imported supermarkets, specialty cafés, fitness centers, cultural spaces).
Investment & Operation Plan
Budget: RMB 30 million allocated for renovation and branding.
Leasing Model: Flexible rental rates (1.5–2 RMB/m²), long-term leases (10+ years), six months rent-free for anchor tenants.
Brand Mix: Incorporating highly demanded names like FamilyMart, Freshippo, Aldi-style imported supermarkets, HeyTea, Yi Dian Dian, and popular local dining chains.
Management: Unified operations and branding to ensure sustainable community value and consistent user experience.
