Shanghai benefited from remarkable achievements in various areas related to people's livelihoods last year.

The city's average PM2.5 concentration was 27 micrograms per cubic meter last year, down 15.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the government work report delivered by Mayor Gong Zheng at the ongoing sixth session of the 15th Shanghai People's Congress.

A total of 94 percent of the city's permanent population have taken COVID-19 vaccines with over 51 million vaccine shots delivered.

More than 22 million people completed their whole-process vaccination, and over 6.8 million had taken subsequent booster shots.

Also, construction started on key projects such as the "Watertown Living Room" in the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone.

Metro Line 14 and part of Metro Line 18, totaling 61 kilometers in length, have gone into operation, and the west section of Beiheng Passage and the Jiangpu Road cross-river tunnel have also been activated.

The construction of Shanghai's "Five New Cities" is in full swing.

In total, 91 projects and 25 transportation projects have started construction in the five "new cities" and their combined investment reached over 100 billion yuan (US$15.76 billion).

The city's rural environment has been further improved with 595 kilometers of roads being upgraded in the countryside.

Public welfare programs

Public welfare programs to improve people's lives were all completed or exceeded their targets in 2021.

Among these, 51 new community-based senior service centers and 201 canteens for the elderly were built.

There were 5,084 new beds installed at senior homes and 2,303 beds were renovated to satisfy the nursing demand from seniors with cognitive disorders.

A safer and more age-friendly living environment for local older residents is being created citywide as part of a renovation program at seniors' homes; 6,868 households were covered by the scheme last year.

Nearly 1,600 elevators were installed in old residential buildings in 2021, and more than 97 percent of elevators in the city have been included in a smart monitoring system to ensure quick response in case of emergencies.

There were 226 new breakfast demonstration spots and 107 new or renovated walking and jogging tracks to meet people's fitness demands, in addition to 98 extra multi-function sports venues.

Environmental improvement projects were conducted on 350 kilometers of riverways.

New forest space amounted to 51,000 mu (3,417 hectares), 212.6 kilometers of new greenways were in place and there were 1,032 hectares of new green lands.

The city government also on Thursday mapped out its plans for people's livelihoods for 2022.

More than 80 projects, such as building the "Watertown Living Room," ecological improvement on the banks of Dianshan Lake, and construction of Xicen Science and Technology Innovation Park in the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone will be accelerated.

Construction of the first phase of Metro Line 20 will start this year and will be accelerated on the Chongming Line and Airport Link Line.

Smarter, greener city

Digital transformation will move into top gear to build the city into an international digital capital. A number of digital tourist attractions and hotels will be created, and a trial on intelligent wet markets will be conducted.

Digital applications in medical treatment and parking fields will be deepened and expanded.

Construction on projects such as the Shanghai section of Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway, Jiamin Line and the west extension of Metro Line 13 will be accelerated to power the development of the five "new cities."

Quality education, medical treatment, and senior care facilities will be introduced to the five "new cities," with 17 new primary and middle schools and 13 new kindergartens on the agenda.

A total of 3,000 new-energy buses will be put into operation in the city this year toward the goal of carbon neutrality.

The third phase of Bailonggang sewage plant will start construction, and the fourth phase of Suzhou Creek environment improvement project will be accelerated.

There will be 120 new parks and another 200 kilometers of greenways in the city; new green land space will amount to 1,000 hectares.

Senior care and community-centered service

Fifty community-based senior service centers and 200 canteens serving the elderly will be built.

There will be 5,000 new beds at senior care facilities in the city and 2,000 beds will be upgraded to serve seniors with cognitive disorder, together with 60 newly-built nursing spots for children.

A thousand barrier-free public transport vehicles will be launched in the city this year, together with 38 elevators on overpasses.

Upgrades will be done on 10 million square meters of old housing.

The medical insurance payment reform will be deepened and 10,000 extra charging poles for electric vehicles will be installed.

Eleven roads vulnerable to flooding will have the problems fixed.

A "15-minute community life circle" is being created across the city to give people access to services such as meals, fitness, nursing and health care within a 15-minute walk of where they live.

Construction will be accelerated on new cultural landmarks such as the south part of Shanghai Expo Culture Park, the east section of Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Grand Opera House.

Traffic conditions at 50 vehicle congestion spots will be improved this year.