China's lift installation initiative faces financial, community hurdles

China is grappling with the challenge of retrofitting lifts in aging apartment buildings as its elderly population grows. In the 1980s and 1990s, millions migrated from rural areas to cities, resulting in the construction of concrete dormitories. However, many of these now-elderly residents are struggling financially amid a downturn in the property market and local government budget constraints.

For instance, 71-year-old Li, who lives in a six-storey Beijing building, expressed her need for a lift to alleviate the difficulty of navigating stairs, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

A plan is in place to install 2 million lifts across 8 billion square meters of housing built between 1980 and 2000, but funding has become contentious. The campaign, introduced in 2018, faces disputes over who should bear the costs, as local authorities have provided only limited subsidies and expect tenants to contribute.

Local governments are facing financial strain due to declining land sales and an economic slowdown, resulting in only 36,000 lifts installed nationwide last year. In Shenzhen, some localities have offered to cover 40 per cent of installation costs, yet residents struggle to reach a consensus on funding. This has led to tension, with some lower-floor residents reluctant to pay for lifts benefiting those above them.

While recent regulations allow lifts to be installed without unanimous consent, the pace remains slow. In Shanghai alone, over 250,000 buildings require lifts, yet only 3,001 projects were completed in 2023, marginally more than in the previous year. Some lift manufacturers have proposed covering upfront costs and recovering expenses through user fees, but they need local government subsidies to make this sustainable.

As residents express a desire for safer living conditions, the question of how to provide accessible lifts remains a pressing concern for China’s aging urban population.

By Vafa Guliyeva