Analysis of the Focal Issues of the Implementation of the Block System Reform in China--From the Perspective of the Protection of Civil Rights

摘要

In February 2016, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council of China issued the "Several Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Further Strengthening the Management of Urban Planning and Construction", stating that, in principle, closed residential areas will no longer be constructed and will be replaced by the promotion of the block system. This change in policy has aroused a great deal of controversy in various circles of society in China. In 2017, Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, made an innovative attempt to implement "small block regulations." In 2018, the first "block system" public rental housing district appeared in Beijing, the capital of China. These innovative practices have promoted the pace of block system reform in China, but in general, the implementation of block system reform is difficult. From the perspective of public opinion, it seems that many citizens misunderstand the block system. This may be due to the complex interactions among community environmental management, public security, privacy, and other factors where individual interests and public interests meet. This article, from the perspective of the protection of civil rights, analyses the advantages and disadvantages of the block system at the value level, distinguishes the differences between the block systems of China, the UK and the US and then puts forward the theory that the block system reforms for newly built and existing residences are different and should be implemented independently. Concerning the key point of the block system reforms, the "greater difficulty in the implementation of the block system reform in the existing residential quarters" is the proposal to expropriate the commonly owned internal roads and appropriately compensate the residents. Finally, to cope with the core issues effectively, this article advocates gradual implementation of the block system reforms in China, including legislation, policy transformation, cultural construction, and pilot trials to promote the success of the implementation.