section_path: Economy/Built environments
section_name: Built environments
paragraph_text: Built environments
  
  In 1988, The Implementation Plan for a Gradual Housing System Reform in Cities and Towns marked the beginning of overall housing reform in urban areas of China. More than 20 real estate companies set up in Chengdu, which was the first step for Chengdu's real estate development.
  
  The comprehensive Funan River renovation project in the 1990s had been another step towards promoting Chengdu environmental development. The Funan River Comprehensive Improvement Project won the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award in 1998, as well as winning the "Local Initiative Award" by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in 2000.
  
  Chengdu started the Five Main Roads & One Bridge project in 1997. Three of the roads supported the east part of the city, the other two led to the south. It established the foundation of the Eastern and Southern sub-centers of Chengdu. The two major sub-centers determined people's eastward and southward living trends. Large numbers of buildings appeared around the east and south of the 2nd Ring Road. The Shahe River renovation project together with Jin River project also set off a fashion for people living by the two rivers. It was said that the map of Chengdu should update every three months.
  
  A speculative housing boom occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s.: 167 In 2000, dozens of commercial real estate projects also appeared. While promoting the real estate market, the Chinese government encouraged citizens to buy their own houses by providing considerable subsidies at a certain period. Houses were included in commodities.