The Shanghai government revised the definition of small and medium-sized apartment
categories on Tuesday, with the standard gross floor area of flats in both categories now
being expanded by 20 square meters at most.
"The new criteria will give real estate developers more free play to optimize home
designs in accordance with market needs, and it also echoes the new trend that
homebuyers want more spacious and comfortable rooms," said Yan Yuejin, vice-president
of the Shanghai E-House China Real Estate Research Institute.
Under the new standards, flats in high-rise residential apartment buildings above 10
floors can have up to 120 sq m in gross floor area in comparison to 100 sq m before.
The adjustment is based on Shanghai residents' average living space, family
structure, market demand, and housing design and construction. It looks to adapt to
the latest market supply and demand conditions, people's expectations for prime
quality housing, as well as better fit people's diversified home living
requirements, said the notice.
"Larger-sized residential apartments will be built in Shanghai, and people will have more
choices when they look to change living conditions," said Chen Julan, a senior analyst at
the China Index Academy in Shanghai.
Guan Rongxue, a senior analyst at the Zhuge Real Estate Data Research Center, said the
changes in housing standards in Shanghai are in line with the city's market demand.
"Since the beginning of the year, Shanghai's new home sales have been led by diversified
needs for improved living, and transactions of large-size apartments carrying hefty price
tags perform well," Guan said, adding that the supply restructuring will allow more
large-sized apartments to be available in Shanghai in the future.
"It is worth noting that while more high quality and larger residential apartments will
be available in the market, a balanced supply of various sized homes should be ensured
for meeting diversified living requirements," said Li Yujia, chief researcher at the
Guangdong Planning Institute's residential policy research center.
------中国日报网