I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 834 - 732: Land Allocated for Education

The majority of those wanting to relocate to the new city are becoming apparent, and with each passing day, as the new district nears completion, this proportion continues to rise.

Families with children naturally set their sights on the kindergartens and schools in the new district, hoping to provide a good living environment for their children.

Couples without children, due to so-called rumors, are busy having children during this period, while also eyeing the more comfortable living spaces in the new district.

After all, as the new district nears completion, the overall situation of the new district is gradually revealed, with more reasonably planned residential areas, more comprehensive facilities, and more beautiful green spaces that are clearly better than those in the current city...

These deeply attract the residents of the existing city, who, due to the excessive population, have no choice but to crowd an entire family of three, five, or even more into a temporary prefab house or a small tube-shaped apartment.

However, it is clear that among the over one hundred thousand permanent residents in the current city, only about forty thousand can relocate to the new district.

As for the remaining nearly one hundred thousand people, obviously, they cannot simply be left in their original residences.

To solve this problem, the city government held a municipal meeting for discussion, and naturally, Chen Xin was invited to participate in the meeting.

"I suggest dismantling some of the temporary prefab houses to make room for new residential buildings and re-planning the original residential areas, making adjustments to the unreasonable aspects of the city’s initial rushed planning and improving the supporting living facilities." A deputy mayor was expressing their opinion at the municipal meeting.

This suggestion is largely pointless because the discussion of this municipal meeting was precisely about how to handle these issues, not whether to handle these issues.

Of course, even when meetings are emphasized to be efficient without formalities, such seemingly meaningless "opening remarks" are still necessary to open up the topic.

Sure enough, after the deputy mayor finished speaking, an official responsible for municipal administration followed up and began explaining which parts of the existing city could be demolished.

The overall area of the current city is not large, as it was originally designed to accommodate 60,000 people in Dome City, so there isn’t much space to move around.

According to municipal department estimates, after relocating 40,000 people from the current city to the new district, most of the areas that can be demolished are the originally planned ecological and green zones.

These areas were originally built with easy-to-dismantle temporary prefab houses for quick settlement, and due to the structure of these prefab houses, they do not accommodate a large population. Hence, as long as the residents can be relocated, the demolition is not difficult and can be completed swiftly.

However, this does not mean the problem is easily solvable.

After all, the previous city planning was meticulously designed, and even though the ecological sections are no longer needed, it does not mean the empty plots after demolition can be developed randomly.

Even city-building games emphasize city layout and functional zoning; in a real city, the issues involved are only more complex.

Thus, how to utilize these plots, and what each plot should be used for, is a question that requires serious discussion.

And this is the main topic of discussion at this meeting.

After some calculations, municipal department officials indicated that approximately nine plots could be freed up. To adjust the city’s layout and improve the existing living environment and space, at least two large plots are needed for residential development to accommodate relocated residents and facilitate construction elsewhere.

As for the remaining seven plots, they clearly became a target for competition among different departments.

"The district should build another high school. Currently, the existing high school in the city is already overburdened with the graduation of the current batch of junior high school students," the education department first proposed their needs.

No matter how economically strained, education cannot be neglected. For the nation, an educated workforce is undoubtedly an essential part of the labor force, making education a top priority. Even in the current major environment, students’ education has not been delayed.

Therefore, when the education department proposed building a new high school, other departments did not oppose it and promptly designated one of the plots for educational use.

Of course, even in building a high school, allocating an entire plot is somewhat excessive. Hence, someone suggested building a small residential area alongside the high school.

The education department was evidently reluctant to agree to this suggestion; how could they possibly give up the land already in their hands?

But the education department also knew that the plot allocated to them was more than sufficient to build two high schools. To retain the entire plot, they had to come up with other strategies.

At this time, Chen Xin suddenly asked, "Is there a vocational technical school in this area? I propose building a vocational technical school next to the new high school. Considering the current high demand for technical workers in various places, students could become qualified workers after one or two years of vocational training post-high school graduation, couldn’t they?"

If it were before the disaster, suggesting that high school graduates enroll in vocational technical school would undoubtedly result in harsh criticism and even curses.

After all, before the disaster, most high school graduates chose to continue to university for a better future, with only those who did not meet the university’s criteria opting for vocational schools.

However, it is clear that the societal environment has changed, and it is no longer as easy to participate in college entrance exams and aspire to university after high school graduation.

Despite maintaining nine years of compulsory education and even senior high school education, the severed transportation lines make attending university elsewhere an arduous task.

If there is a local university, it’s manageable, with the principle of studying nearby allowing for some access to education. The state is trying to maintain the educational and research standards of these universities to ensure a source of students, but a nationwide enrollment process is no longer possible.

Furthermore, there’s a significant shortage of workforce everywhere now, and vocational technical school-trained workers are more in demand than academic talents trained over four years in universities.

Therefore, when Chen Xin proposed building a vocational technical school, it was met without opposition, and after some discussion, his proposal was agreed upon.

Of course, if there’s an opportunity for university studies, people would naturally prefer university education, and the need for specialized professionals with higher education is equally significant for the country. So, while emphasizing vocational technical training, university education must also be prioritized.

But this is evidently not the focus of the municipal meeting.