The Yangzhou Municipal People’s Government in China’s Jiangsu Province is awarded for conservation of the old city and improving the residential environment. With a population of 1.28 million people, Yangzhou has been transformed from a shanty town into a clean, modern city within five years. A total of US$770 million has been invested in solving housing problems for over 148,000 people through the renovation of 3,050 housing units in the city centre, and construction of 33,000 units of affordable houses. The Municipality has invested US$2 billion for the construction of infrastructure and has guaranteed the supply of water, electricity and gas mainly to the poor. Through cooperation with local real estate development companies, the Municipality offers land buyers low prices and waives government fees to enable land ownership.