At 11 a.m., the aroma of home-cooked meals fills the "Warm New Kitchen" in Daxin Community. Resident Xu Manfen enjoys a meal of two meat and two vegetable dishes for just 5 yuan. "It's better value than cooking at home myself," she says with a smile. A hot meal touches on the fundamental need for secure housing that affects thousands of households. Daxin Town has a permanent population of 72,000, with nearly half being residents relocated from demolition sites.

Neighbors have transformed from familiar locals to people from all over the country, bringing with them a high turnover of renters and a weak sense of community identity. The old governance methods that relied on personal connections are gradually failing. This year, Daxin Town implemented the "New Neighbor Settled Living Action." Party organizations, property management, residents, and new citizens have joined forces, addressing small everyday concerns to help residents not only move into apartments but also engage with the community and integrate with their neighbors.

From ensuring physical residence to securing emotional belonging, the changes are visible within and around the buildings. Previously, residents often felt confused about who to turn to with problems. The property management would say community coordination was needed, while the community would point to the need for property cooperation. Issues would bounce back and forth. Daxin Town first streamlined the governance structure, with residential party branches leading the integration of property management, self-management committees, grid workers, and "Crabapple Pioneers" into a regular collaborative network.

Daily inspections are conducted together, resident concerns are heard collectively, and conflicts are resolved through discussion. Property management has evolved from a role focused on fees and repairs to a front-line participant in governance. The issue of electric bikes being brought into buildings in Xinnan Community found a solution through this collaboration. After repeated warnings failed to stop the practice, the community and property management piloted AI cameras in selected buildings, which automatically issue voice reminders and alert property staff upon detecting such activity, leading to immediate on-site response.

In the first month of the pilot, the number of violations dropped by 82%. "Previously, seeing an e-bike in the elevator made me anxious. Now with people managing it and equipment monitoring it, I feel much more at ease," says resident Zhang Heyu. While technology manages risks, matters of public interest require deliberation among residents. In Taifu Garden, Daxin Community, the elevator emergency communication system had been broken for nearly 15 years, posing a risk if someone got trapped. Members of the community property committee, Sun Meihua and Liu Qingde, went door-to-door to explain the situation and gather opinions. After obtaining written consent from more than two-thirds of homeowners as per procedure, the system was repaired.

This restored "lifeline" not only reconnected emergency communications but also rebuilt trust among the community, property management, and residents. In Xinrun Huayuan, property management has made "service days for residents" a regular practice, offering conveniences like carpet cleaning and small appliance repair in partnership with the community. These small acts have helped residents see property management not as outsiders, but as partners to consult and solve problems with. With collective strength gathered, how can residents from diverse backgrounds be encouraged to not just live in, but actively build their community? In Fuhua Jiayuan, where new citizens make up 69% of the population, residents often left early and returned late, failing to know even their next-door neighbors.

Xindong Community transformed idle property management space into a "Happiness Hub." Here, new citizens are not just guests at events but its operators. They manage daily opening, prepare tea, chat, and jot down any concerns they hear. Opinions posted on a "problem wall" are collected monthly by the community, categorized, addressed, and resolved. "Before, I'd go home and shut the door after work. Now I stop by the Hub for a chat before heading upstairs," says new citizen Guo Shunan. Starting with fewer than 10 visits a day, the Hub now attracts over 30, has hosted more than 20 events, and served over 500 residents. The idle room has become a public living room and a front-line post for gathering opinion and participating in community affairs. This participation extends from public spaces to individual buildings. In Sunshine Home, Changxin Community, new citizen Zhao Meihong actively participates in environmental inspections and mediation of neighborly disputes, always willing to lend a hand. She has also mobilized other new resident leaders to join building-level volunteer services and information gathering.

"When I first arrived, I saw this as just a temporary stop. Now it's my home," she says. Delivery riders and couriers have also become "mobile sentinels," reporting hazards like broken branches or malfunctioning traffic lights. Through the "New Brother Points" system, Daxin Town quantifies contributions such as reporting information, offering civil guidance, and emergency duty, giving new employment groups a channel for participation where their efforts are recorded and recognized. The connection between new citizens and the community is tightening, from closing doors on each other to sitting together for discussion, from being passive recipients of services to active participants, from workers on the move to "mobile sentinels."

To ensure a secure and comfortable life, Daxin Town has perfected a four-level linkage system—from community party organizations down to building party groups and party member centers—to push services down to the building level, ensuring residents have someone to turn to and that problems are handled. The structure on paper has become tangible service at their doorsteps. Jinjiang Xincun, an older neighborhood with aging pipes and facilities, is seeing improvements through the Eighth Party Branch of Daxin Community, which operates on a "residents request, branch responds, immediate action" principle. A list of frequently raised issues was created and renovations are progressing step by step. Rusty drainpipes have been replaced, riverside guardrails reinforced, emergency alarm buttons installed in stairwells, and emergency cabinets placed in public areas. The long-awaited main natural gas pipeline work is complete, and residents can apply for connection this November.

"After living here for over 20 years, I no longer have to carry gas canisters upstairs," says Ding Yuncai, a resident of Building 7. For him, "settled living" is no longer an abstract idea. Safety hazards are managed, and the daily meals and well-being of the elderly are also a priority. A "knock on the door" initiative provides errands, proxy services, and health visits for elderly living alone. The Third Party Branch of Xinnan Community has paired with 28 such high-age households in Xinnan Phase III, with party members making regular visits to remind them about fire and electrical safety. The "Warm New Kitchen" also delivers meals to 47 elderly residents with mobility issues. Xu Guoping, a 64-year-old volunteer party member who regularly participates in building inspections, reflects a deeper shift: "I used to think community affairs were the responsibility of officials, but now I see it as my own." This simple statement captures a fundamental change in grassroots governance—the community is no longer just a service provider, and residents are no longer just waiting for services. When people from all walks of life are willing to open their doors and sit together, transforming from strangers into partners in building their shared home, a resettlement area ceases to be merely a "placement site." Instead, it becomes a new home where people find both physical security and a sense of belonging.