Shanghai Yangpu Container Houses
In Shanghai's Yangpu District, container-house cases exist; some units converted into dwellings for residential use constitute illegal construction and pose safety hazards.
Illegal Construction Cases
In Yangpu District, there have been instances of containers being converted into house-like dwellings for residential use. For example, the Changhai Road Subdistrict comprehensive administrative law-enforcement team found two house-converted containers on the sidewalk at the intersection of Zhongyuan Road and Changhai Plaza. These containers were used as temporary housing for road construction workers, yet no related permits had been obtained. The Wujiaochang Subdistrict comprehensive administrative law-enforcement team encountered a similar situation: on the planned road west of the Qinghuayuan residential compound at Lane 100, Rende Road, four inhabited containers had been installed by Shanghai Wenhua Yinwan Property Management Co., Ltd. in 2017, likewise without legal procedures.
Safety Hazard Issues
These house-converted containers present numerous safety hazards. Taking the four inhabited containers in Wujiaochang Subdistrict as an example, although living facilities inside the boxes were complete, sanitary conditions were filthy and chaotic, and there was unauthorized wiring. Unauthorized electrical wiring can easily cause electrical fires. In the confined space where people live, once a fire breaks out, the materials and structural characteristics of containers may allow flames to spread rapidly, while evacuation is difficult, seriously threatening occupants' lives. In addition, the structural design of containers may not meet residential requirements for seismic or wind resistance; in severe weather or natural disasters, collapse and similar accidents can also occur.
Remediation Measures
For these illegally built container houses that also posed safety hazards, law-enforcement authorities took corresponding remediation measures. The Changhai Road Subdistrict comprehensive administrative law-enforcement team held talks with the responsible parties of the relevant units; those parties removed the containers as required and restored the road to its original condition. The Wujiaochang Subdistrict comprehensive administrative law-enforcement team ordered Shanghai Wenhua Yinwan Property Management Co., Ltd. to complete rectification within one and a half months; ultimately all four containers were demolished, effectively eliminating the safety hazards and upholding urban planning and public safety order.
