The city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, has announced at a work conference, that it will build 10,000 new houses to improve shantytown areas this year.

The new projects are expected to benefit people along Jingyu and Dianta streets, which are areas of substandard housing that has been poorly maintained for years, according to officials at the conference.

The government has asked for help in drafting policies, getting investors to help with project funding, and for construction crews to build proper residential buildings. Another report from the meeting said that Harbin started work on 6,877 units of similar housing last year, and completed 9,378 units that year, surpassing the government recommendation.

The city got 19.05 billion yuan ($2.93 billion) worth of credit from the China Development Bank last year.

File photo from 2011 of two-story housing with a Russian style, in Harbin, Heilongjiang. [Photo/China Daily]