The city of Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will launch a digital information system to better manage the city’s affordable housing program.

The Liuzhou municipal commission of housing and urban-rural development reported on Thursday that it is building a digital system that will carry detailed information about each unit of the city’s affordable housing.

The online system will offer a clear picture for the local housing authority to see whether an apartment is in use or not and will be able to update the status of each unit in real-time.

Liuzhou is expected to become the first city in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region equipped with a digital affordable housing management system, said the local housing authority.

Apart from an efficient management system, strong land supplies and financial investments are seen as important factors to ensure the rapid development of the affordable housing program.

Liuzhou had invested a total of 16.44 billion yuan ($2.66 billion) on its affordable housing program by the end of 2012. As many as 92,384 units with a total gross floor area of 6.48 million square meters have been built by the end of 2012.

According to the local housing authority, as many as 16.26 percent of residents in Liuzhou have been included in the affordable housing program. Almost all low-income residents qualified to apply for public-rental housing have been covered by the program.

The city of Liuzhou plans to build 15,373 new units of affordable housing in 2013. Construction of 2,647 units had begun by the end of the first quarter. The construction of another 2,980 units was completed with a total investment of 539 million yuan. As many as 500 units have been allocated to applicants in the first three months of this year.

Edited by Lin Hong and Michael Thai