In 15 years, if renovations are done properly, this could be the region's most beautiful and livable city.

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The government is also working overtime to make Hefei a more livable city.

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"Fixing the school system is a backbone of making this city livable, " he said.

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The restoration plan calls for reviving the tourism industry and making the city more livable for local citizens.

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Are you happy with what's being done to make your city more livable?

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The institutions have argued that they contribute a lot already, saying they bring jobs, spur innovation and generally make the city more livable.

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"I started to realize there was so much going on with the rooftops that had implications for the city, making the city more livable, " he explained of the project.

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Everyone simply wants to make their homes livable again, said Ray Marten, whose home in the Belle Harbor section of New York City's Queens borough burned down when a fire swept along his street during the storm, and whose family of six is renting a nearby house.

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