But leaving endless "white space" in many places, Shanghai has been crafting a "necklace" for 15 years
During this year's May Day holiday, Mr. and Mrs. Ma, who live in Minhang, did not leave Shanghai for tourism, but frequently shared stunning views on their social media.
Encountering wild birds in lakes at any time, traversing wooden boardwalks in cedar forests, and small islands with a blend of Chinese and Western architecture... When friends asked for the names of scenic spots, they received a somewhat unfamiliar answer: Mianqing Park.
The predecessor of this park was the Mianqing Ecological Park, which was newly built on the basis of the original forest belt in 2015. It was upgraded and opened at the end of last year, and is less than 2 kilometers away from the Disney Resort in a straight line. However, with its solid and beautiful scenery, it has become popular. The influx of tourists during the May Day holiday is more than ten times that of normal days.
In the near future, more citizens will reap the same surprises as Mr. and Mrs. Ma.
Shanghai is promoting the construction of the ecological park belt around the city. The outer green belt and a large number of surrounding ecological spaces will be upgraded and transformed to benchmark urban parks. In addition, a batch of newly built park green spaces will form a tightly structured ecological network space, providing the most inclusive livelihood for citizens and laying a solid green foundation for the new development pattern of the city.
The external green environment carries new expectations
The Outer Ring Green Belt is a major ecological project launched in the 1990s. Today, this green "necklace" with an average width of over 100 meters and over 4000 hectares of construction basically overlaps with the Outer Ring Road, deeply rooted in the flexible buffer zone between urban and suburban areas, fulfilling the important mission of ecological isolation and protection.
However, with the increasing density of residential areas on both sides of the outer ring road, residents have stronger expectations for the leisure and recreational function of this "necklace".
Shen Qingyun, the deputy director of the Forestry Station in Pudong New Area, deeply felt this: "When we planned and designed it, we didn't expect Mianqing Park to be so popular. On sunny weekends, a large number of citizens with their families drove here, and traffic congestion became the norm."
Chen Xi's stunning photo of the 20000 square meter Mexican fir forest in Mianqing Park
Before Shanghai announced the comprehensive promotion of the construction of the ecological park belt around the city, the outer green belt was still unable to respond to the expectations of the citizens.
The initial positioning of the Outer Ring Green Belt was to quickly establish an ecological barrier, planting whatever trees grow quickly and have good resistance. More than 20 years later, a group of large trees represented by Yiyang have grown to a diameter of 50-60 centimeters at breast height, and the small forests have grown into dense "green walls" with high canopy density. How to increase the leisure and recreational functions of the outer green belt and surrounding space while balancing isolation and protection functions is an important test for building a desirable ecological city.
Upgrading the green belt to a park belt based on advanced domestic and foreign experiences is a good way to achieve two goals with one stone.
The Greater London Green Belt and the "Park City Demonstration Zone" in Chengdu, Sichuan are both developed through the construction of a number of large parks, forming an ecological space with a maximum width of no less than 10 kilometers. Meanwhile, a green leisure and recreation ring with a width of 200 to 1000 meters has been planned outside the Tongzhou City Sub center in Beijing, connecting multiple parks.
In 2021, Shanghai added "One Belt" after "One River, One River" - fully launched the construction of the urban ecological park belt. By 2035, a livable, business friendly, and tourist friendly ecological circle will be formed, with the outer green belt as the framework, connecting 10 wedge-shaped green spaces inward and 17 ecological interval belts outward, closely connected to the "Five New Cities" and the forest ecological park belt around the new city.
The ecological park belt around the city is mainly composed of "one major ring" and "five minor rings". The "Big Ring" mainly consists of "on the ring", "inside the ring", and "outside the ring". The "Five Small Rings" refer to the green rings of the "Five New Cities".
At present, the first batch of seven environmental parks, including Pudong Mianqing Park and Jinhai Wetland Park, have been completed and opened to the public. The second batch of 10 environmental parks, including Minhang Chunshen Park and Jinmei Park, has started construction and is expected to be completed and opened this year. This year, Shanghai will also promote the construction of 9 environmental parks.
Keep the base, don't move if it's not necessary
In the heavy rain, the 20000 square meter Mexican cedar forest appeared very quiet. The thick cedar branches buffered the raindrops that were eager to get close to the soil, gently falling on the irises and lilies on both sides of the boardwalk. Tourists holding umbrellas, under the cover of the cedar forest, enjoy the leisurely swimming black water chickens by the lake.
"What you see now is not much different from what it was in 2015," Shen Qingyun said. Mianqing Park does not carry out large-scale demolition and construction, but preserves the natural foundation. Its main function is to serve the needs of citizens to get close to nature and enjoy the wild, while minimizing the impact on the wild animals settling here.
Pointing to a white circle on the map, Shen Qingyun said that this circular main road is the "watershed" between humans and nature. The inside of the ring is the main activity area for tourists, while the outside, especially the north side of the park near the South River of the outer ring, is "given" to wildlife. Throughout the renovation process, these areas adhere to the principle of "not moving unless necessary", and after completion, only the minimum amount of manual maintenance will be retained.
Wild animals seem to feel the kindness of humans. Since its opening at the end of last year, the number of wild animal species monitored in Mianqing Park has continued to increase. As of now, there are 21 species, including the Brown backed Shrike, Far Eastern Sparrow, Dark Black Gilled Golden Turtle, Yellow Dragonfly, Chinese Bitter, and Loach.
Papilio polytes
The pictures of egrets are provided by the Forestry Station in Pudong New Area
The Suide Park, west of the Outer Ring Road and east of Zhongchapu, also has a similar charm: it has not blindly made bold moves to add new functions, and resolutely does not destroy the natural foundation and biodiversity system that has been difficult to "settle" for decades.
Its predecessor was a part of the outer ring protective forest built in 2003. After years of maintenance, this ecological space of over 200000 square meters has more than 60000 trees, of which nearly one-third are colored leaf species, with over 4000 Chinese fir trees. In addition, there are five water systems such as Yangjiamuqiaohang running through it, with forests and water, making it a habitat for birds such as egrets and turtledoves.
After the start of the Suide Park project, the key is to connect the "Broken Head River", improve water quality and the ecological environment of the riverbank. However, strangely, Suide Park has not fully utilized the future riverbank to create waterfront boardwalks and walkways.
"The boardwalk to the north of the park is still a long distance from the riverbank, and the section crossing the river to the east has also been retracted in the original design, all to make way for the black necked oriole and leave a blank space for life." Yang Weijiao, the head of the Planning and Construction Department of the Jiading District Landscape Management Office, said that in the early stage of research, they found that many of the places they had originally planned to build bridges and roads had black necked orioles building nests.
These lovely elves are the best scenery, so the design team took the initiative to concede more than a hundred meters of space and let the road and bridge change course. Tourists cannot cover every corner of the park and may miss out on some beautiful riverside scenery. However, when the golden black pillow oriole dances in the forest and makes a crisp and charming call, it brings multiple surprises and satisfaction.
Real estate development supports green space construction in return
Cities are constantly expanding and encroaching on suburban space. In the first half of the 20th century, an advanced urban planning concept began to emerge, encouraging suburban areas to "counterattack". It is like a wedge that prevents doors from moving, embedded in the outskirts and even hinterland of the city. While preventing rapid urban expansion, it becomes a bridge connecting the city to the ecological space of the suburbs. The green space that serves this function is named "wedge-shaped green space".
If the park on the ring is designed to meet the yearning of citizens for a "doorstep park", then the 10 wedge-shaped green spaces inside the ring are like "ventilation corridors" embedded in the city, undertaking various functions such as repairing the degraded ecosystem of the city, regulating microclimate, flood prevention and disaster prevention, providing green spaces for recreation and leisure for citizens, and attracting industries, talents, and investment.
As an important component of Shanghai's urban ecological park belt, during the 14th Five Year Plan period, 10 wedge-shaped green spaces will be divided into three steps. Four wedge-shaped green spaces, namely Senlan, Biyun, Sanlin, and Taopu, have been completed and opened up, adding over 300 hectares of green space. Five wedge-shaped green spaces, including Beicai, Wusong, Dachang, Wusong River, and Wuzhong Road, will accelerate preliminary research and are expected to add over 400 hectares of green space. The final wedge-shaped green space of Sancha Port will initiate planning and construction research in a timely manner to complete the preparation of detailed control planning.
Among the 10 wedge-shaped green spaces, Sanlin wedge-shaped green space has the largest urban forest in the city center, covering a total area of 65 hectares.
"It can be seen from the plants that they are different from ordinary urban parks," said Liu Yang, the urban forest project manager of Shanghai Real Estate Sanlin Binjiang Ecological Construction Co., Ltd. In order to create species diversity, seven major species communities have been constructed here, with more than 150 species. There are particularly many local plants, at least 50 species, and many precious species, such as Zhejiang Nan, Shui Song, Huangtan, etc.
Chen Xi's stunning photo of the wedge-shaped green space in Sanlin
The design and construction of the Sanlin wedge-shaped green space also constantly consider the coordination with surrounding resettlement housing, commercial housing, commercial, educational, cultural and tourism facilities.
"This provides an advanced concept for the promotion of various projects in the ecological park belt around the city." Jiang Hao, the head of the Planning and Development Department of the Shanghai Public Green Space Construction Affairs Center, said that traditional green space projects are often divided into several projects at different stages and undertaken by different units. The contractors are prone to "focusing only on the present" and "managing their own", which can cause inconsistency in different stages, project styles, and other aspects, and can be disconnected from the needs and development of surrounding areas. The design and construction of the Sanlin wedge-shaped green space is led by Shanghai Real Estate and is an integral part of the town. It better reflects the integration of production, ecology, and life, and is a successful case of using relocation and real estate development to drive green space construction.
Bird's-eye comparison of the location of the Sanlin wedge-shaped green space in 2017 and 2023, photographed by Chen Xishan
Being both an enjoyment and a "builder"
High quality parks and green spaces are not only enjoyed but also built by the people living next to them. The construction of Shanghai's urban ecological park belt has a characteristic from the planning and project approval stage: how to design and construct, mainly listening to the opinions of the people, and spending a lot of time researching and visiting the residents around the park.
From September to November 2021, the overall planning of the urban ecological park belt was still in the preparation stage. The Shanghai Greening and Urban Appearance Department launched a "Golden Ideas" solicitation activity, collecting more than 4200 insights from citizens through online and offline channels. Among them, 25 "golden ideas" were adopted during the planning and construction of the first batch of environmental parks.
The mixed Chinese and Western architecture on the island of "Spring Return of Haitang" in Mianqing Park is the idea of many residents of Kangqiao. From these Chinese style pavilions and towers decorated with European style stained glass, one can glimpse the "Jiangnan and Haipai style residential style" of Hengmian Ancient Town, one of the four major ancient towns in Pudong. On the memorial archway at the junction of the park and the island, there are also ancient music scores of pipa, because Kangqiao Town is the "hometown of pipa". The folk culture of Hengmian Water Township, which can be seen everywhere, makes local residents feel even more familiar.
Chen Xi from Mianqing Park
The currently open Huanshang Park has gathered the wisdom of many citizens and achieved their expectations at that time. However, the public's demand for public services will change with the times, and "golden ideas" will become outdated, unable to solve new problems and meet new expectations.
Deng Jianping, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Greening and Urban Appearance Bureau, stated that the construction of Shanghai's park city should implement the requirements of people's democracy throughout the entire process, respond to and meet the new expectations of the public for a better ecological environment. Therefore, asking for needs from the people, asking for plans from the people, and asking for benefits from the people cannot be a "gust of wind", but should be normalized.
Recently, the Shanghai Public Green Space Construction Affairs Center conducted a citizen satisfaction survey on the first batch of "environmental" ecological parks, and found many problems that were not discovered during the process of soliciting "golden ideas".
For example, the popularity of Huanshang Park has been underestimated, especially Mianqing Park and Jinhai Wetland Park, with an average daily visitor volume of over 1000 and weekends exceeding 5000. This year's May Day holiday saw 19507 and 42508 visitors respectively.
The unexpected number of tourists directly tests the pressure resistance of the supporting facilities and services of the "environmental" ecological park, making it easier to expose shortcomings and more efficient in identifying and solving problems.
Through renovation, the current number of public toilets in Mianqing Park has increased from 2 to 7. Catering services that were originally deemed unnecessary have also been strengthened, with the addition of supermarkets and small shops that can provide simple meals, as well as the addition of many vending machines.
In response to the difficulty of parking during holidays, the layout of the original 58 parking lot has been adjusted, increasing the number of parking spaces to 74. At the same time, the tree formation square on the entrance side of the park was opened, adding 45 parking spaces. During peak passenger flow hours, the local traffic police department will assist in directing traffic.
It is also reported that after the completion and opening of Zhangjiang Station on Metro Line 21, the traffic and parking pressure in Mianqing Park will be further alleviated.
Chen Xi's stunning photo of a vintage car shaped snack shop
