A pocket park in Minhang

Minhang boasts 122 pocket parks at present and the district will build a further 30 such parks this year, according to the district landscaping and city appearance administrative bureau.

By the end of 2022, the forest coverage rate of Minhang had reached 18.8 percent, with its greenery coverage exceeding 10,000 hectares and the number of parks of different kinds reaching 193.

"The district is developing tremendously fast economically and socially, resulting in scarce land resources," said Shen Jun, head of Minhang District Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau.

"An increase of 0.1 percentage in the forest coverage rate means all walks of society will strenuously increase the forest land by 37.3 hectares," Shen added.

"Therefore, we've decided to make use of those bits and pieces of greenery spaces along streets."

Pocket parks, with a service radius of 500 meters, provide both leisure and exercise functions.

"They are making a facelift upon the natural environment while providing more greenery spaces for residents to take a rest and have fun," Shen said.

The pocket parks in the district are usually situated near commercial blocks, cultural venues and residential areas. Thirty more will be constructed by the end of October.

"We try to build the pocket parks alongside vibrant commercial blocks, neighborhoods, campuses, industrial parks and countryside, to make the city look like a big park. Meanwhile, we are also constructing themed pocket parks with more service functions like sports, culture, law, science popularization and tourism, in addition to their entertainment and leisure functions," Shen added.

Starting from 2015, the district has also been improving its riverfront and community greenery spaces.

By the end of 2022, the district had added 267 kilometers of greenery belts.

It will build a further 30 kilometers of greenery belts, according to the district landscaping and city appearance administrative bureau.

Source: SHINE