虹口：“口袋公园”为居民区提供小巧精致的开放绿地 - 2017年06月23日

HONGKOU District is turning illegal structures in old residential neighborhoods into “pocket parks” — in an innovative measure to create more greenery in the city’s most densely populated region.

The first such pocket park opened to public yesterday at Tilanqiao Subdistrict near the North Bund area along Huangpu River.

The mini-park on Wuzhou Road, for which admission is free, covers only about 50 square meters, but has various plants and flowers, exercise facilities and a walking path.

The corridor-shaped park in the historic Yongnianli Community, which features 90-year-old typical shikumen style housing, is open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Previously, a row of shabby temporary houses had stood for 40 years where the park has been created, said Zhu Cuifang, Party secretary with the Hanyang neighborhood committee.

The houses, rented to out-of-towners, drew constant complaints about rats, poor hygiene conditions, and pollution. The notorious houses were finally torn down in late December.

The area was too narrow and small for any major redevelopment, so the subdistrict invited a designing institute to convert the area into a park, said an official with Tilanqiao subdistrict affairs office that covered the cost.

Residents are now encouraged to be volunteers to manage the park.

The practice will be promoted to other neighborhoods during the ongoing demolishing campaigns against illegal buildings, the official told Shanghai Daily.

Hongkou District government has begun decorating old shikumen communities with small parks, gardens and greenery, the district government said yesterday. Osmanthus trees, magnolia, bamboo and grapes have been planted.

“The shikumen neighborhoods lack greenery due to their original design defects,” said a senior resident living in a community on Shanyin Road. “Now we can rest under the grape vines, chat with neighbors and take care of the plants together just like the traditional Shanghai lane lifestyle,” he added.

The district government aims to demolish 600,000 square meters of illegal structures by the end of the year within these old residential neighborhoods, while adding greenery and improving the living environment, the government said.

Some 28,000 square meters of new parks or greenery gardens are planned to be built within Hongkou this year.