Mayor stresses importance of high-quality riverside public space
Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng (center) visits the already-opened riverside paths along Suzhou Creek on Saturday.
Shanghai is accelerating its campaign to create continuous waterfronts along the Suzhou Creek by removing disruptions or by building additional links.
Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng visited the already-opened riverside paths along the creek on Saturday to ensure that both sides of the creek’s downtown section, a length of 42 kilometers, will be open to the public by the end of the year as recreational space to enjoy.
“A high-quality riverside public space should be developed to create a beautiful home for locals where people coexist with nature harmoniously,” Gong said.
He pointed out the city government should implement the people-oriented urban development principle raised by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Shanghai last year.
President Xi said: “The cities are built by the people and for the people.”
He said urban planning and development must be committed to a people-centered approach and focus on people’s needs.
Gong and officials.
Gong visited the riverside section near the East China University of Political Science and Law in Changning District.
The 11.2-kilometer-long waterfront in Changning has been fully opened, featuring 10 parks and gardens with different functions and themes. Some 90 percent of the 21-kilometer-long Putuo section of the waterfront, the longest in downtown, has been opened. Some highlighted attractions such as the “Crown of the Suzhou Creek” are under development.
Gong said the waterfront development campaign along the Suzhou Creek and Huangpu River represents Shanghai’s urban development concept and construction standard. The best riverside resources should be open to citizens to allow them to enjoy the beautiful environment right outside their homes.
According to Shanghai’s urban design plan, the three-year greenway project, along with the 45-kilometer riverfront of the Huangpu River, will become an exhibition window on the city’s vibrant culture and multifunctional living areas.
Suzhou Creek, the biggest tributary of the Huangpu, runs through central areas of the city and stretches from the Outer Ring to the Bund. The 45-kilometer riverfront of the Huangpu, which has been accessible to the public since the end of 2017, is also being upgraded.
Gong and officials.
