Messy, abandoned eyesore turned into park
The new park located in a neighborhood
An abandoned garden has been turned into a new park in Jing’an District and will open to the public at 9am on Monday next week.
The site, located in the Gongkang Sancun and Gongkang Sicun neighborhoods of Jing’an District, takes up over 91,000 square meters, almost equal in size to 13 standard soccer fields.
It is the only park being built in Jing’an and the biggest neighborhood-based park in urban Shanghai, according to the Jing’an Greenery Management Center.
On Monday next week, the park’s 66,000 square meters will first open to the public. The entrance is located at Lane 200 Changlin Road and admission is free.
Previously, an abandoned garden and illegal structures were randomly erected, and the messy environment has bothered local residents for a long time.
“We dismantled illegal structures, planted new plants and installed some modern facilities to make it a high-end ecological place to come and rest,” said Cai Jie, deputy director of the center.
The park was renovated in accordance with the “sponge city” concept of water management.
A new drainage system channels rainwater into an underground purification and storage system, which irrigates the plants and also prevents rain from pooling on roads. Plants growing on the bottom of the river will help to clean the waters.
The park also has a “smart restroom” where air quality is monitored and the number of vacant toilets are shown.
A variety of flowers have been planted in the park to add different colors, including plum blossom, cherry blossom and Chinese roses.
There are two children’s playgrounds, designed for children of different age groups. There’s even a playground for dogs where local residents can walk their four-legged friends.
A children's playground inside the new park
