Xi'an to build 100 pocket parks, small green squares

Xi'an – capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province – will establish, renovate or upgrade no less than 100 pocket parks and small green squares in the city, to expand the greening of the city.

A pocket park usually refers to a small green area of less than 10,000 square meters, with features such as garden landscapes and recreational and exercise facilities.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), Xi'an issued plans to build 1,562 hectares of urban park green spaces with a total investment of nearly 5.3 billion yuan ($820.44 million) – focusing on wetlands, heritage parks, ecological forest belts and forest shelter belts.

People there used to enjoy large-scale activities and the big park facilities during weekends and holidays.

As a supplement to the public living space of the community, pocket parks provide a great alternative place for people to relax and exercise.

One example of the trend is the intersection of Houcun West Road and Houcun North Road in Yanta district, where there used to be wasteland. At the start of the year, the district created a corner green space there.

"The land had been deserted for many years, but after reconstruction, it has become a small park with full functions," a resident said. "Now many people go there to relax, in addition to taking the baby for a walk, there are also square dances at night," she added.

Since September last year, Xi'an has established and upgraded 15 urban parks, 64 green squares and pocket parks and built 183 kilometers of greenways.