Transport, parks and parking are top priorities

An overhead view of Fudao Park in Qingdao's Shibei district. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Promoting construction of a park city, building an advanced transport system and expanding parking facilities are key elements of Qingdao's three-year action plan regarding urban renewal and reconstruction.

This year, the city has built 100.4 kilometers of urban greenways, six hilltop parks, 83 pocket parks, 51 shaded promenades and 126 vertical greening sites. A total of 506 hectares of barren hills have been afforested, 1,332 hectares of forests have been upgraded, and 150 ancient trees have been rejuvenated.

The six hilltop parks cover 275 hectares, ensuring they are ecologically sound, beautiful, fully functional and easily accessible. Among them, the 7.9-km greenway of Taiping Mountain and the 13.5-km fire prevention pathway of Fushan Mountain have been fully connected.

Taking construction of the coastal greenway as a guide, Qingdao is creating picturesque coastal landscape belts across the city.

Meanwhile, the city is staging hilltop park art season events in Xushan, Xianshan, Tuandao and Fushan mountains, as well as more than 50 activities such as voluntary tree planting, hiking, concerts and radio festivals in parks throughout the city, involving 100,000 participants. It has planned a total of 78 park city construction projects, including 18 community parks, 140 pocket parks, 35 shaded promenades and 86 vertical greening sites.

Qingdao is also constructing a comprehensive modern transportation network and launching 31 major infrastructure projects, with a total investment of 131.4 billion yuan ($18.4 billion). These include 18 highway projects, four railway projects and seven port projects.

A total of 121 public parking lot projects have been implemented this year — 72 of which have been completed — creating around 25,000 new public parking spaces. The city has also opened 325 commercial parking lots at shopping malls, hotels and office buildings, and provides 166 parking lots in residential areas, with a total of 102,000 shared parking spaces.