Shanghai has over 1,000 parks, with 1,000 more by 2035
Print Edition
A hundred meters south along Longwu Road in Xuhui District, a vast sunflower field bursts into view. Liu Fang, a 65-year-old retired worker, took a stroll at dusk, savoring the surprise view brought by the remarkable transformation right at her doorstep.
For more than 30 years, this 100-meter-wide green belt along the Outer Ring Road in Huajing area has served as a flexible buffer between the downtown and the suburbs, fulfilling a crucial role in ecological isolation and protection.
“The once tiny saplings have grown into dense forests, presenting a soothing green view,” Liu said.
Residents like Liu once looked at the “protective forest” beside them with greater anticipation: a desire for more recreational spaces.
This dream has come true. Covering an area of approximately 300,000 square meters, including the Outer Ring green belt from Laohumin Road to Changhua Road, the first phase of the Xuhui West Bund Nature and Art Park was transformed from paper work into a vast park and became the city’s 1,000th park.
For Liu, who has witnessed the once-rural buffer zone transformed into dense neighborhoods, the park represents long-awaited access to recreation “at the doorstep.”
The opening underscores Shanghai’s ambition to reinvent itself as a “city of parks.” From its first public garden on the Bund (Huangpu Park) in 1868 to today’s milestone, Shanghai has taken 150 years to reach 1,000 parks. The city now aims to double that number by 2035, in just 10 years.
The West Bund Nature and Art Park inherits the rich cultural and artistic atmosphere of the West Bund riverside area and boasts superior geographical and cultural advantages.
It features a child-friendly zone — the Forest Insect Secret Realm with children’s amusement facilities such as stick insect-shaped swings — as well as tent lawn areas and basketball courts. The park has promoted the use of nectar-rich plants and created natural habitats for amphibians, birds and insects, to facilitate the restoration of natural habitats.
Shanghai now has a total of 1,013 parks of various types — 522 urban parks, 371 pocket parks, 119 leisure forest parks and one theme park. The city has fulfilled the first phase of the “city of 1,000 gardens” goal ahead of schedule, and continuously improved the layout of parks.
Shanghai built more than 2,500 hectares of new parks during the 14th Five-Year (2021-25) Plan period. The city’s per capita park space has reached 9.5 square meters, 1 square meter more than that at the beginning of the five-year period.
Parks also act as a bond for fragmented habitats. The “native” river deer, which disappeared from Shanghai in the early 20th century, has returned and is thriving in Huaxia Park, Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park and Chongming Mingzhu Lake Park.
During the renovation of Heping Park in Hongkou District, an additional 8,700 cubic meters of temporary storage space was added to absorb and filter rainwater exceeding the drainage capacity of pipelines in the surrounding 36-hectare area.
The “20-minute park theory” claims that spending 20 minutes connecting with nature in a park can significantly enhance happiness and relieve stress.
Jiang Hua, who works at a technology and innovation company, often takes a cup of coffee to Hongqiao Park in Changning District to enjoy a moment of peace. The precious lunch break surrounded by greenery inspires his creativity: “Parks are magical. They soothe the mind, inspire creativity and even help seal business deals.”
Top-tier talent choose to work and live in first-class environments. The “city of 1,000 gardens” cultivates the soil for the seeds of integrated production, living, and ecology to take root and germinate, which is one of Shanghai’s core competencies in attracting and retaining high-end global talent.
The walls of parks across the city have been removed, and 858 parks are now open 24 hours.
“The ultimate goal is a ‘park city,’ and we are enhancing the functional diversity of parks by integrating additional services and business formats under the Park Plus model,” said Guan Qunfei, director of the park and greenland department of the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau.
“This includes popular features like camping sites, tent-setting areas and pet-friendly access. Next, we will also guide the entry of children’s scooters and bicycles into parks. This is particularly relevant because once the Outer Ring Greenway is fully connected, there will be a 100-kilometer uninterrupted cycling route — so we need to ensure bicycles can enter parks without disrupting other visitors’ leisure experience.”
Parks are embedded with functions such as culture, sports, music and art, as well as elderly and children-friendly facilities, to meet the needs of diverse groups and cover all age groups, he added.
By the end of 2030, the city is expected to add more than 500 parks of various types, increase the per capita park space by 1 square meter, and build more than 500 kilometers of new greenways.
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