A strategy in urban renewal: putting people first
The Yangpu riverside has been transformed into a children's paradise, providing a range of child-friendly facilities for them to play, ride, and have fun with the families over the weekends.
Yangpu District has become a shining example of Shanghai's urban renewal, opening more public areas and green spaces, while pushing new trends in art and design.
By transforming itself from an "industrial rust belt" to a "lifestyle show belt," the Yangpu Binjiang area has become a prime example of urban construction. It has captivated visitors, provided a platform for exhibitions, and given residents a new landmark to experience the diversity of the city.
At present, there are a total of 18 parks in Yangpu. Among them are the largest wetland in the central urban area of Shanghai, the only planned ecological island in the urban area, and the only 4A national forest park in the urban area with a forest as its landscape feature.
In order to further highlight the public nature of the parks, promote the opening, sharing, and integration of green spaces, and bring more sense of achievement and happiness to the citizens, Yangpu has conducted extensive research and solicited public opinions.
It has steadily promoted the development of a tailored plan for each park and has become the first district in the city to fully open all district-owned parks 24 hours a day.
In recent years, Yangpu District has launched five demonstration zone projects: the National Cultural Heritage Protection and Utilization Demonstration Zone, the Child-friendly Public Space Demonstration Zone, the Park City Pilot Demonstration Zone, "World Living Room:" Global Tourism Characteristic Demonstration Zone, and the Space Accessibility Innovation Demonstration Zone.
These five demonstration zones have different dimensions but are closely related. They all aim to explore ideal scenarios for people's lives, allowing everyone to feel warmth and kindness in the Yangpu Binjiang area.
To the north of Green Hill, a 150-square-meter space has been built as the "Yangpu Waterfront Disabled Sunshine Comprehensive Service Center." With comprehensive functions, it has become the core node of the barrier-free services in the Yangpu waterfront area.
At a height of one meter, the plaque of 228 Changbai Neighborhood has become a popular spot for children to pose for photos.
The service center, together with the Party-mass service stations and the Yangpu Binjiang People's Urban Construction Planning Exhibition Hall, has formed a "1+X" riverside assistance model, enriching and optimizing the barrier-free functions of the waterfront venues.
As the first set of guidelines in Shanghai regarding the construction of barrier-free public spaces, the Yangpu Waterfront Public Space Accessibility Environment Construction Guidelines were released to the public in 2022.
The guidelines take into account the practical needs of special groups such as the hearing-impaired, visually-impaired and physically-disabled. They have extensively solicited opinions and suggestions from the public, and 83 of the collected suggestions have been mostly adopted and implemented, so that public opinion and wisdom are integrated throughout the "whole process."
The details of the public facilities specified in the guidelines are even considered down to the millimeter, and each minute detail is aimed at enhancing the experience of special groups, including people with disabilities. Currently, the 5.5-kilometer southern section of the waterfront has achieved full accessibility for facilities, achieving barrier-free mobility.
The attitude of a city toward children also reflects its level of civilization. Yangpu pays attention to "looking at the city from a height of one meter."
In July, it officially released the "Yangpu District Child-friendly Guidebook (2023 edition)," with an aim to promote the construction of child-friendly community demonstration points and Yangpu Binjiang child-friendly public space demonstration areas, and conscientiously answering the livelihood issue of child-friendly public space construction.
For children of different age groups, Yangpu Binjiang has created 300, 600, and 900-meter children's activity circles, providing children with outdoor activity bases with Yangpu characteristics such as grass gardens, symbiosis structures, outdoor sandpits, basketball courts, volleyball courts, roller skating courts and more.
The Bridge Park Children's Exploration Park, themed "Seed Travel," is one of several construction projects that are actively under construction. These projects aim to improve the landscape of Yangpu Binjiang while creating dynamic outdoor activity spaces for children.
