Xindu district of Chengdu city has cultivated a wonderful cencept of "city in the garden." This year, the city will continue to construct 800km of green sidewalks for the benefit of residents and visitors. It will truly build up a three-level urban green sidewalk network, connecting regions, towns and communities.

Enjoy green sidewalks

For residents of Xindu district, strolling along the winding green sidewalks in the afternoon is a relaxing and happy experience. Many residents who live near them are from the old town quarters. "Nowadays, we may exercise fitness at the door," said a man surnamed Zhang. When he finishes work, he spends a lot of time on green sidewalks enjoying the sounds of sprinkling water and birds chirping. These surroundings allow him to forget about the anguish and pressures of work.

Chengdu has planned its expansion of green sidewalks at the regional, town and community levels, with a total length of 230 kilometers. They connect leisure parks, historic spots, business quarters, catering quarters, rural home inns, and industrial zones. To date, the city has built green sidewalks that are six kilometers long that are 200 meters to the outer ring ecological belts, 18 kilometers at Jinjiang 198 LOHAS, 13 kilometers at Pihe, and six kilometers at Guishui.

Diversified experience from green sidewalks

Xindu district has all types of sidewalks: historic, cultural, hilly, sports, entertainment, rural landscapes and pastoral. At Pihe green sidewalk, dotted with wild arbors and fresh blossoms, people experience Northern European folk customs, enjoy the sight of rare river bank scenes, and embrace country views, business parks, gardens and modern agriculture. Gao Yang, a staff worker at the green sidewalk office of Xindu district urban and rural construction bureau, said people may borrow free bicycles to stroll along the paths.

"Local residents use the sidewalks for leisure and exercise. With such pastoral urban and rural developments, the green economy will surely be sustainable," said Gao Yang. Xindu will supply a considerable number of bicycles to each section of the green sidewalks. To make it more convenient for people to return bicycles, the city has introduced a ‘One-card’ enabling people to borrow bicycles for free and return them at nearby stops. People may also enjoy discounts with the cards in all business sites along the green sidewalks. So far, Xindu district has mapped out 14 courier stations to distribute the cards when Chengdu residents register with their identity cards.

Extend green sidewalks to 800 kilometers this year

According to Gao Yang, Xindu district will speed up the construction of Chengdu Green sidewalk No.9 Theme Line • Binhe New Town this year, to join the new town with the old town, connect regional green sidewalks with Pixian county and Qingbai river. It will complete the section from Guishui green sidewalk to the urban quarters and upgrade 55 kilometers of sidewalks for people’s health this year.

To date, Wenjiang district, Pixian county, and Shuangliu district have constructed kilometers of green sidewalks. At the end of April this year, the Chengdu municipal construction committee announced that Chengdu will build up to 800 kilometers of green sidewalks to truly foster a three-level urban green sidewalk network, joining regions, towns and communities. Therefore, Chengdu will have many green sidewalks. Out of the 800km, priority is given to the third ring road, expressway circling the city, Chengdu-Qingcheng expressway, Binjiang road, Phoenix Hill and Shiling Scenic Zone. Green sidewalk construction will also be a key project for people’s livelihood this year, to be examined by residents at the end of the year.