Chengdu's biodiversity gains worldwide notice

Living up to its reputation as a park city, Chengdu has also constructed the Chengdu Ring Ecological Park around its highways, featuring parks, greenways, lakes and farmlands. The ecological park, which formerly had been urban-rural fringe areas that paid a high price for rapid urban development, is being revamped to ensure its sustainable development.

"After completion of the ecological park, per capita green space in the central urban area will increase by 9 square meters," said an official at the Chengdu park city construction and management bureau. So far, the 100-km Chengdu Ring Greenway has been built, with more than 350 cultural and commercial facilities completed, laying a solid foundation for the city's ecological preservation.

Chengdu has been constructing a 16,900-km-long greenway system called Tianfu Greenway, with 6,500 km already finished. When completed, the greenway will serve as an artery connecting the city's natural spaces, forests, countryside parks and public green areas. It is designed to serve ecological protection, non-motorized transport, leisure, tourism, and sports activities to create a new economic consumption pattern with multiple functions.

City officials said the ongoing effort to create a better lifestyle for residents and improve facilities for public services includes a commitment to build 100 new park communities.