Beijing will build a municipal greenway system consisting of “two rings, two belts, and three wings.” Among them, the Fifth and Sixth Ring Roads will form circular, connected greenways, allowing residents to cycle or hike along the long green corridors.
Yesterday, reporters learned from the 2013 Beijing Urban Greening Work Plan press conference held by the Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry that Beijing has preliminarily determined the overall layout of the “two rings, two belts, and three wings” municipal greenway system. The two rings refer to the first and second green buffer zones around the Fifth and Sixth Ring Roads. The two belts are two rivers running north-south in Beijing: the northern one is along the Wenyu River, passing through Changping, Shunyi, Chaoyang, and Tongzhou districts, stretching over 70 kilometers; the southern one includes the Yongding River, Liangshui River, and Tonghui River.
Municipal greenways refer to paths within greenbelts that are first vegetated and then developed for walking and cycling.
The development of district-level greenways will build upon the demonstration projects of healthy greenways in Xicheng and Shunyi, advancing urban health greenways such as Haidian’s “Three Hills and Five Gardens” and Fengtai’s “Garden Expo Greenway.”
Yang Zhihua, head of the Urban Greening Division at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry, told reporters that the landscaping department has completed soliciting opinions on the construction of municipal greenways and is now awaiting approval from relevant departments.
Dialogue
Tourist service centers will be set up along municipal greenways
Yang Zhihua, head of the Urban Greening Division at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry
Reporter: What are the challenges in building greenways?
Yang Zhihua: The construction of greenways involves different types of land ownership. For example, riverside land belongs to water authorities, and some land is farmland contracted by farmers. These different types of land involve varying standards for future construction and maintenance—these issues need to be resolved.
Reporter: How can residents truly make use of these greenways once they are built?
Yang Zhihua: We have fully considered the needs of tourists in the planning process. The greenways are divided into municipal, district, and neighborhood/community levels to cater to the needs of different users. For example, for daily walks, people can choose community greenways near their homes; for longer hikes or cycling, there are municipal greenways spanning dozens of kilometers. The greenways will have rest stations where people can take a break and even repair bicycles. Meanwhile, municipal greenways longer than 25 kilometers will feature tourist service centers offering services such as food and beverages.
Reporter: How can construction be sped up?
Yang Zhihua: The construction of greenways, especially municipal ones, will be integrated with afforestation projects in plain areas.