Park forum exemplifies democracy

A recent public discussion in Southwest Shanghai's Minhang district, where more than 300 community representatives gathered to talk about preparations for the district's largest park to be open around the clock, was the latest example of whole-process people's democracy in the city.

The discussion on Jan 29 focused on how to enable 24-hour access to Minhang Culture Park, which is nearly the size of 120 soccer fields. Issues addressed included how to designate the park areas to be open at night, how to ensure visitors' safety and how to provide the best visitor experience at nighttime.

Along with local legislators and political advisers, participants also included representatives from the district government, media, the park authority, and academia. Some representatives of nearby residential areas, schools, and commercial areas also took part in the three-hour discussion.

It was organized by the district's legislative body and political advisory body with the aim of putting whole-process people's democracy into practice and collecting people's ideas and wisdom to better make decisions related to public affairs.

Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng said in late January that becoming a park city is not simply a matter of building more parks, but means turning the city into a large-scale park and striving to realize the unbounded integration of parks and urban space.

Shanghai opened another 162 parks — including pocket parks — last year, bringing the city's total to 832. It aims to have 1,000 parks by the end of next year.

Parks have been encouraged to better integrate sports, culture, and tourism functions, and to extend opening hours. More than 60 percent of the parks in the city are now open around the clock.

Many participants looked forward to the nonstop operation of the park in Minhang in the near future.

"A large proportion of the enterprises in our industrial park are internet businesses, where employees usually work overtime," said Zhang Baoqin, from the asset operations department of the Qibao Ecological Business District. "After getting off work, they have a strong fitness demand to keep healthy in both mind and body.

"When I go to a park at night, I feel it's quite different from the daytime. It is quieter when I run, and the smell of plants and trees is fresh. I feel like I'm deep in a natural environment."

Liu Jun, deputy head of Qibao town, where the park is located, said: "A park is like a furniture piece in a city, similar to a chair or a table in someone's home. It's abnormal that the duration of our use of a furniture piece is limited every day."

Guidelines released by the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau in December advocated 24-hour access to parks to benefit residents.

Qin Chang, who hosts a Shanghai Radio Station program that regularly discusses civic topics, said that tearing down parks' walls and lifting time limits "means a shift from the mindset of public administration to community governance".

To boost safety and convenience at night, some participants in the discussion suggested adding lights and fences around lakes, and said restrooms needed to be accessible at night.

"Amusement facilities must be powered off and boats must be locked on the shore after sunset, and relevant notices need to be clearly shown at park entrances," said Lu Weirong, a manager from Shanghai Shenzhou Greenery Co, which supports the operations of multiple parks.

"Park visitors at night must also maintain good public order. Activities that produce noise and disturb residents nearby, such as square dancing, must be refrained from."

In October, Yangpu became one of the city's first districts to operate its 18 district-level parks around the clock. To strike a balance between the needs of park visitors and nearby residents, parts of the parks close to residential areas are closed from 6 pm to 6 am.

zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn