The Luohu district government is exploring ways to improve its residents’ quality of life, including building innovative, high-tech neighborhood parks.

With advanced 5G technologies and augmented reality (AR), the district government is effectively creating a system of “smart parks" that are convenient to use and help residents make the most of their leisure time.

The district boasts nearly 100 neighborhood parks, meaning every resident’s home is within walking distance of public green space.

The Sungang Overpass neighborhood park in Sungang, Luohu, is one of the district’s first 5G-enabled green spaces. It was reclaimed from a plot of land under the Sungang Overpass. In April, the district government introduced 5G and AR technologies, making it a popular leisure site for locals and a must-see attraction for tourists.

With its intelligent interactive screen, 5G intelligent chairs, AR projection, etc., the park has been a hit with children and provides a sort of living textbook where they can learn about science and technology.

Zhang Jiashu, a local resident who often brings her child to the park said, “The novel items intrigue the children, and it kills two birds with one stone that they can have fun and gain new knowledge at the same time here,” adding that the park is “fabulously trendy.”

Despite the park’s popularity, some residents have raised questions about equipment safety during the rainy season and the designs of some barrier-free facilities. In response, members from the district’s Urban Management and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau, the operators of the neighborhood parks, explained that the equipment has passed strict safety screenings and can be adjusted depending on weather conditions.

In addition, they said the Bureau will consider residents’ feedback, and make necessary improvements.

According to Chen Bin, a civil servant of the Bureau, the Sungang Overpass neighborhood park and Cuihu neighborhood park also serve as pilot projects within the first batch of Luohu’s 5G neighborhood parks.

“The cutting-edge technologies are not only for fun,” said Chen, “We also use the 5G technology in the unmanned garbage trucks and other smart facilities to make the management of the parks more efficient and smarter.”

He said that Luohu will “build 5G-based management platforms for the smart parks and greenways to boost the overall green development of the district and enhance the people’s senses of gain, safety and happiness.”

Part and parcel of the initiative is also reclaiming unused space for public use. For instance, the Lehuo neighborhood park was built in an area above an underground pump station.

A local resident surnamed Zeng said people used to worry that the pump station might affect their lives, however, the new park has effectively quelled such concerns.

The Lehuo and Sungang Overpass neighborhood parks are just two examples of how Luohu is maximizing its resources and coming up with creative mixed land uses in an otherwise dense city.

Aside from simply increasing the number of neighborhood parks, the Luohu government is also working to ensure that each one has unique characteristics.

In July, a corner of Dongxiao Park was transformed into the area’s first youth-oriented neighborhood park. Liu Haili, a resident of the Cuilingyuan neighborhood, spoke highly of the park. “After the recreation facilities are added to the park, it pulls the children as a magnet,” Liu said.

The government built the park after local residents complained that the neighborhood lacked recreation facilities and space for children.

Liu Hui, a resident in the jurisdiction of the Cuizhu sub-district office, hoped that the government can install drinking fountains and build more public toilets in the neighborhood parks to further improve visitors’ experiences.

Given its success thus far, the Luohu district government said it will continue to press ahead with its neighborhood park project, which will ultimately foster more holistic neighborhoods and enhance residents’ quality of life.