Luohu District is transforming overlooked "edge spaces" into valuable urban assets, offering a model for modern city governance. Under the district's Eight Major Actions for Street-Level Refinement, former landfill sites have been converted into elevated green parks, while once-neglected areas beneath flyovers have been redesigned into popular public sports venues.

So far, Luohu has completed 50 refinement projects, activating more than 42,000 square meters of "corners and edges" and releasing 80,000 square meters of previously underused space.

One standout example is the Yayuan Interchange, located at the junction of Dongmen, Cuizhu, and Sungang subdistricts — one of Shenzhen's busiest traffic hubs. Traditionally, the space beneath flyovers has been treated as a "forgotten corner" due to noise, exhaust, and structural constraints. But Luohu's urban management authorities saw untapped potential.

"In a high-density built-up district, it's difficult to find large plots for cultural or sports facilities. Residents have nowhere to play ball or walk their dogs, and that's the pain point," said Ye Bin, deputy director of the Luohu Urban Management and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau. In response, the district adopted a "one bridge, one strategy" approach, carrying out targeted micro-renewal projects.

At the Yayuan Interchange, designers used the natural shelter of bridge piers to create an all-weather sports park. The project includes a standard basketball court, a five-a-side football pitch, and multiple functional zones tailored to community needs. Elderly-friendly fitness equipment supports the "silver-haired" population, while a dedicated pet park, complete with a fresh-water pool, caters to the growing number of pet owners.

In the Shuibei gold and jewelry business district, one of China's largest jewelry clusters, chaotic and insufficient electric-bike parking had long troubled merchants and residents. Luohu's solution was to reclaim space beneath pedestrian bridges. By removing low-efficiency greenery and paving the ground, five previously idle areas, such as those under the Buxin Road pedestrian bridge and the Furong Bridge on Tianbei 4th Road, were converted into orderly non-motorized parking lots.

In the Shuibei area alone, 4,070 square meters of space were activated, providing around 3,500 parking spots equipped with charging stations and battery-swap cabinets, effectively solving the "last-mile" connection to metro stations.

Through institutional innovation and refined governance, Luohu is turning the city's "leftover spaces" into new sources of public happiness — small interventions delivering big improvements to everyday urban life.