'Map of happiness' utilized in Shanghai

While Shanghai is often considered one of the most livable cities in China, local authorities have been working to drive further improvements using the concept of the 15-minute community life circle.

The concept refers to making a wide variety of goods and services available within a 15-minute walk. Included are businesses and facilities that provide needs related to daily life, work, study, travel, elderly care and much more.

First conceived in 2014, the concept has been implemented since 2019, when authorities began trials in urban areas. The goal is to make such community life circles accessible to 99 percent of the population by 2035, according to the city's master plan.

Among those who have benefited from the campaign is Liu Jin, a Shanghai retiree in her 60s who lives in the city's downtown Jing'an district. Until recently, Liu took her 2-year-old grandson along whenever she had to go for her regular health checkup at the hospital.

But her life has been made much easier with the recent opening of a child care facility in the Jiangning Road subdistrict near her home. Unlike conventional child care centers, this government-run facility offers care services in three-hour blocks, making short stays possible, which is an ideal solution for people like Liu. What's more, the first 12 sessions are free.

Since opening in September, the child care facility has been fully booked.

Yu Wenjun, director of the government office of the Jiangning Road subdistrict, said that one of the key approaches to creating a 15-minute community life circle is a "map of happiness", on which community services that residents have requested are noted.

"Based on our surveys, we found that many grandparents have their hands tied taking care of their grandchildren. As such, they barely have time to get a haircut or see a doctor," Yu said.

To minimize costs, most of the new child care centers are located within facilities such as community eldercare centers, kindergarten service centers and community spaces where Party-building meetings are held as well as activities with non-Party members, Yu added.

The city has a comprehensive plan with hundreds of projects related to 15-minute community life circles, according to the Shanghai Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau.

"More than 180 projects have been completed and they have improved the community environment and services," said Xu Yisong, former director of the bureau. Xu spoke during the 2021 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season, the city's biennial art and design exhibition, which had the circles as its theme.

The creation of the circles is complemented by the expansion of the city's public transportation system, enabling residents to get around more conveniently. Shanghai has become home to the world's largest subway network, which includes 831 kilometers of subway track. Residents in every part of the megacity can now access a subway station within a 15-minute walk.

The city last year also began a project to increase green spaces and parks to 1,000 by the end of 2025. The project includes the construction of about 300 pocket parks, which are small gardens and green areas at street corners, industrial zones and between apartment complexes.

Other public green spaces that have mushroomed in Shanghai over the past five years because of the 15-minute community life circle campaign include those at the waterfront areas of Shanghai's two major waterways — Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River.

"Improvements to the environment have been obvious," said Guan Wenqin, a 35-year-old who works in an office building in Jing'an district. "Shanghai is really nice in that it delivers on what it promises."