Society

Greenways connect Pearl River Delta cities

By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-11 07:56

GUANGZHOU - Greenways in Guangdong province should better connect with residential areas, to meet people's changing expectations of urban life, experts said.

"Greenways in cities should not be separated. A comprehensive greenway network in the Pearl River Delta will help improve its efficiency," said Fang Qingfang, director of the housing and urban-rural development department of Guangdong province.

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More greenways are to be built in downtown areas in the delta region, making it more attractive for residents to move between urban and suburb districts without using motorized transport, Fang said.

"We are also planning to build facilities to connect with the greenway systems in neighboring Hong Kong and Macao," he said.

A greenway is often a long, narrow piece of land that improves the urban environment and provides recreational space for residents.

The United States has more than 1,000 greenways crossing its 23 big cities and 122 townships.

"Guangzhou will build 500 more kilometers of greenways this year. The focus is to build easy connections between living areas and the greenways," said Bram van Ooijen, a non-motorized transport and greenway program expert with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, headquartered in New York.

The institute has already provided technical support for the development of the Bus Rapid Transit system, public bicycle and greenway projects in Guangzhou and other Chinese cities.

"The greenways in Guangzhou are truly beautiful with trees, flowers, waterfalls and fountains," he said. "The greenways in Europe are a little less beautiful in their landscaping, but they are better connected with the rest of the city, which allows people to use them easily."

He said that many Western countries have highly developed greenway systems, which offer a convenient link between rural and urban areas, such as the Trans Canada Trail in Canada, the East Coast Greenway in the United States, the Vias Verdes in Spain, the Gold Coast Oceanway in Australia and the Euro cycle routes and the European Greenways Association routes throughout Europe.

He suggested the local authority should issue guidelines and standards in terms of designing and building greenways.