Chongqing-  By 2025, the coverage and quality of green space and ecological security in the built-up space of Chongqing's main urban area will be significantly improved, according to the recently issued Plan of Building a National Eco-Garden City in Chongqing.

Meanwhile, there will be a more appropriate layout of green space, better infrastructure, and a more livable environment in the city, reaching the standard of a National Ecological Garden City.

The National Ecological Garden City title was created in 1992 and is the highest honor a Chinese city can receive for its urban living environment. The first batch of pilot cities in China won the title, including Qingdao, Yangzhou, Nanjing, and Hangzhou.

Urban green space

The Plan proposes that the Chongqing Urban Administration Bureau should take the lead to strengthen rules and regulations for urban landscape planning, construction and management.

It's also necessary to improve management mechanisms for urban ecology, biodiversity, historically famous wood species and gardens, as well as pest prevention and control. Furthermore, quality and safety supervision of gardening projects, compulsory tree planting, and other landscaping management mechanisms will be improved as well.

Increasing the construction of urban green space, the urban green coverage ratio of the main city will exceed 43%, and the urban green space rate will be no less than 40% by 2025.

Regarding the park's green space, the green space area per capita shall exceed 14.8 square meters, ensuring more than 1.5 comprehensive parks per 100,000 people.

A combination of renewal of urban areas and greening areas actions will contribute to a minimum 28% urban green space rate of each district in the main metropolitan area. The minimum park green space per capita will increase to more than 5.5 square meters.

Health and comfort level

The Plan lists the enhancement of the city's health and comfort level and improving city safety and resilience as significant tasks.

The city will concentrate on flood control, drainage system, sewage treatment, ecological restoration, promoting the comprehensive river harness, and eliminating black and odorous water bodies in the urban area, led by Chongqing Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Committee, Chongqing Municipal Water Resources Bureau, Chongqing Forestry Bureau, and other units.

Other measures include carrying out the survey and monitoring urban wetland resources, and making plans to protect wetland resources and implement them strictly.

In terms of the ecological restoration of mountains and deserted land, the establishment of long-term mechanisms for the restoration and management will play a key, including promoting the greening and beautification of the slopes and cliffs.

The Plan also proposes to highlight the characteristics of the urban landscape.

Measures will be taken to strengthen the historical landscape's protection and protect and manage the historical tree and famous wood species and reserve resources.

Chongqing will pay great attention to the conservation of historical and famous wood species, where the rate of protection of its reserve resources is expected to reach 100% with the completion of the census, archives, and labeling.

(Cao Kezhi, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)