Pingdingshan: 'Sky Gardens' Transform Rooftops into 'Green Spaces'

Source: Henan Daily Net

Henan Daily Client Reporter Correspondent Zhao Junwei

March 11, overlooking the new area of XinHua Street, XinHua District, Pingdingshan City, rooftops are adorned with 'sky gardens', beautifying the district.

This is a 'sky garden' with an area of about 700 square meters, where boxes of lightweight nutrient soil are planted with Festuca glauca, which is lush green, covering the entire roof. The surrounding area is decorated with white fences. Walking along the red permeable bricks along the path, you can see the city scenery in the distance.

In XinHua District, Pingdingshan City, a series of 'sky gardens' can be seen from the air, forming a unique landscape.

According to Yang Yan Zhao, Vice-Mayor of XinHua District, Pingdingshan City, 'The environment is the biggest livelihood issue.' As a central urban area, XinHua District has recently promoted environmental pollution prevention work and used greening as an effective measure to control smog. Through planning green, creating space through green, dismantling walls to create green spaces, and building gardens along roads, the district has dug deep into the city's green potential to improve air quality.

However, with the expansion of the city, there is increasingly less space for 'filling the gaps with green.' Since June 2019, the district, based on expert advice, combined with the requirements for building a forest city, extended greening to the sky, scientifically implementing 'rooftop greening' projects for office buildings and residential buildings in the core district, turning rooftops into 'green spaces,' and letting green plants become 'air purifiers.' To date, nearly 50,000 square meters have been greened.