Green Infrastructure Development in Hangzhou
Hangzhou has been promoting an urban greening programme called "Forest City" since 2009. An ecological network of greenery with local characteristics is being realised by adding green belts to the local road and river network. Moreover, urban forests and wetlands have been built in some districts to form the ecological landscape and an urban greening coverage of 40.58% has been achieved by 2021 (National Forestry and Grassland Administration 2021).
The project has brought benefits to the city in various respects, including promoting local tourism, attracting a cluster of industries related to forests, improving residents' living quality, and protecting the local ecological environment.
My opinion is that there is real value in building green cities and Hangzhou has achieved significant results so far, but the focus can now be shifted from development to conservation and maintenance. One aspect is that the city itself has limited resources. Greening in Hangzhou currently takes up a large amount of the city's land area, which is one of the triggers for increasing housing prices and higher living costs. Furthermore, the maintenance of large areas of urban vegetation over time requires significant investment, especially as forest city projects may have become economically unsustainable in the last two years due to the effects of pandemics and the lockdown.
In addition, the current green infrastructure in Hangzhou is sufficient to meet present demands and future growth for a certain period of time. Considering the marginal benefits, the benefits obtained from new development have been significantly reduced. It is therefore recommended that new Forest City projects should be suspended at this stage of urban evolution and the focus be shifted to other urgent concerns of the city, such as the increased cost of living and reduced desire for consumption.
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