Preserving green space for the city

People practice sports at Dong Bac Ga Park, Thanh Hoa City.

Open the park fence

By opening the park “fence”, upgrading and renovating the park in a green and environmentally friendly direction, Thanh Hoa City aims to preserve the highlights of the landscape space, harmoniously connecting with the overall landscape architecture of the central urban area.

Most recently, the Hoi An Park Upgrade and Renovation Project is one of the key projects of Thanh Hoa City, which will be implemented from 2024 and completed and put into use from early 2025. This is one of the large "green projects" of Thanh Hoa City, associated with the mark of the steadfast and loyal twinning relationship between Thanh Hoa City and Hoi An City (Quang Nam Province). After renovation, Hoi An Park will be divided into 5 main sub-areas including: President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area, sports and physical training area, forest park area, Thanh Hoa - Hoi An cultural space area and central area.

After being invested in upgrading and renovating, the park has a new, spacious appearance with many modern public facilities. The new change at Hoi An Park that many city residents can easily see is that the old surrounding fence system has been replaced by green fences with many openings for people to enter and exit the park. The damp sidewalks along Tran Oanh and Mai An Tiem streets have been cleaned. Inside the park, there are also automatic water dispensers, smart toilets, security cameras, etc.

Notably, the tree system is the most significant change in the renovation of Hoi An Park. In addition to relocating about 800 trees that are not suitable for their species or do not ensure their location according to the planning, the park has planted about 1,200 other trees as well as many new flower varieties such as Bauhinia, Royal Poinciana, Bougainvillea, etc. Over time, the trees that are cared for and preserved will spread out and bloom, helping to significantly improve the air environment, creating green space in the city center.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan, a resident living near Hoi An Park, shared: “After renovation and upgrading, the landscape of Hoi An Park has completely changed, becoming a relaxing destination for many people. Every early morning and late afternoon, many people come here to exercise, improve their health, and take a walk...”.

To create a greener, cleaner, more beautiful and friendlier space for the people, Thanh Hoa City has actively renovated and upgraded parks. Typical of these are Hoi An Park, Dong Bac Ga Park, Thanh Quang Park... which have been renovated towards open spaces. Perhaps the residents living near these parks will be the ones who feel the most positive things when urban green areas are changed appropriately, friendly to the environment, creating residential areas with better quality of life.

Join hands to preserve

It can be seen that the green park system plays a very important and indispensable role in the life of urban residents, considered as the "green lung" in a bustling development space. Cities are increasingly moving towards adding and expanding green spaces in urban areas such as planting more street trees, increasing the green area in parks and water surface areas in urban areas.

Green spaces have a positive impact on residents’ behavior, contributing to strengthening community ties. Therefore, along with upgrading and renovating parks in line with the current urban trend, attention should be paid to management, maintenance and operation to ensure urban landscape space, community safety and for parks to properly promote their inherent “functions”.

Currently, in Thanh Hoa City, Thanh Hoa Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company is assigned to manage, operate and take care of 71 parks, campuses and median strips, including large parks such as: Bo Ve, Dong Chiec Lake, Hoi An, 530, Le Loi Monument campuses, Ma River Dyke, Lam Son and Ham Rong squares...

According to Mr. Le Xuan Hoang, specialist in charge of green parks, Planning, Engineering, Materials Department (Thanh Hoa Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company), the company's workers are responsible for protecting, maintaining, caring for, pruning, fertilizing, and bracing to protect the green tree system so that it can grow and develop well; at the same time, cleaning up the environment in parks and campuses, contributing to preserving the green color of urban areas, bringing a fresh, clean and greener living environment. However, this work is currently facing difficulties when the awareness of some people is not high, they still litter in the park, and they arbitrarily step on flower gardens and lawns. The park is a public space for pedestrians, currently prohibiting bicycles, motorbikes, and cars from moving inside, but in some open parks, people still ride bicycles inside the park. During favorable weather, the unit renovates and replaces some old flower beds with roses, hibiscus, jasmine, etc. to ensure a greener, cleaner, and more beautiful city. However, there are still some people who are not very aware and steal flowers in the park area. "For the park to operate well, in addition to the management and care efforts of the functional unit, it is necessary for people to raise their awareness in joining hands to protect and preserve public green spaces," said Mr. Le Xuan Hoang.

Currently, the specialized law on urban tree and park management includes Decree No. 64/2010/ND-CP dated June 11, 2010 on urban tree management. However, after many years of implementation, this decree has revealed some limitations in management practices, especially the lack of regulations on park management. The Ministry of Construction is drafting a Government Decree on urban tree and park management (replacing Decree No. 64/2020/ND-CP). With many new points, the draft decree on urban tree and park management is expected to contribute to correcting shortcomings, "tightening" the management and development of urban trees; ensuring clear distinction of rights, obligations, and responsibilities of entities involved in activities related to the management and development of urban trees and public parks.

Article and photos: Viet Huong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giu-gin-khong-gian-xanh-cho-pho-thi-248267.htm