Changsha County Government has demolished an exterior wall in its courtyard and turns it into a big public square. (Photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- Local governments in Changsha are trying to improve their connection with the public by tearing down the walls of previous gated compounds.
The capital of central China's Hunan Province, an important commercial center, issued the guideline last April amid efforts to increase public space and turn it into "a city with 1,000 parks."
It said that district and county government communities should open up to the public as part of the urban road system, with government compounds to become community parks.
Changsha County Government demolished an exterior wall in its courtyard that has now become part of a big public square.
Local governments are stressing the need for people to have access to more public space as Changsha aims to enhance its livability and happiness index.
"The government is committed to providing a high-quality urban landscape to the general public," said Yi Lianhong, member of the Standing Committee and Secretary General of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee.
"What we tore down is not the fence of government buildings and compounds, but the entire barrier between government and citizens," explained Yang Yiwen, chief of the Changsha County Party Committee.
Chen Shifeng, director of the Changsha County Government Office Affairs Bureau, said the government would also plant more trees and flowers.
Meanwhile, the city has made efforts to demolish illegal buildings to improve the living environment for the general public.
The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, or the cabinet, issued a guideline on February 21 to better utilize urban land and optimize transport networks by opening roads in newly established communities open to the public.
