Parks, as a vital part of the urban green space system, play a key role in enhancing the city's landscape and improving residents' quality of life. According to the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Landscaping and Forestry, the city has newly built and opened one comprehensive park and 24 pocket parks this year to add more vibrant green spaces across urban areas.
The newly opened comprehensive park—Maidao Road West Side Parking Lot Park—is located southwest of the intersection of Donghai Road and Maidao Road. Covering 2.28 hectares, the park features a three-dimensional design that integrates an underground parking facility, a landscaped ground-level park, and an elevated skybridge above. This innovative structure adds a striking green landmark to the cityscape. The 20,000-square-meter coastal park area is thoughtfully designed with public art installations, rest zones, and essential amenities such as restrooms to enhance the visitor experience. Above, the elevated walkway offers sweeping panoramic views of Xiaomaidao Island. Ecologically, the park adopts tiered greening techniques to enrich the landscape's visual depth, incorporating native plants such as wintersweet to reflect local characteristics and improve ecological resilience.
The newly opened parks make full use of underutilized urban spaces—such as leftover plots and cleared redevelopment sites—introducing greenery wherever possible. These modest patches of land have been transformed into vibrant community spaces through clever design and landscaping. Following the "one park, one theme" approach, each pocket park has been given a distinct identity to enhance the city's cultural appeal. For example, the Ningxiang Garden Pocket Park features aromatic plants like wintersweet and lilac to create a fragrance-themed green space. The Yimu Home Pocket Park, which sits on land with an elevation change of up to eight meters, has been redesigned with improved pedestrian circulation, age-friendly features, and child-friendly elements to serve residents of all ages. At the Junfeng Road Cultural and Leisure Plaza, layered plantings of Chinese scholar trees, red maples, roses, and crabapples create a visually rich and refreshing natural retreat. These thoughtfully designed pocket parks offer residents accessible, comfortable places to relax, socialize, and connect with nature right in their neighbourhoods.
With more parks being built and opened across the city, Qingdao is not only becoming more visually appealing but also experiencing tangible improvements in residents’ daily lives. As of now, the city is home to 990 parks, including 646 pocket parks. These green spaces, integrated seamlessly into surrounding neighborhoods, are redefining urban living—making it easier than ever for residents to access nature and enjoy the benefits of a greener environment.
